Group Financial Controller (Mat Cover)

Global Switch; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Global Switch is seeking a Group Financial Controller to lead the integrity and robustness of the Group’s financial reporting, operations and control environment. You will partner with senior leadership to deliver high‑quality financial insight, manage external reporting and audit processes, and drive systems modernization to support scale and value creation.

In this maternity‑cover role you will oversee month‑end close, manage cash flow, debtors and working capital, and develop group‑wide

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in group financial control across multi‑jurisdictional environments.
• Proven ability to design and maintain robust control frameworks for audits and regulatory scrutiny.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge to lead judgement‑based decisions and policy interpretations.

Responsibilities

• Own and strengthen the Group’s financial control environment, ensuring robust governance and IFRS/statutory compliance across jurisdictions.
• Lead the development and application of group-wide accounting policies and finance processes.
• Act as a senior finance stakeholder with C‑suite leaders, external auditors, regulators and advisers.
• Lead the global month‑end close process and consolidated monthly reporting for internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee cash flow, debtors and working capital reporting to ensure decision‑useful outputs.
• Serve as senior owner for the Group’s external audit, coordinating with overseas auditors and parent company teams.
• Provide technical accounting leadership on complex matters, position papers and policy interpretations.
• Lead finance systems transformation and data flows, and define a clear systems roadmap with technology teams (including Yardi).
• Support strategic decision‑making through high‑quality financial analysis and ad‑hoc reporting.

Skills

IFRS reporting

Financial control

Audit management

Cash flow management

Finance transformation

Stakeholder engagement

Team leadership

Tools

Yardi

Job description

About The Role

This is a maternity cover for 14-15 months.

About The Role

This is a maternity cover for 14-15 months.

As Group Financial Controller, you will play a pivotal leadership role within Group Finance, accountable for the integrity, transparency, and robustness of the Group’s financial reporting, financial operations and control environment. You will lead external and shareholder reporting, technical accounting, audit management, and the development of group-wide accounting policies, ensuring full compliance with IFRS and local statutory requirements across all jurisdictions. You will partner closely with the Group Director, Finance, Regional Managing Directors, the Executive Committee, and the Audit Committee, providing high‑quality financial insight and assurance to support strategic decision‑making, capital allocation, and long‑term value creation.

You are the owner of the heart of the financial operations of the company, where our customers interact with us on a regular basis. Management of the revenue invoicing and debt management is critical to ensuring Shareholder value. This role is also a key driver of finance transformation, leading the continuous enhancement of systems, processes, and controls to support scale, complexity, and future growth, while maintaining a strong governance framework and a culture of accountability, precision, and operational excellence across the Group.

Key Responsibilities

• Own and continuously strengthen the Group’s financial control environment, ensuring robust governance, accurate reporting, and full compliance with IFRS and statutory requirements across all jurisdictions.
• Lead the development, documentation, and consistent application of group-wide accounting policies, standards, and finance processes.
• Act as a senior finance stakeholder with C‑suite leaders, external auditors, regulators, and advisors, providing assurance, clarity, and professional judgement.
• Lead the global month‑end close process, ensuring timely, accurate, and insightful financial reporting for internal and external stakeholders.
• Oversee consolidated monthly management accounts, including cash flow, debtors, and working capital reporting, ensuring outputs are decision‑useful and fit for purpose.
• Serve as the senior primary contact and accountable owner for the Group’s external audit, including coordination with overseas auditors and parent company audit teams.
• Provide high‑quality technical accounting leadership, overseeing complex accounting matters, position papers, and judgement‑based decisions.
• Lead the transformation of finance systems, data flows, and integrations to support scale, complexity, and future growth.
• Partner with technology teams and system owners (including Yardi) to define and deliver a clear finance systems roadmap.
• Support strategic decision‑making through high‑quality financial analysis, scenario modelling, and ad‑hoc reporting.
• Oversee Group cash flow management, debt and debtor positions, and working capital performance.
• Support local finance teams and Commercial teams in resolving customer queries and improving cash collection outcomes.
• Assess new customers risk profile to ensure that the Group manages its exposure to customer risk.
• Lead, develop, and mentor the Group Financial Control team, setting high standards for performance, accountability, and professional development.

About You

You’re a technically strong and commercially aware finance leader with extensive experience operating in complex, multi-entity and multi-jurisdictional environments. You bring a deep understanding of financial control, IFRS reporting, governance, and audit management, combined with the ability to turn financial data into meaningful insight that supports strategic decision-making. Comfortable operating at both a strategic and operational level, you are equally at home leading technical accounting discussions, strengthening control frameworks, and driving improvements across finance operations.

You thrive in environments where accuracy, integrity, and accountability are paramount. Working closely with senior leadership, shareholders, auditors, and regional finance teams, you provide confidence in the quality of financial reporting while ensuring the business has the insight needed to make informed decisions. You are commercially minded and understand the importance of strong cash flow management, customer billing, debtor performance, and working capital optimisation in protecting shareholder value. A natural leader, you build high-performing teams and foster a culture of collaboration, continuous improvement, and professional development. You are passionate about improving systems, processes, and controls, using technology and data to enhance efficiency, scalability, and business performance.

Key Requirements

• Deep expertise in group financial control, IFRS compliance, and statutory reporting across multi‑jurisdictional environments.
• Proven ability to design, implement, and maintain robust control frameworks that stand up to audit, regulatory, and shareholder scrutiny.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge with the confidence to lead complex judgement‑based decisions, position papers, and policy interpretations.
• Maintains up‑to‑date awareness of IFRS developments, translating new standards into clear, practical implementation across the Group.
• Extensive experience leading group audits, acting as the primary point of accountability for external auditors and audit committees.
• Ability to deliver high‑quality, accurate, and timely group financial reporting that supports strategic decision‑making.
• Skilled in enhancing management information to provide meaningful insight, trend analysis, and performance drivers.
• Strong track record of leading finance system implementations and process transformation programmes.
• Able to define and deliver scalable finance data and systems architectures in partnership with technology teams and vendors.

About Global Switch

You might not know it, but you use a data centre like Global Switch every day. Whether you're browsing the web, streaming, playing a game, or simply making a purchase, you are relying on data centres around the world. Global Switch is a trusted name in the industry, with over 20 years of experience and a commitment to long‑term partnerships and sustainability.

We value excellence and teamwork, and we always strive to deliver the best customer service and satisfaction. We are a team of skilled and passionate professionals, proud of who we are and what we do. Joining us means becoming part of a team that values learning and growth.

As an equal‑opportunity employer, Global Switch is committed to providing a working culture that values diversity and inclusion and is committed to making reasonable adjustments to provide a barrier‑free recruitment process and working environment.

Global Switch owns and operates 4,200,000 sq ft (388,000 sq m) of exceptional large‑scale, multi customer, carrier and cloud neutral data centre space across Europe and Asia‑Pacific. Established in 1998 our longevity in the market place and impressive track record prove we deliver best in class solutions.

Global Switch data centres are operated to a Tier III standard or higher and provide resilient and secure solutions to customers who include global system integrators, telecommunication and cloud providers, enterprises, financial institutions, government organisations, managed service providers and other hosting businesses.