Group Accountant

The Group Financial Accountant role is a new position within a fast-paced, progressive hospitality environment which is currently undergoing significant investment and growth.

Client Details

The business operates in the hospitality industry and is benefiting from a high level of investment taking it from circa £40m per annum of turnover to over £100m turnover per annum in the next 3 years. The business operates largely in the UK but has international operations, for example opening in Amsterdam in 2017, as well as interaction across Luxembourg.

Description

You will be joining the Financial Reporting team at a key stage in the growth of the business, as they evolve into a multi-national corporation with increased reporting requirements, and you will assist in providing, implementing and maintaining the Financial Control and Governance framework. The role is critical to the successful preparation of monthly and quarterly reporting to the Board, on a consolidated basis across an international platform of 24 entities. The role will also support a step change within the Finance team and wider business to implement a controls framework as well as identifying control gaps and opportunities for improvement.

Key Responsibilities:

• Ownership and preparation of the consolidated management accounts
• Ownership and preparation of consolidation for quarterly reporting, including preparing disclosures and performing reconciliations under IFRS
• Assisting in the implementation and development of the consolidation system and tool
• Reconciliation between management accounts and consolidation/statutory accounts
• Conducting risk assessments and identifying controls in place to mitigate identified risks
• Analysing and concluding on effectiveness and efficiency of control environment
• Identifying control gaps and opportunities for improvement
• Supporting change programmes and improvements - driving and implementing improvements with internal and external stakeholders and implementing a standardisation of ways of working
• Supporting the preparation of statutory accounts (to excellent level with no post audit adjustments)
• Assistance with ad hoc technical matters eg new accounting standards

Profile

As Group Financial Accountant you should have excellent qualifications, have a strong technical background and skillset plus good commercial acumen. On top of that you should be a passionate and positive financial practitioner who wants to make a difference and contribute to the continuous improvement of the business processes and results. The role requires the jobholder to be agile and able to deal with new and ambiguous situations as the group evolves and enters into new jurisdictions. The role will also require strong project management and interpersonal skills to hold people to account and ensure the reporting timescales are met.

Core skills/attributes

• Technically strong, with a strong awareness of UK GAAP and IFRS standards
• Attention to detail and sound judgement - ability to work in a repeatable way that enables work to be picked up by others and to be well and easily understood
• Ability to work under pressure and ambiguity/critical prioritisation of workload
• Project Management - deadline/delivery focussed, working in a way that is positive but assertive (chasing busy people with conflicting priorities)
• Excellent system and modelling skills (SAGE, excel, BI and other related systems)
• Flexible and able to roll-up sleeves and get involved in other areas of the finance team as and when necessary
• Managing/supporting/coaching colleagues in order to benefit the team and the individuals
• Communication - in all forms for each audience
• Management/Leadership - challenging and supportive team player
• Open and easily builds relationships with people

Experience/qualifications:

• A Qualified Accountant (ICAEW, CIMA, ACCA), with strong academic achievement and relevant experience
• Strong technical background and skillset
• Experience of consolidation/ working in a multi entity environment
• Preferable to have SOX experience
• Excellent communication skills
• Proven track record of delivering and implementing step change (passion and curiosity for improvement)
• Experience of working in a number of systems including SAGE and business intelligence
• Broad and varied experiences in role
• Desired: Experience of acquisition accounting, opening balance sheets, purchase price allocation, discount cash flow and other valuation models

Job Offer

This role will pay a very good basic salary, as well as rapid progression opportunities.