Finance & System Accounting Specialist (Maternity Cover FTC)

Job Description

Due to upcoming maternity leave, a 12 month FTC opportunity has arisen for this exceptional role in the finance department that provides a view of all financial processes and an opportunity to work with a wide range of teams. There is exposure to senior management and opportunity to make a difference.

The role is responsible for the month-end financial close process and monitoring and managing the day-to-day financial operations. The role will also be responsible for the preparation of the of the annual financial statements while ensuring smooth running of the audit process. This role will also be responsible for overseeing the finance systems, ensuring they continue to meet the needs of the finance team, maintaining and developing those systems and recommending and overseeing changes as appropriate.

My Priorities – what I will deliver

Daily and month-end accounting processes

• Take ownership of the month-end close process to ensure month-end is correct, complete and procedures and deadlines are followed
• Review and approval of weekly and month-end journals
• Review all balance sheet account reconciliations
• Preparation of monthly balance sheet attestation schedule and balance sheet deck including review and substantiation of all balance sheet account balances
• Lead and present month-end flash reports (WD3), working with finance business partners to provide commentary on significant variances
• Prepare relevant KPIs and scorecard metrics
• Monitor compliance with policies owned by finance, ensuring any breaches and exceptions are recorded and reported appropriately and that policies are reviewed and updated regularly, remaining fit for purpose
• Plan and deliver testing of the department’s controls throughout the year e.g. monthly review of manual journals and other non-key controls
• Supervise and provide training and support to the General Accounting Analyst
• Support colleagues, systems and processes across the wider Finance department
• Ensure FSCS meets all accounting regulations/standards

Quarterly and annual accounting processes

• Prepare the financial statements in the Annual Report and Accounts (ARAC) and Class Statements
• Review and make recommendations on disclosures in the Annual Report and Accounts
• Assist the Financial Accounting Manager in the preparation of Audit Committee papers
• Prepare financial analysis on new IFRS accounting standards or IFRIC interpretations and any relevant position papers
• Coordinate and oversee the deliverables required for audit purposes
• Prepare the annual consolidation submissions to HM Treasury and any other relevant disclosures
• Act as the main point of contact between FSCS and HM Treasury Group Finance
• Support the Accounting Officer sign off process required by HM Treasury for the Annual Report and Accounts and Treasury’s consolidation process

• Finance Systems Administration

• Recommend, develop and implement system enhancements to improve efficiency and accuracy of a range of finance systems
• Lead and develop a testing strategy for system upgrades and new functionalities
• Project manage the execution and deployment of upgrades and ensure test plans are developed and followed to reduce the risk of incidents or outages
• Set, maintain and monitor user profiles in various finance systems
• Provide systems training and ensure this is delivered across the business, updating training materials when change is required
• Liaise with the business, IT, and the application helpdesk or support to quickly resolve any system issues encountered by the end user
• Keep up to date with the changes to our existing finance systems and any new and emerging technologies
• Lead in the development and implementation of new financial reporting systems

Process Improvement

• Developing improvements and automation of processes with the view of a best practice month-end closure adhering to timescales
• Establish and maintain financial policies and procedures for the company
• Driving continuous improvement and recommending potential operational efficiencies and improvements to working practices and procedures
• Contribute to FSCS’ strategy development from a financial perspective
• Support finance administration and ad-hoc project work

People and leadership

• Oversee and train other Finance colleagues to reduce single point of failure
• Take on support and supervisorial tasks allocated by your manager
• Provide coaching and mentoring to other team members around key aspects of the role

My Knowledge – what I need to know

• Qualified Chartered Accountant with post qualification experience of financial systems and processes (ideally qualified from a top 20 accountancy firm with some financial services experience)
• Experience of managing month-end closures and responsible for ensuring general ledger integrity
• Excellent knowledge of accounting processes and terminology
• Strong technical accounting expertise with a good understanding of IFRS and knowledge of operating effective financial controls
• Exposure to the production process of Annual Reports and experience of fully preparing financial statements and associated disclosures
• Experience supporting internal and external financial audits
• Strong Excel capabilities to manage large data sets swiftly and accurately
• Strong analytical skills and high attention to detail
• Excellent organisational, prioritisation and interpersonal skills
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills at all levels
• Demonstrate a high level of ownership and accountability for own responsibilities
• Experience of SUN and iPOS particularly desirable
• Systems accountant experience, acting as a bridge between the business, IT, and application support to resolve issues
• Experience of planning and executing system upgrades