Financial Accountant - Payroll & Reward

Financial Accountant: Payroll & Reward

Join us on a Global Financial Reporting team. An exciting and varied role with exposure to 14 countries, 392 stores and 78,000 employees. This is your opportunity to work in a dynamic environment and a chance to engage directly with the business allowing you to grow your network. Gain experience coaching and mentoring a team of Trainee Accountants whilst developing your own career within a renowned international retailer. Now is the time - make your mark on Primark and find your amazing.

Principal Duties & Responsibilities

• Involvement in the preparation and analysis of robust periodic financial and management accounts.
• Assist the Finance Manager in supporting the international finance teams by ensuring payroll accounting adheres to local GAAP and IFRS requirements in all countries in which we operate.
• Support management to ensure governance, mitigate risk & appropriate controls are in place in an ever-increasing regulatory environment.
• Support management and the team in the record to report of Payroll & Reward – payroll record to report is a key area within the financial reporting and wider finance teams given the size of Primark and the number of employees.
• Engage with a wide range of stakeholders and key contacts across varying levels across the business.
• Liaising with multiple teams to ensure costs being reported are understood and controlled. These departments include but are not contained to, Financial Planning & Analysis, Tax, Bank, Accounts Payable, Internal Audit, ICT, P&C and local market teams.Exposure to key contacts within Retail. This includes periodic production and analysis of payroll costs by cost centre and location, and distribution of reports to the wider business, and responding to queries.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with local country payroll and P&C contacts, together with external payroll providers.
• Support the Manager in analysis of payroll cost trends through demonstrating commercial acumen and trend analysis skills in order to understand the drivers underpinning payroll costs across the Primark Group.
• Demonstrate understanding of cost drivers, interrogating data & ensuring correct controls are in place.
• Support on internal and external audit teams on Payroll & Reward, ensuring timely delivery of requests.
• Opportunity to develop wide range of skills, including leadership, co-ordination and communication skills through working closely with a team of 3 trainee accountants.
• Assist in the training and development of trainee accountants within the team.
• Support business requirements as required, such as expansion into new markets.
• Support delivery of further automation of payroll interfaces across a Primark estate.
• Assist in the submission of annual and periodic reporting packs to ABF (Associated British Foods).
• Coordination of data requests from various teams, interrogating same for completeness & accuracy, in a timely manner to allow for population & preparation of ABF Notes at yearend

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Accounting qualification (ACCA, ACA, CPA or equivalent) with minimum 3 years PQE.
• Big 4 background or a number of years industry experience preferred (Retail would be an advantage but not a requirement).
• Payroll reporting experience, or experience working in financial reporting would be an advantage.
• Commercial awareness with ability to demonstrate a sound knowledge of wider business factors.
• Self-motivated with excellent interpersonal and communication skills (written and verbal) – need to communicate to all levels within the business.
• Excellent planning and organisation skills, ability to multi-task, plan and prioritise work schedule and work within agreed timescales.
• Ability to work under pressure in a dynamic and demanding environment.
• Can demonstrate initiative with strong work ethic.
• Excellent attention to detail and strong financial and analytical acumen (ability to analyse and interrogate high volumes of data as well as demonstrating an ability to focus on higher level overview).
• Experience working in a team environment.
• English is essential and other European languages would be an advantage.
• MS Office including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. Strong Excel skills are required
• Oracle Financials, Excel4apps and Cognos would be an advantage.

For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.