Group External Reporting Manager

Michael Page; Cheltenham; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A global engineering group based in the United Kingdom is seeking a Group External Reporting Manager to lead the preparation of consolidated financial statements and market disclosures under IFRS. The successful candidate will provide technical advice to senior leadership, manage relationships with auditors, and contribute to significant financial reporting activities. A competitive salary package with hybrid working and additional benefits is provided, including enhanced medical insurance and generous annual leave.

Benefits

Highly competitive salary

Profit Related Bonus Scheme

Flexible working pattern

27 days annual leave plus holidays

Enhanced Private Medical Insurance

Group Personal Pension Plan with up to 10% employer contribution

Life Insurance (4 times basic salary)

Employee Share Ownership Plan

Enhanced Paternity and Maternity benefits

Three days paid volunteering leave

Free onsite parking

Personal Discounts Portal

Employee Assistance Programme

Qualifications

• At least 3 years post qualification experience in industry.
• Experience in the preparation or audit of Annual Report & Accounts under IFRS.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Prepare financial elements of the Annual Report and Half Year Report.
• Support audit processes and build relationships with auditors.
• Advise on technical accounting and maintain Group Accounting Policies.

Skills

ACA/ACCA qualified

Strong technical accounting knowledge including IFRS

Analytical mindset with attention to detail

Strong communication skills

Education

Qualified in ACA/ACCA

Job description

This role sits at the centre of group external reporting, leading the preparation of consolidated financial statements, statutory accounts and market disclosures under IFRS. You'll act as a key technical advisor to the business, working closely with senior leadership in a complex, international environment.

Client Details

A global, FTSE-listed engineering group operating across multiple sectors with a strong focus on efficiency, sustainability and innovation. The business has a long track record of growth, operates internationally, and invests heavily in its people and finance capability.

Description

The Group External Reporting Manager plays a key role within the team responsible for the preparation of the Group's published consolidated financial statements, the Annual Report & Accounts and all associated external financial reporting activities. The external reporting team are the Group's technical accounting centre and own the Group Accounting Policies as well as supporting the businesses with all technical accounting and reporting issues. The workload will be varied and challenging and will include significant exposure to the CFO and the Group's Finance Leadership Team alongside the requirement to build close relationships with the Group's finance teams within the three businesses.

Key responsibilities

• Making a key contribution to the preparation of the financial elements of the external Annual Report, Half Year Report and News Release
• Assisting in the preparation of Audit Committee papers, Board papers and Investor slide decks.
• Advise on various technical accounting matters including drafting papers articulating accounting implication and key estimates & judgements for the Group.
• Supporting the assessment of the impact of changes in accounting standards and ensuring correct implementation across the Group. This will include the maintenance and updating of Group Accounting Policies as well as conducting training sessions for the finance community within the Group.
• Supporting the external audit process, building and managing strong relationships with the Group's auditors.
• Supporting acquisition related accounting when applicable as a result of acquisitions made by the Group, including involvement in the integration workstreams.
• Responsibility for accounting for the Group's defined benefit schemes and managing the relationship with Group's external pension specialist
• Responsibility for the calculation of share scheme incentives & bonus achievements at the executive level.
• Supporting the global finance community on various adhoc accounting issues

Profile

To be successful in this role, you should:

• Be ACA/ACCA qualified
• Have at least 3 years post qualification experience, ideally in industry
• Have experience in the preparation or audit of Annual Report & Accounts under IFRS
• Have strong technical accounting knowledge including IFRS, particularly IFRS 15 and IFRS 16
• Have experience of multinational manufacturing groups operating in multiple currencies
• Be self‑reliant - able to proactively establish direction and impact with minimal guidance
• Have strong analytical mindset with keen attention to detail
• Be career driven with strong desire to progress within the organisation
• Be pro‑active and take ownership of the work within the team
• Be able to work within a close‑knit team under pressure to tight deadlines
• Have strong communication skills with the ability to adapt to different audiences

The following qualities and experiences are desirable

• Be able to build strong, international relationships and demonstrate the ability to partner with and advise the business
• Have a background in / or have had significant exposure to external audit
• Have the ability to explain complex financial reporting issues to stakeholders in a clear and succinct manner
• Have the ability to step back from the detail to understand the wider commercial impact of decisions
• Possess a natural desire to get involved in detail, take pride in your work and demand and achieve high standards of themselves and others.

Job Offer

A competitive package, including:

• A highly competitive salary
• Profit Related Bonus Scheme
• Flexible working pattern between home and office/hybrid working
• Annual Leave – 27 days a year plus statutory holidays (and additional wellbeing day)
• Enhanced Private Medical Insurance with optional family cover
• Enhanced Group Personal Pension Plan (GPP) – Employer Contribution of up to 10%
• Life Insurance – 4 times basic salary cover (Aviva)
• Employee Share Ownership Plan (ESOP) – 1:1 – Maximum 3% of annual salary
• Enhanced Paternity and Maternity benefits
• Three days of paid volunteering leave per annum
• Free onsite parking
• Personal Discounts Portal
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) – gives employees easy access to confidential support to assist with personal problems and/or work‑related problems that impact health, and mental and emotional well‑being