External Audit & Compliance Lead - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

British Veterinary Association; Bristol; Hybrid; GBP 100,000 - 125,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading veterinary services provider in the UK is seeking an External Audit & Compliance Lead to oversee group audits and financial statements across Europe. The ideal candidate will possess extensive auditing experience and professional qualifications. This role offers a competitive salary, work-life balance, and various employee benefits such as annual leave and a cycle to work scheme.

Benefits

Work-life balance

26 days annual leave

Cycle to Work scheme

Employee wellbeing initiatives

Pension

Discretionary Bonus

Discounted staff pet care

Dog Friendly office

Free Parking available at Head Office

Qualifications

• Extensive experience in auditing, with focus on statutory audits.
• Minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience.
• Strong understanding of statutory audit processes and financial reporting standards.

Responsibilities

• Manage group audits and statutory financial statements across Europe.
• Collaborate with external partners to ensure effective audit processes.
• Identify continuous improvement opportunities in audit processes.

Skills

Auditing

Statutory audit processes

Financial reporting standards

Project management

Communication skills

Education

Professional qualifications (ACCA, ACA, CPA)

Job description

Overview

External Audit & Compliance Lead - 12 Month Fixed Term Contract

IVC Evidensia is a leading veterinary services provider in Europe and North America with more than 2,500 clinics and hospitals across 20 countries and around 42,000 employees. We aim to have an extraordinary impact on animal lives, supporting in the region of 25,000 animals every day across our international network. IVC Evidensia exists to champion the long-term health and welfare of animals and deliver our purpose of Healthy Animals, Happy Owners.

We are seeking a highly skilled External Audit / Compliance Lead to oversee and manage consolidated group audits, statutory audits and statutory financial statement preparation across multiple countries in Europe. This role involves managing relationships with third-party outsourced service providers (BPO Partner), Big 4 firms, and internal IVCE Teams to ensure that audits and statutory financial statements are completed efficiently, accurately, and within required timeframes.

This role is being offered on a 12 Month Fixed Term Contract basis.

Key Accountabilities/Responsibilities

• Stakeholder Management: Lead and collaborate with in-country teams and external BPO Partner to ensure information provided by the service provider enables audits to be conducted efficiently and effectively. Where issues are identified, work proactively to find solutions across the stakeholders in a timely manner.
• Timeliness: Ensure the completion of group audits, statutory audits and preparation of statutory financial statements across Europe in a timely and accurate manner, meeting all compliance deadlines.
• Continuous Improvement: Identify and evaluate continuous improvement opportunities within the audit / statutory financial statements preparation process. Work with service providers (BPO Partner and Big 4 firms) and IVCE stakeholders to implement improvements, enhancing audit efficiency, accuracy, and overall quality including in relation to management letter points raised by service providers.
• End-to-End Process Management: Responsible for managing the full accounts cycle including information provisioning, audit testing and the preparation and approval of statutory financial statements.
• Financial Statement Preparation: Collaborate with third-party service providers (Big 4 firm) in the preparation of statutory financial statements for European entities, ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and accounting standards.
• KPI Management: Monitor and manage key performance indicators (KPIs) with BPO Partner, focusing on timely delivery and ensuring the "Right First Time" metrics are consistently met.
• Audit Status Reporting: Provide regular and clear reporting on the status of ongoing audits and ongoing statutory financial statement preparation, highlighting any risks, delays, or challenges to management.
• Escalation Point: Serve as a primary escalation point for Global Business Solutions (GBS), auditors, and third-party service providers, resolving issues or concerns in a timely and effective manner.

Experience/Qualifications

• Extensive experience in auditing, with a focus on statutory audits and experience working with third-party providers (preferably Big 4).
• Experience working with BPO Providers
• Professional qualifications (e.g., ACCA, ACA, CPA) with a minimum of 5 years post-qualification experience.
• Strong understanding of statutory audit processes and financial reporting standards (IFRS, local GAAP, etc.).
• Proven experience in managing audit teams, third-party service providers, and working with cross-functional teams.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills to engage with internal and external stakeholders effectively.
• Strong project management skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple audits simultaneously.
• Proficiency in English is required. Additional European languages would be advantageous.

Following receipt of your application, you will be contacted by one of our experienced hire recruitment team.

DEI Statement: At IVC Evidensia we are committed to Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Belonging. We are keen to hear from candidates from all minority and diverse groups. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are keen to hear from candidates with disabilities and long-term health conditions and would be happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments needed during the recruitment process.

What We Offer

At IVC Evidensia we recognise that our people are fundamental to the success of our business. In addition to a competitive base salary, you will benefit from:

• Work-life balance
• 26 days annual leave
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Initiatives focused on employee wellbeing
• Pension
• Discretionary Bonus
• Discounted staff pet care
• Dog Friendly office
• Free Parking available at Head Office