Finance Director - Defence and Government Agencies UK&I

Job Introduction

As Finance Director for Defence and Agencies UK&I, you'll work with the CEO and region segment leadership team to support, inform and influence the creation, implementation and realisation of the segment strategy:

You'll partner with the business to jointly agree financial targets, deliver successful sales development, operations, resolution of commercial issues, and contract mobilisation.

Supporting the business in realising these through reliable financial forecasts, insightful analytics, great financial modelling, innovative and sound commercial / financial solutions, and contract design, in addition to accurate accounting with group financial policies and processes followed.

As part of the Government and UK&I region finance leadership teams, the role will also contribute to finance and commercial best practice, activity, and team development across segment and region.

An excellent opportunity to showcase your accounting expertise alongside strong financial and commercial acumen, and authentic leadership.

Defence & Government Agencies UKI:

We are a key partner to the Ministry of Defence, running services at major UK and overseas military bases which improve quality of life for our military personnel. We are dedicated to delivering the best quality as well as cost-efficiency in the delivery of infrastructure, facilities management, catering, retail and leisure services to the Armed Forces community.

Our wealth of experience partnering Government Agencies means we are able to transfer best practices from the corporate sector to create better working environments in the public sector. We bring services that increase employee engagement, wellbeing and productivity to the public sector to help support government to deliver on its promised outcomes while reducing costs. Our goal is to improve service outcomes and reduce overall costs to the taxpayer.

Role Responsibility

• Contribute to the development and delivery of the region segment strategy as a member of the Region Segment Executive Committee; assisting and challenging in establishing, forecasts and five year financial trajectories and consequent priorities
• Enable region segment performance through financial leadership and business partnership, lead and coordinate financial analyses, assist the CEO in decision making that will support delivery of region segment, segment / dimension and region goals
• Develop and retain a high performing finance team
• Contribute to business development, provide strong commercial expertise, financial engineering and contractual acumen, participate in contract design and negotiation with clients especially for complex deals, validate contract deployment plans, and ensure that solutions will generate expected gross profit.
• Act as the guardian of the segment RCRT at regional level, ensuring financial discipline in regional investment decisions: building (or validating) business cases for regional segment OPEX and CAPEX commercial investments; using factual ROI and monitoring achievements after the event to drive learnings.
• Challenge business case financials as a member of Stage Gate Investment Taskforces.
• Drive delivery of initiatives, support resolution of contractual issues, and profitability of contracts, influencing and deploying action plans (e.g. mobilisation profitably, pass on inflation, drive CUGR, turn around loss-making contracts).
• Partner with region FP&A to produce analyses concerning region segment business using group standard templates and tools; direct / monitor / drive delivery of all aspects of financial results including profit, cash, and balance sheet.
• Ensure all group finance policies, processes and procedures are known, understood and consistently applied in the segment to support the achievement of the group’s financial objectives. Strong financial controls are in place to ensure accuracy of client billing and all other accounting.
• Balance segment operational delivery needs with the need for achieving sound financial results and proactive risk management.
• Support Global Segment Finance Head in implementing key global segment initiatives at regional level to ensure execution and delivery of segment performance objectives.
• Participate fully as a member of the government and regional finance leadership teams. This includes contributing to the continuous professional development of the segment and regional finance communities and supporting leadership development and succession planning.
• Personally role-model behaviours aligned with the Sodexo Group values (Service Spirit, Team Spirit and Spirit of Progress) and ethical principles (Loyalty, Respect for People, Transparency, Business Integrity).

*To request a copy of the Job Description, please email alison.birch@sodexo.com in the first instance.

The Ideal Candidate

• Strong financial acumen including operational and financial planning as well as contractual/risk management discipline.
• Strong commercial acumen with ability to translate strategy and operational ideas/plans into financial plans, targets, and sensitivities.
• Process and progress driven, based on factual analytics, combined with very transparent skills
• Pro-activity and reactivity, combined with a strong sense of constructive challenge, thereby assisting commercial and operational teams in building solutions
• Excellent organisational skills and ability to respect deadlines
• Flexible and pragmatic, able to deal with complexity
• Experience in change management, ability to be a business partner for organisational transformation
• Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills (written and verbal), strong partnering capabilities with senior management
• Excellent humility and listening, communication and negotiation skills at all levels with the confidence and ability to influence and gain results at all levels
• Authentic leader with strong culture of team support/team work, collaboration, and business advancement, including across different disciplines, geographies and cultures
• Strong business ethics, and able to role model the Sodexo values
• Excellent modelling and financial analytics skills, extremely system digital literate
• Great conceptual thinker and quick to grasp new complex commercial situations etc.
• Highly driven with demonstrable success in a high pressure, tight deadline environment
• Ability to navigate through complex situations and matrix organisation structure to deliver results in a multi-stakeholder and consultative culture
• Qualified accountant with comprehensive PQE
• Experience working in large matrix organisation and within government is an advantage
• Track record of delivering successful results and finding pragmatic solutions in complex commercial situations
• Strong technically as well as commercial accountant
• Global mind-set, international experience and/or exposure an advantage
• Advanced knowledge of business development processes, deal structure, pricing, and validation
• Knowledge of government contracting rules is an advantage
• Fluent English speaker essential. other language skills advantageous

Package Description

£Competitive salary plus exceptional benefits package 

About the Company

In the UK and Ireland, Sodexo employs some 35,000 employees to deliver integrated facilities management services to clients at over 2,000 locations in the corporate, healthcare, education, leisure, defence and justice sectors. With an annual turnover of over £1bn, we provide everything from catering, cleaning and reception to security, laboratory and grounds maintenance services, enabling our clients to focus on their core business

Sodexo and our clients are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and adults within a regulated activity. Certain roles will require applicants to undergo screening appropriate to the post, including checks with past employers and the Disclosure and Barring Service (DBS) and/ or Disclosure Scotland.

We are building on our support to the Armed Forces community through the development of specific pathways within our recruitment process to further engage ex-forces personnel and reservists.  Those applying for roles with us who meet the essential criteria advertised under the ‘ideal candidate’ on the vacancy advertised are guaranteed to progress within the selection process.