Head of Finance - Financial Reporting

Role Responsibility

• Accountable for the timely promotion to Group Consolidation of reported region results, ensuring compliance with control procedures and accounting standards.  

• Lead monthly retrospective review of control issues and support the Financial Reporting and Accounting Managers in developing and delivering improvements in the quality of accounting information to facilitate monthly reporting process. 

• Responsible for the communication and implementation of all Group reporting requirements across the region.  Ensure all group finance policies, processes and procedures are known, understood and consistently applied in the team to support the achievement of the group’s financial objectives.   

• Deliver the reporting and systems changes & best practice within the business, liaising between group and region as required to deliver the outcomes. This covers all stages from scoping to implementations.  

• Technical point of reference for the region on all technical accounting matters. This includes: 

• Owning the implementation of new accounting standards in the region, working closely with the Group Director of Accounting Methods and Procedures and the Region’s Finance Directors. 

• Advice and accounting on key region accounting provisions and judgements. 

• Advice and accounting for acquisitions, divestments, restructures, funding, etc. 

• Integration of accounting for subsidiary companies into transversal (central) finance. 

• Drive process and financial control improvements across the end to end of finance outputs.  This will include driving consistency of process and output, delivering ‘faster close’ where we will move from WD+5 to WD+4, filing of statutory accounts, audit delivery, all with enablement from digital / financial systems and master data management. 

• Work closely with segment Finance Controllers and Director of Financial Control CoE to improve control over the balance sheet. 

• Accountable for the production, audit, signature and filing of the companies’ statutory accounts (circa 43 trading entities + 52 dormants). 

• Owner of the bi-yearly external audit process. This includes being the point of contact for external auditors, coordinating preparation of the PBC list documentation within the region, follow-up progress of the audit and ensuring the audit is delivered on time.  

• Manage specific finance processes: acquisition and disposal accounting, pensions accounting, free shares accounting, distribution of dividends, loans accounting. 

• Continuous improvement of regional data, including ownership of UK&I Chart of Accounts, driving reduction to account volume in line with Global and Euro Chart of Accounts initiatives, and in support of Porto SSC. 

• Manage project to optimise the company structure: strike-off dormants, reduce the number of entities. 

• Support Head of HR and Finance systems (IST) in prioritisation of finance work requests, facilitating discussion with Transversal Finance leadership and other stakeholders as appropriate. 

• Accountable for management accounting of holdings entities and PFIs. 

• Accountable for ONS and Cabinet office reporting. 

• Responsible for the Planon (asset management tool used for IFRS 16 impact calculation) finance processes: coordinate monthly update of information, monthly close and booking of IFRS 16 journals in the accounting system and controlling of resulting impacts in the financial statements. 

• Support Director of Financial Management and CFO in implementing key region / group and finance initiatives across transversal finance and the broader region finance community. 

• Develop and retain a high performing finance team. 

The Ideal Candidate

Competencies: 

1. Strong financial acumen, including technical accounting, finance systems, operational and financial planning as well as contractual/risk management. 

1. Process and progress driven, based on factual analytics, combined with very transparent skills. 

1. Pro-activity and reactivity, combined with a strong sense of constructive challenge, thereby assisting finance and operational teams in building solutions. 

1. Excellent organizational skills and ability to respect deadlines. 

1. Flexible and pragmatic, able to deal with complexity. 

1. Experience in change management, ability to be a business partner for organizational transformation. 

1. Strong interpersonal, communication and presentation skills (written and verbal), strong partnering capabilities with senior management. 

1. Excellent humility and listening, communication and negotiation skills at all levels with the confidence and ability to influence and gain results at all levels. 

1. Strong culture of team support/team work, collaboration, and business advancement, including across different disciplines, geographies and cultures. 

1. Strong business ethics, and role model the Sodexo values. 

1. Excellent modelling and financial analytics skills, extremely system digital literate. 

1. Great conceptual thinker and quick to grasp new complex commercial situations etc.. 

1. Highly driven with demonstrable success in a high pressure, tight deadline environment. 

1. Ability to navigate through complex situations and matrix organization structure to deliver results in a multi- stakeholder and consultative culture. 

Experience: 

1. Qualified chartered accountant or equivalent with 10+ years PQE. 

1. Experience working in large matrix organization. 

1. Track record of delivering successful results and finding pragmatic solutions in complex situations. 

1. Strong technical accountant, with great operational experience and a good commercial background. 

Package Description

Competitive salary plus Benefits including pension, bonus, flexible benefits scheme

As part of our commitment to improving the quality of life for our employees, Sodexo offers a flexible benefits scheme, allowing you to tailor a reward package to suit your needs which includes a technology scheme, private dental insurance, travel insurance, gym membership, Gourmet card, private medical insurance and the ability to purchase or sell annual leave.

We also offer Sodexo Discounts site promoting discounted mobile phone tariffs, savings across restaurant chains and days out, where you and your family can save money on everything from your weekly food shop to the latest cinema blockbuster.

About the Company

In the UK and Ireland, Sodexo employs around 30,000 people, and partners with clients in many sectors across business and industry; schools and universities; sports and leisure; energy and resources; government and agencies; healthcare; justice and defence.

Sodexo’s connected; people-centric approach brings together a diverse range of expertise. The breadth of services it offers ranges from food and hospitality; cleaning; reception; concierge (Circles); security; property management and technical services through to data driven workplace strategy and design (Wx); employee engagement and recognition services (Sodexo Engage) and personal home services through Prestige Nursing + Care and the Good Care Group.

Vital Spaces is Sodexo’s value proposition that puts people at the heart of everything we do, bringing together services and solutions and focusing on the productivity and wellbeing of people wherever they are.

Sodexo is committed to being an inclusive employer; we welcome and encourage applications from people with a diverse variety of experiences, backgrounds and identities.

We’re a Disability Confident Leader employer. We’re committed to changing attitudes towards disability, and making sure disabled people have the chance to fulfil their aspirations.

We are building on our support to the Armed Forces community through the development of specific pathways within our recruitment process to  support ex-forces personnel and reservists, those applying for jobs with us who meet the ideal candidate criteria for the role advertised are guaranteed to progress to the selection process