GL Lead Controller

Aberdeen Group; City of Edinburgh; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 155,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

40 days’ annual leave

16% employer pension contribution

Private healthcare

Job summary

Aberdeen plc is seeking a senior Finance Operations GL Lead Controller in Edinburgh. You will own the general ledger integrity, balance sheet substantiation, and the R2R operating model. You will lead GL Leads and analysts, driving data accuracy and senior stakeholder reporting.

The role focuses on governance, financial storytelling, and transformation, including automation and AI adoption across Finance Operations, with blended working in the UK.

Qualifications

• Fully qualified accountant (CA/ACCA/ACMA or equivalent).
• Significant R2R leadership experience in a global organisation.
• Deep expertise in general ledger, revenue and cost accounting.
• Experience as final escalation point for R2R risks; ERP systems knowledge.

Responsibilities

• Act as ultimate controller of the General Ledger across Finance Operations.
• Own Balance Sheet Substantiation and ensure audit readiness of outputs.
• Lead the global Record to Report operating model and establish governance.
• Provide senior financial insight and challenge linked to business drivers and risks.
• Oversee revenue, cost and technical accounting governance, including intercompany.
• Lead transformation, automation and AI adoption within R2R.

Skills

Leadership

R2R Expertise

Stakeholder Engagement

Oracle ERP

Education

CA/ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent

Tools

Oracle ERP

Job description

Job Description

About Aberdeen Aberdeen plc is one of Europe’s largest investment companies, and we are built on a long-standing culture of caring about the future and making a positive impact. Together we invest for a better future. We do it to make a difference to the lives of our clients and customers, our employees, society, and our shareholders. Our business is structured around three distinct areas focused on our clients' changing needs: Aberdeen Investments, Aberdeen Adviser, and interactive investor. As GL Lead Controller, you will help bring “Invest in your tomorrow” to life by protecting financial integrity and enabling trusted decisions for our clients and our business.

About the Department

Finance Operations is a core part of Aberdeen’s Finance function, delivering services across Record to Report, Billing, Banking, Accounts Payable and Supplier Relationship Management. Within Group Financial Control, the team provides accurate outputs, robust controls and timely reporting, working with colleagues in Edinburgh and Chennai. Record to Report underpins reliable financial reporting, regulatory compliance and informed decisions, helping enable our clients to be better investors. The team is evolving through continuous improvement, automation and transformation, with strong control discipline and ownership of the numbers.

About the Role

This Finance Operations GL (general ledger) Lead Controller role is a senior leadership opportunity within Record to Report in Edinburgh. You will own R2R across Finance Operations and its interface with Group Finance, acting as financial controller of the ledger and final point of accountability for control, judgement and integrity. Leading GL Leads and a wider team of GL Analysts, you will set the vision, standards and operating framework while owning data integrity, balance sheet substantiation, financial storytelling and senior stakeholder insight. You will also drive automation, AI adoption and enterprise-wide transformation, shaping a scalable future operating model.

Key Responsibilities

• Act as the ultimate controller of the General Ledger, ensuring accuracy, completeness and integrity of financial data across the Group.
• Own Balance Sheet Substantiation for Group Finance and Finance Operations, ensuring balances, journals and outputs are supported, controlled and audit ready.
• Lead the global Record to Report operating model, setting standards and governance for accurate close delivery.
• Provide senior financial insight, challenge and storytelling, linking outputs to business drivers and risks.
• Oversee revenue, cost and technical accounting governance, including intercompany, transfer pricing, cost control and fixed assets.
• Lead GL Leads and the wider R2R organisation while driving transformation, automation, AI adoption and cross-functional strategic delivery.

About the Candidate

Essential requirements

• Fully qualified accountant, such as CA, ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
• Significant experience leading Record to Report in a complex, global organisation, with Controller or senior GL leadership ownership.
• Deep expertise across general ledger, revenue and cost accounting, acting as custodian of financial integrity and control.
• Proven ownership of Balance Sheet Substantiation, financial narrative, senior stakeholder insight and senior-level financial challenge.
• Ability to lead multi-layered teams, including leaders, with strong stakeholder engagement and confidence to influence and challenge.
• Experience as the final escalation point for R2R financial and control risk, using Oracle or a similar ERP within global and outsourced delivery models.

Preferred experience

• Strong experience leading transformation, automation and AI initiatives within Record to Report or a comparable finance operations environment.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you have a disability and would like to apply to one of our UK roles under the Disability Confident Scheme, please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire. One of our team will reach out to support you through your application process.

Our benefits

• This includes 40 days’ annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance-based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits – including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal.
• You can read more about our benefits here.

Our business

Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs. You can find out more about what we do here.

An inclusive way of working

Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team, we’d like to hear from you. At Aberdeen we’ve adopted a ‘blended working’ approach. This approach combines the benefits of face‑to‑face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles, their teams, our clients and our business. An inclusive culture, where diverse perspectives drive our actions, is at the core of who we are and what we do.

If you need assistance with your application, or a reasonable adjustment to your interview arrangements – for example, because you are neurodivergent, or have a physical, sensory, cognitive, mental, visible or invisible disability – please let us know and we’ll be happy to help.

We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment.

We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance.

We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.

If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.

At Aberdeen, our ambition is to be the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments group. We are focused on growing our direct and advised wealth platforms and repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand. We are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent. You can find out more about what we do here. Aberdeen comprises three businesses, interactive investor (ii), Investments and Adviser, each of which focuses on meeting and adapting to our clients’ evolvingneeds.