Main characteristics
- Location
- Oxford, Oxfordshire
- Company
- Ford & Stanley Finance & HR
- Salary
- £40000 - £50000/annum
- Employment type
- Permanent
- Category
- Accounting / Financial / Insurance
Job summary
Opportunity Brief: Group Finance AccountantFord and Stanley Recruitment Specialists in Finance & HR recruitment have been appointed on the search for a Group Finance Accountant to come and work alongside the Group Finance Manager in the timely and accurate production of the Group accounts.
Below you will find an opportunity brief developed from notes taken during the scoping meeting (Situational Discovery) held between the Director of F&S Executive Search, Senior Consultant of F&S Finance and HR & the Group Finance Manager for Unipart Group. This brief is designed to give candidates a deeper insight into the opportunity inherent within the role, the challenges the role presents and provide access to the detail that sits behind the job specification.
Client Opportunity Statement:
We are looking to bring in a confident, capable and personable Group Finance Accountant who will assist our Group Finance Manager in ensuring our high accounting standard remains consistent throughout the financial year.
Although reporting into the Group Finance Manager, there will be an expectancy for the successful candidate to operate with autonomy, providing an exciting opportunity to make this role their own.
We are looking for someone who thrives off being able to manage their own workload and time effectively but who also enjoys building relationships with key stakeholders within a complex Group structure
Ultimately, what we really want is an experienced accounts professional who can alleviate some financial duties from our Group Finance Manager whilst becoming a key player within the finance structure
Challenges expected withing the first 12 months include:
Getting to grips with the complex Group Structure, the functions within the group and embracing regular changes.
Being accustomed to working within their own silo. This will require them to manage their time effectively and consistently work off their own initiative.
Gaining an understanding that this role will have little commercial exposure due to it being a service into the business rather than the business itself.
Top deliverables in the first 12 months:
Display confidence in understanding the Group structure.
Gained an understanding of the end to end flow of processes within the business.
Show effective capability with working independently and liaising with relevant stakeholders.
Agreed Hard Skills for candidates to secure an interview:
§ Experience with VAT
§ Candidate can be Part Qualified, Full Qual or QBE / we are open minded.
§ Will display practical experience and understanding of financial accounting, including but not limited to balance sheet reconciliations, fixed asset registers, year-end accounts, management accounts and forecasting amongst other things
§ Ideally background in industry but would be open to those who had previously worked in practice.
§ Show an ability through their track record of being able to juggle tasks and work with multiple P&Ls
§ Completely computer literate with capability on excel and accounting platforms
§ Exposure to recharges, any additional experience of independently processing would be ideal
Desirables include Exposure to insurance regulations and procedures. SAP experience.
Agreed Soft Skills for candidates to secure an interview:
§ Open and honest communicator
§ Resilient and able to thrive in a fast-paced environment with a high workload
§ Able to take control of the position and make it their own
§ Ability to demonstrate effective time management skills and to work off own initiative within a complex accounts structure
§ Happy and confident to work autonomously
§ Able to work with and effectively communicate non-finance stakeholders
Good to know:
The role has responsibility of financial accounting with balance sheets, tax, audit, year-end accounts, group recharges and compliance (Although this isnt limited).
There are a number of functions under the Group umbrella including but not limited to Insurance, Treasury, Group Planning, Legal, Global mobility, Co Sec, Payroll, Six Sigma Team and Unipart House facilities.
Head office has 60-70 people, and this role sits within a small finance function being 1 of 4
The requirement is replacing someone who has moved on from the business and the Group Finance Manager has taken the opportunity to rescope and re-spec the position to hold more / additional responsibilities than the previous incumbent.
The Group Finance Manager is currently undertaking both roles and the sooner this role is appointed the better although take will be taken to ensure it is the right candidate.
Role reports into Group Finance Manager who themselves reports into the CFO. Role also has a dotted line into Group Insurance Manager
There is £15m within the Head Office cost centre, this bundled up to then be recharged back within the various divisions requiring acute financial processing.
The expectation is that this role is mainly autonomous, and the individual will be trusted to manage their own workload to deliver on time and to standard.
Role is all encompassing which can be a little as processing expenses through to a key accounting project for the CEO.
The culture within Unipart is one that empowers its staff and lets people choose their own destiny which is the catalyst for multiple longstanding tenures.
Senior leadership make a proactive effort to make themselves accessible and approachable to others and enable a clear dialogue throughout the business.
Successful candidate will be fully immersed within the Unipart Group and be able to experience everything from shop floor to boardroom.
Occasional travel to other sites to meet other stakeholders within the business.
The Group are using SAP for their financial reporting consolidation system.
This role will report into the Group Finance Manager and provide the opportunity to work alongside an experienced finance team member of 15 years.
There is an encouraging environment that will allow someone to grow and develop professionally whilst honing their financial experience.
Between the incoming candidate and the Group Finance Manager they will have full responsibility for the Group accounts.
There will be further opportunity for the successful candidate to potentially broaden their finance experience by assisting the Group Finance Manager/Insurance Manager on the Groups insurance accounts.
Potential for the role to develop and progress into a more senior position that works alongside or become a successor to the Group Finance Manager.
About Unipart Group:
From our strong heritage in the automotive industry, Unipart has grown into a global company with operations in manufacturing, logistics, and consultancy in operational excellence.
Our core philosophy and values enshrined in The Unipart Way empower everyone at every level of the organisation to deliver benefits to customers.
Through continuous improvement our 8,000 employees have embraced the Fourth Industrial Revolution, using a digital lens with a green tint to identify safer, more efficient, more sustainable solutions for our customers.
Budget:
Low £40k/Mid £45k / High £50k (Highest banding for exceptional candidates that meet/exceed all essentials and desirables).
Car/Car allowance - £3,648/£307 per month
25 days holiday plus bank holidays
Employer pension contribution of 3% and employee 5%
Paid exams/finance qualifications
Annual salary reviews
Discretionary bonus (This will not be written into contract)
Working Arrangements & Location:
This role will be a remote position; however, candidate must have the ability to commute into Cowley once a week if required. Please note that the first couple of months with the business there will be a requirement to be onsite 2-3 days working alongside the Group Finance Manager and get a feel for the business, and culture.
Unipart Group Interview Process:
1st Stage, Teams meeting. Lead by the Group Finance Manager. Plan around an hour or so to go through your experience, suitability for the role.
2nd Stage, Face to Face meeting. Meeting the Co-Group FD, the Group Insurance Manager, and a member of the HR team. Potentially an opportunity to meet the Group Finance Manager face to face also.
About Ford & Stanley Group
Ford & Stanley Group are in the business of people and performance. Our mission is to create one million better workdays through facilitating great recruitment, leadership, and occupational mental fitness.
Ford & Stanley Group Ltd is committed to a policy of equal opportunities for all opportunity seekers and approach all opportunity with a mindset of who is right for the job irrespective sex, sexual orientation, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, age, disability, colour, race, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief or political beliefs and we place an obligation upon all staff to respect and act in accordance with the policy. We shall adhere to such a policy at all times and will review on an on-going basis all aspects of recruitment to avoid unlawful or undesirable discrimination
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