Financial Accounting Manager

Pernod Ricard USA; London; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 85,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading spirits and champagne company in London seeks a Finance Manager to oversee a team and ensure compliance with financial regulations. The role involves managing the general ledger, driving cashflow improvements, and collaborating across departments. Essential qualifications include a fully qualified ACCA, CIMA, or ACA and strong ERP system experience. The position offers competitive compensation and key responsibilities in financial management.

Qualifications

• Minimum 3 years PQE in a financial accounting role with relevant tax skills.
• Previous line management experience with motivating teams.
• Experience in using and administering ERPs.

Responsibilities

• Manage team of 4 including direct financial accountants.
• Ensure compliance with financial controls and regulations.
• Drive initiatives to improve cashflow and efficiency.

Skills

Financial accounting expertise

Team management

ERP systems administration

Advanced Excel skills

Education

Fully Qualified ACCA, CIMA or ACA

Tools

JD Edwards

SAP

Tagetik

Kyriba

Job description

About Us

Pernod Ricard UK is part of Pernod Ricard, number two in spirits. We are a convivial, passionate, entrepreneurial and dynamic company with 320 employees based in the UK, and are responsible for the sales, marketing and distribution of Pernod Ricard’s leading premium spirits and champagnes.

Pernod Ricard holds one of the most prestigious brand portfolios in the drinks sector, including 19 brands among the top 100 worldwide. Our key brands in the UK include ABSOLUT vodka, Jameson Irish Whiskey, Beefeater and Plymouth Gins, The Glenlivet Scotch whisky, Havana Club rum, Malibu rum, Chivas Regal Scotch whisky, and Perrier-Jouët champagne.

The company is undergoing an exciting transformation programme which includes the implementation of new Group tools and IT solutions impacting all areas of the business.

About the Team

The Finance department is responsible for the organisation of the Company’s financial and accounting affairs including the preparation and presentation of business accounts and the provision of financial information for managers. It’s aims include:

• Business Insight – Give timely and relevant insight, provide opportunity and risk identification, offer return on investment optimisation and commercial negotiation support.
• Profit and Cash Management - Set and monitor delivery of stretch targets and manage financial flow to meet Pernod Ricard Group expectations.
• Robust and User-Friendly Control Environment – Provide a professional framework for customer and supplier commitments, along with asset protection and financial accounts integrity and tax/regulatory compliance.

About your role

• Ensure accounting records are accurate and up-to-date and the business is compliant with internal controls, tax, and other regulatory requirements.
• Drive through initiatives to improve cashflow, team efficiency and reduce business administration.
• Deliver the company’s transformation agenda

Key Responsibilities:

Team:

• Manage team of 4, including 2 direct reports (Financial Accountants) and 2 outsourced General Ledger Analysts.

Accounting and internal control:

• Manage the general ledger including chart of accounts
• Ensure key financial accounting tasks are carried out including monthly posting of journals and review of balance sheet reconciliations
• Manage half-year and year-end financial reporting and all tax reporting (VAT, Corporation Tax, p11d, PSA, TAS)
• Liaise with the Chivas tax team to ensure local tax compliance
• Ensure business is compliant with key financial controls (e.g. Travel & Expenses policy, transaction approvals, etc.)
• Manage stock and excise duty reconciliation process with support of Operations and FP&A teams
• Ensure integrity of the various systems through reconciliations, including managing the daily JD Edwards integrity reports with team and wider business.
• Manage interactions with internal and external audit teams.
• Manage HSBC procurement cards with business.

Intercompany process:

• Deliver the quarterly intercompany reporting to tight timelines and with support of the outsourced Accounts Payable team.
• Manage tracking and reporting of intercompany recharges (e.g. shared office costs, expat payroll, marketing contributions).
• Manage sundry invoice and credit process with team.

Cashflow reporting:

• Manage quarterly Actuals reporting
• Manage monthly and quarterly forecasting cycles
• Micro-manage cash generation during key reporting times
• Analyse position and provide insightful commentary

Structure Costs reporting:

• Manage monthly actuals reporting to cost centre heads and Group
• Manage quarterly forecasting cycle
• Analyse position and provide insightful commentary

Systems and tools:

• Be an expert and own current processes and tools (e.g. JD Edwards, Tagetik, HSBC.net)
• Support the longer-term ambition to move to a group SAP solution.
• Implement tools required for the SAP path to readiness (e.g. Kyriba, Concur, Marketing Spend Management)

Continuous improvement:

• Drive initiatives to improve cashflow and reduce structure costs
• Drive initiatives to improve team efficiency and reduce business administration, but without comprising financial control

Other reasonable duties as required

Key Relationships

• Financial Services Director and direct reports
• Wider Finance team of Credit Control, FP&A and Finance Director
• All internal departments, in particular Operations, Marketing and HR.
• Outsourced Accounts Payable team
• Chivas Tax and Finance teams
• Intercompany contacts

• Internal and external auditors

What you Need

Growth Mindset: Forward thinking, embodying a vision that translates into inspiring strategies. Thrives in a complex and changing world deploying resources effectively and efficiently.

Deliver Through Collaboration: Achieves results while balancing rigorous planning and flexible transversal collaboration. Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. Able to work effectively with people from all levels of the organisation.

Consumer Centric: Develops consumer intimacy with a focus of technology to innovate and create more value for the consumer and Pernod Ricard.

Bold and Agile: Decisive and courageous even in the face of difficult and complex situations and always learns from past experiences. Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said in a respectful way.

Open and Authentic: Role Models who instil trust, engage teams by giving and receiving feedback and constantly fostering open dialogue.

Grow Diverse Teams: Leverages and values diversity of profiles to build empowered teams and develops talents creating a sense of belonging in an environment that promotes Pernod Ricard values.

Essential skills:

• Fully Qualified ACCA, CIMA or ACA (minimum 3 years PQE) in a financial accounting role with general ledger, balance sheet and the relevant tax skills (VAT, p11d, PSA, corporation tax).
• Someone with previous line management experience who can motivate and develop the team.
• Systems expert who can learn new systems quickly.
• Experience in using and administering ERPs (e.g. running queries, posting journals, posting batches, closing ledgers), ideally Oracle JD Edwards and/or SAP.
• Excellent Excel skills (not necessarily macros, but ability to work through large and complex spreadsheets. Application of advanced formula to standardise and increase robustness of files, e.g., xlookup, vlookup, sumifs, index/match, pivot tables).
• Nice to have: Experience in Tagetik and Kyriba

Job Posting End Date:

2025-07-30

Target Hire Date :

2025-09-01

Target End Date :