Finance Systems Accountant - Projects

Thames Water; Reading; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Pension scheme (AON)

Annual health assessments

Cycle to Work

Life assurance

26 days annual Leave

Job summary

Thames Water is seeking a Finance Systems Accountant-Projects to ensure our financial systems meet budgeting, forecasting and reporting needs. You will partner with the business to deliver upgrades and improvements, including the SAP ECC to S/4Hana upgrade.

The role is full-time with a hybrid pattern between Reading and home, reporting to the Finance Systems Manager. You will solve system issues, streamline processes and strengthen controls across the finance system landscape.

Qualifications

• Experience with SAP FICO in a finance function.

Responsibilities

• Resolve reporting, budgeting or forecasting system issues and lead delivery of solutions.
• Review and implement process improvements with IT teams and suppliers.
• Maintain SAP Enterprise structure including COA, Cost/Profit Centre Hierarchy and Financial Statements.
• Support month-end close for SAP ECC and ISU.
• Enhance financial controls and related documentation.

Skills

Stakeholder management

Interpersonal skills

Communication

Problem solving

Finance systems insight

Education

Fully qualified accountant

Part-qualified with finance experience

Tools

SAP FICO

Excel (Intermediate)

S/4Hana

SAP Project Systems

Job description

The Finance Systems Accountant-Projects is responsible for ensuring our financial systems continue to meet business requirements to perform budgeting, forecasting and reporting. The role is a financial systems subject matter expert who will partner with the business to deliver a variety of system upgrades, patches, and improvements.

This is a demanding but extremely varied opportunity, that will give you the opportunity to make a real impact on the way we operate as a business. There are a number of system enhancements live and in the pipeline which this role will be heavily involved in both identifying and delivering including longer term our planned SAP upgrade from ECC to S/4Hana.

This is a full-time role under a hybrid working arrangement, between being based at Clearwater Court, Reading and working from home, according to the needs of the business. The role reports to the Finance Systems Manager.

What you will be doing as Finance Systems Accountant - Projects

• Problem solving systems issues which arise to our reporting, budgeting or forecasting systems and leading delivery of solutions
• Continual review of process improvements to identify, recommend and implement improvements (alongside our IT team and IT suppliers), solutions to automate and enhance our systems and processes

Financial Controls

• Adhering to financial controls when delivering financial system processes
• Enhancing our financial controls and related documentation
• Ensuring finance system risks and issues are identified, managed & mitigation plans are in place and communicated

Master Data and Month End Closure

• Maintenance of the SAP Enterprise structure including Chart of Account, Cost / Profit Centre Hierarchy, Financial Statement structure and Assessment Cycles
• Maintenance of Approval (SOP) tables aligning with group delegation of authority (SODA ) and smooth running of approval process
• Assisting with the system month end close for SAP ECC & ISU ensuring resilience across the Finance System team

What you should bring to the role

• You should have experience of SAP FICO, either as a competent user or ideally at an implementation level of expertise
• Strong Excel skills to at least Intermediate level.
• SAP modules such Project Systems and experience with S/4Hana preferred but not essential
• Excellent stakeholder management and relationship building skills
• Ideally a fully qualified accountant, but would consider a part-qualified accountant with hands on experience in a finance role, preferably in a management accountant capacity
• First class interpersonal skills with the ability to communicate confidently.

What's in it for you?

• Competitive salary of £65,000 - £75,000 per annum, depending on experience
• Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays)
• Performance-related pay is directly linked to company performance measures and targets
• Generous Pension Scheme through AON
• Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year
• Access to lots of benefits to help you take care of your and your family’s health and well-being, and your finances – from annual health MOTs and access to physiotherapy and counselling, to Cycle to Work schemes, shopping vouchers and life assurance

Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?

We're the UK's largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It's a big job, and we've got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values.

Working at Thames Water

Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you'll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you're looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people's lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we'll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We're committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that's extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know. We're here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you'll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.