Finance Manager Asset Management Northern Europe

Renewable Energy Systems Ltd; Kings Langley; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Finance Manager to lead asset management in Northern Europe. This role offers the chance to make a real impact in the renewable energy sector, managing financial obligations for a diverse portfolio of clients. You'll supervise a dedicated team, ensuring high-quality service while fostering a strong control environment. With a focus on continuous improvement, you'll engage in strategic initiatives and collaborate with internal and external stakeholders. Join a company committed to personal growth and a sustainable future, where your contributions will drive meaningful change.

Benefits

Pension Schemes

Flexible Working

Private Healthcare

Discounted Green Travel

24 Days Holiday

Enhanced Family Leave

Volunteering Days

Qualifications

• 8+ years of experience in renewables or similar industry.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge and implementation of complex transactions.
• Ability to manage a team of qualified/semi-qualified accountants.

Responsibilities

• Deliver financial support services for renewable assets across multiple clients.
• Supervise preparation of monthly management accounts and ensure quality.
• Manage a growing team and interface with various stakeholders.

Skills

Technical Accounting

Commercial Awareness

Team Management

Advanced Excel Skills

Problem Solving

Communication Skills

Continuous Improvement

Education

Qualified Accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA)

Tools

ERP Systems (IFS/Agresso/Business World)

Job description

Finance Manager Asset Management Northern Europe

Do you want to work to make Power for Good?

We're the world's largest independent renewable energy company. We're driven by a simple yet powerful vision: to create a future where everyone has access to affordable, zero carbon energy.

We know that achieving our ambitions would be impossible without our people. Because we're tackling some of the world's toughest problems, we need the very best people to help us. They're our most important asset so that's why we continually invest in them.

RES is a family with a diverse workforce, and we are dedicated to the personal professional growth of our people, no matter what stage of their career they're at. We can promise you rewarding work which makes a real impact, the chance to learn from inspiring colleagues from across a growing, global network and opportunities to grow personally and professionally.

Our competitive package offers rewards and benefits including pension schemes, flexible working, and top-down emphasis on better work-life balance. We also offer private healthcare, discounted green travel, 24 days holiday (with one additional discretionary day given by the Company) with options to buy/sell additional days, enhanced family leave and four volunteering days per year so you can make an impact somewhere else.

Job purpose

The Northern European Asset Management department is a growing team whose sole purpose is to deliver financial support services under Management Service Agreements (MSAs) across multiple clients owning renewable assets under management including onshore Wind Farms, Solar Farms and storage farms. The AM Finance department is managing over 150+ Companies and a team size of 22 across 12 clients.

The AM Finance department is managing over 180+ Companies and a team size of 37 across 17 clients and three regions. This role is a Client Lead role and will work alongside the other Client Leads, Audit Manager and supervise management accountants.

The business continues to grow rapidly which therefore requires an individual that can quickly adapt to changes in priorities and ensure that an allocated portfolio of client always receives the quality service that they have come to expect.

The team is effectively an outsourced finance business partnership, which amongst many other services includes delivering on the following key tasks for each portfolio: monthly management accounts with comparisons and analysis to budget, cashflow forecasts, distribution calculations, annual budget preparation, bank loan compliance, financial statement preparation including audit process management and tax return oversight. It is essential that a strong control environment and professional scepticism is maintained throughout the team and processes and procedures are robust, well documented and are constantly monitored.

The primary purpose of this role is to provide an excellent client service and take complete ownership & responsibility to deliver all the financial obligations for a growing portfolio of clients (operational assets, Holding companies and consolidations) under the AMA scope. This role will be the main point of contact for our customers and will be responsible for ensuring that any information provided to our clients is reviewed, accurate, of good quality, meaningful and also provided in timely and efficient manner. Managing a growing team of Management / Junior Management Accountants, this role will be responsible for leading, coaching and reviewing the work produced by the junior members of the team.

This role will work alongside the other Client Leads, manage a team, interface with various internal and external stakeholders and will report to the Head of Finance.

Key Accountabilities include but not limited to:

• Supervising / Reviewing the team’s preparation of monthly management accounts and assisting with issues or problems that arise. Ensure good quality and meaningful commentary is provided in clear and concise manner.

