Director, Assistant Financial Controller

Carnival UK; Southampton; Hybrid; GBP 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Pension scheme

Private medical insurance

Car allowance

Employee discounts

25 days leave

Job summary

Carnival UK seeks a Director, Assistant Financial Controller to lead a 20-strong Financial Control team, ensure GAAP/IFRS reporting integrity, and partner with the EPMO on governance and risk management. The role combines strategic direction with hands-on leadership in a high‑profile finance function.

You will manage external audits, drive continuous improvement, and shape the financial direction across the organisation while pursuing personal career progression within a global leisure group.

Qualifications

• Qualified Accountant background with Financial Controller experience in a large organisation.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge, including US GAAP and IFRS.
• Experience of managing external auditors and statutory/regulatory reporting.
• Experience of leading change programmes in complex organisational structures.

Responsibilities

• Deliver and safeguard the financial integrity of Carnival UK's reported results, statutory submissions and management accounts.
• Lead the external auditor relationship and work with GARS on audit deliverables.
• Drive a robust culture of financial control and governance across the organisation.
• Coach and inspire the Financial Control team, fostering high performance and development.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Financial control

GAAP knowledge

IFRS knowledge

Auditing management

Change management

People management

Commercial acumen

Education

Qualified Accountant

Tools

Oracle ERP

Job description

Reporting to the VP, Financial Control, you'll lead a key Financial Control function within a complex, well-established finance environment, taking ownership of a talented team of 20 colleagues, including three Senior Managers alongside a mix of commercially focused and technical accounting experts. As Director, Assistant Financial Controller, you'll play a pivotal role in steering the financial direction of our company. Alongside leadership of a critical financial control function, you will represent Finance within the Enterprise Project Management Office (EPMO), ensuring organisational change is delivered with financial integrity, strong governance, effective risk management and a continued focus on business continuity across the organisation. With a strong foundation of people, processes and financial integrity already established, you'll build on real strengths to ensure we continue to deliver unforgettable holiday happiness, inspiring your team to excel while creating a natural platform for your own future progression.,

• Deliver and safeguard the financial integrity of Carnival UK's reported results, statutory submissions and management accounts, ensuring all reporting is in line with required GAAP treatments (US GAAP and IFRS).
• Lead the external auditor relationship and that with our Miami-based Global Accounting and Reporting Services (GARS) team, planning and managing audit deliverables for smooth, timely and accurate quarter and year-end closings.
• Drive a robust yet efficient, world-class culture of financial control, engaging assertively with the business to pre-empt issues and strengthen the governance and compliance landscape.
• Coach, empower and inspire the Financial Control team, unlocking potential and maintaining a strong performance management culture.
  This role demands a blend of strategic vision & technical expertise. We're looking for someone with:
• A Qualified Accountant background with Financial Controller or similar experience in a large organisation.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge, including US GAAP and IFRS.
• Knowledge of Oracle or another ERP system and sub-systems
• Experience of managing external auditors and statutory/regulatory reporting requirements (e.g. ATOL, ABTA, VAT and Sarbanes-Oxley).
• Experience of managing change and continuous improvement programmes across complex organisational structures.
• About You Your ability to think strategically, drive results with integrity, and inspire your team is what sets you apart. You're not just a finance professional; you're a visionary person who's ready to make a significant impact.
• Self-assured and self-directed - you're confident in your own judgement about what good looks like, setting your own path on what is and isn't acceptable rather than waiting for others to give you the answers.
• Pragmatic and commercial - you take a practical, commercially-minded approach, balancing robust financial control with the best commercial outcomes for the organisation.
• A confident, credible leader - you know the standard you want your team to reach and how to get there, coaching and empowering ambitious, capable colleagues while creating an environment where people do their best work.
• Resilient in complexity - you thrive in a large, diverse organisation going through significant change, engaging assertively across the business and navigating ambiguity to make things happen.
  Join us in shaping the future of holiday experiences across our P&O Cruises and Cunard ships in our Director, Assistant Financial Controller role.

At Carnival UK, we believe in the power of diversity to drive success, valuing a blend of backgrounds, experiences, and skills. If you're a finance professional with a strategic mindset and a track record of overseeing a finance department, let's talk. We're not just looking for qualifications on paper; we're searching for someone who can bring fresh ideas and a new perspective to our team.,

Holidays are one of life's greatest pleasures. Having the chance to relax, escape and explore is a magical thing. And there is no better holiday than a cruise. No one knows cruising like Carnival UK, where talented people from across the globe come together to create unforgettable holiday happiness. As part of the world's largest holiday travel and leisure company, we take enormous pride in bringing to life two of the most iconic brands from Britain's rich seafaring heritage, P&O Cruises and Cunard. Collectively they have been delivering unbridled joy, boundless adventure and lifelong memories to millions of people for over 350 years. And in a multi-million pound global holiday market, where cruising has barely scratched the surface, we have the opportunity to do that for many, many more people. Our diverse yet tight knit teams share high standards, heartfelt values and passion for our purpose. Our Culture Essentials describe the expectations we have for ourselves and of each other, in building a culture that supports safe, sustainable, compliant operations and celebrates diversity, equity and inclusion. It's through the successful delivery of these extraordinary travel experiences for our target markets and our distinctive culture, that we hope to become Travel's Employer of Choice.

Positioned within our internal structure from CUK15 (entry level) to CUK1 (Brand President), this role is classified as a CUK05, offered as a full-time position, on a permanent basis, with an offering of hybrid work including up to two days from home. Read our employee experience guide to learn more about life as a Carnival UK colleague here. We're more than just a holiday company; we're a community that values work-life balance, personal growth, and wellbeing. As part of our team, you'll enjoy:

• Annual bonus
• Contributory Defined Contribution Pension scheme
• Company paid private medical and dental insurance and health assessment
• Car Allowance
• Employee Discounted Cruising plus Friends and Family offers
• Minimum 25 days leave, bank holiday allowance and holiday trading scheme
• Life Assurance
• Employee Shares Plan
• Electric Car and Cycle to Work schemes
• Employee Assistance and Wellbeing programmes
• In-house Occupational Health help and access to digital GP
• Employee-led networks
• Discounted retail and leisure via discounts portal, Aida
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