• Being the trusted business partner and first point of contact for any issues, proposals or client related matters that needs escalation.

• Provide regular guidance / direction/ training to the team to deliver all obligations under the financial asset management scope to the client.

• Delivering periodic cashflow forecasts and distribution calculations with clear bridge analysis.

• Co-ordinating the annual budgeting process and ensuring fully board approvals

• Quarterly board reports and presentation of finance sections at board meetings

• Ensuring compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements, specifically with regards to OFGEM

• Managing bank compliance model preparation and loan covenant calculations, interest and principal repayments and any other banking requirements

• Reviewing VAT returns for all asset managed entities before submission

• Work in Collaboration with Audit Manager to overseeing the preparation of the statutory accounts and ensuring consistency, quality and compliance with applicable accounting standard (FRS101, FRS102, IFRS) and Companies Acts for the portfolio.

• Preparation of consolidated annual accounts with applicable accounting standard featuring multiple operational entities and externally financed holding companies which include complex accounting treatments.

• Resolving and practically applying technical accounting matters including decommissioning, hedging, loan relationships including guidance to the team on journal entries.

• Engaging in the continual improvement agenda by seeking new ways of working or automating repetitive tasks and checks to mitigate errors arising and to improve the efficiency, consistency and quality of our service

• Supporting implementation of the new ERP system and leading the project for the portfolio

• Ensuring strong internal control environment is observed and that transactions are authorised with delegated limits of authority. This includes developing systems and documenting the internal control framework, accounting policies and procedures for all asset managed entities

• Overseeing and maintaining the Company Secretary records, which will in many cases involve populating the books to fill missing entries, as well updating the books to reflect changes as they happen

• Project Managing the on-boarding process for newly won MSA’s which includes directing the team and co-ordinating with the clients / outgoing asset manager. Any migration or integration is to be completed with the utmost efficiency to minimise interruption to the client

• Ad Hoc project work e.g. contract review for financial obligations, assisting with business development opportunities, business partnering with Asset Managers, resolving disputes, system migration

• Active role in business reorganisation/change management and team resourcing.

• Assist HOF / collaborate with Client Leads in coming up with strategies to standardise, automate, improve efficiency and help grow the business.

Knowledge you will need

• Strong technical accounting knowledge and practical implementation of complex transactions;
• IFRS, FRS 102, FRS 101 and UK GAAP;
• Commercially driven
• Ability to read and interpret contractual obligations
• Advanced excel and system skills
• Understanding of both management and statutory accounting.

Skills you will need

• Qualified accountant (ACA/CIMA/ACCA) with 8+ years’ experience
• Exceptional commercial awareness and proven ability to produce insightful management information / dashboards

• Strong technical accounting skills
• Renewables industry experience preferable; Big Four background preferable
• Ability to communicate confidently with people on all levels and build strong working relationships
• Excellent time management, prioritisation of workload ensuring deadlines are met
• Experience of managing a team of qualified /semi-qualified accountants and dealing with different personalities

• Ability to identify weaknesses in existing processes and drive continuous improvement agenda
• Ability to influence others as required
• Proactive, ‘can do’ attitude, with a focus on continuous improvement of reporting and analysis;
• Good problem solving skills;

Qualifications you will need

• Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)
• 8+ years working in renewables or similar industry.

Experience you will have

• Experience of monthly, quarterly and annual management accounting routines within a commercial organization;
• Ability to deal with multiple entities and multiple clients;
• Sound experience of using an ERP system (use of IFS/ Agresso/Business World a distinct advantage but not essential);
• Experience in communicating with non-financial internal stakeholders;
• Ability to set up processes, templates and simplify.
• Experience of working with complex templates / spreadsheets is a must.
• Ability to work in collaboration with others effectively
• Team management experience

You may be required to undertake additional or other duties consistent with the position and the reasonable needs of the Employer. This job description may be reviewed from time to time and therefore may be subject to amendment.

At RES we celebrate difference as we know it makes our company a great place to work. Encouraging applicants with different backgrounds, ideas and points of view, we create teams who work together to solve complex problems and design practical solutions for our clients.

Our multiple perspectives come from many sources including the diverse ethnicity, culture, gender, nationality, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity and expression, disability, marital status, parental status, education, social background and life experience of our people.