Head of Operational Accounting & Control

Head of Operational Accounting and Control

We need an experienced leader capable of overseeing the delivery of an accounting service, ensuring high-quality outputs on timetable and clear ownership across the team. You will have experience delivering process and business change, working to agreed business and project deadlines and managing dependencies and risks proactively.

Who we’re looking for

We need someone who has a proven ability to oversee the delivery of an accounting service, ensuring high-quality outputs to timetable and clear ownership across the team. You will have experience delivering process and business change, working to agreed business and project deadlines and managing dependencies and risks proactively.

About Schroders

We’re a global investment manager. We help institutions, intermediaries and individuals around the world invest money to meet their goals, fulfil their ambitions, and prepare for the future.

We have around 6,000 people on six continents. And we’ve been around for over 200 years, but keep adapting as society and technology changes. What doesn’t change is our commitment to helping our clients, and society, prosper.

The base

We moved into our new HQ in the City of London in 2018. We’re close to our clients, in the heart of the UK’s financial centre and we have everything we need to work flexibly.

The Team

You’ll be leading our Operational Accounting and Control team which is responsible for cost and revenue accounting outcomes for Schroders main operating legal entities and our core business units and functions. The team works alongside other operational finance teams to ensure that costs and revenues are accounted for in accordance with accounting policies.

The team completes several month end accounting processes including lease accounting, project cost accounting and revenue transfer pricing and allocations. In addition, the team is responsible for reviewing and validating accounting outcomes from other teams. A key part of the teams’ focus is on the production of analytical reviews of costs and revenues in order to validate monthly results and explain changes and trends to Financial Control and Finance Planning and Analysis (FP&A) teams.

What you’ll do

We need someone who has a proven ability to oversee the delivery of an accounting service, ensuring high-quality outputs to timetable and clear ownership across the team. You will have experience delivering process and business change, working to agreed business and project deadlines and managing dependencies and risks proactively.

You will also demonstrate the following:

• Strong communication and influencing skills, with the ability to explain accounting outcomes and complex processes clearly to senior stakeholders and FP&A teams.
• A visible people leader who can support, motivate and develop the team through a period of transformation, creating clarity, momentum and accountability.
• A focus on enhancing Management Information, using MI and performance indicators to monitor operational effectiveness, identify root causes of issues and drive measurable efficiency improvements.
• A collaborative transformation mindset: working with the Head of Accounting to improve insight into the drivers of cost and revenue across the Group, evolving team processes and embedding a culture of continuous improvement and professional development.

This role will have responsibility for validation of cost and revenue accounting outcomes and delivery of monthly financial results into the Financial Control & FP&A teams. This will include:

Accountability for core accounting processes

• Reviewing and providing commentary on cost and revenue trends with a focus on each legal entity P&L.
• Overseeing the accounting processes for costs and revenues so that they are captured in the correct legal entity, cost centre and nominal account and that in each month there is completeness and accuracy for all types of cost and revenue.
• Owning the business logic for revenue allocations to investment desks and supporting the team with the implementation of changes to requirements.
• Ensuring the team meet month end deadlines and provide necessary reporting to other stakeholders and key controls operate effectively.
• Supporting the development of senior accountants / analysts in the team as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) / Managers and ensuring clear accountability in the team.

Transformation and process change

• Developing more automation in reporting to provide high quality cost and revenue reporting to finance and business stakeholders. This includes being able to explain changes from previous periods in a clear way using a "bridge" to identify the components driving the change.
• Provide recommendations to improve processes across cost and revenue management to senior stakeholders and driving the implementation of these recommendations.
• Realise efficiencies in the team through process improvement, AI, and optimisation of responsibilities in the team.

The knowledge, experience and qualifications you need

We are looking for an individual that has a proven track record of leading a successful team and demonstrates delivery of change. This person needs to demonstrate how they have taken responsibility for delivery of accounting services and associated efficiency and control improvements. They should have a clear understanding of the accounting principles and processes for end-to-end cost and revenue management.

Suitable candidates will have:

• Excellent leadership and people management skills.
• +5 years post qualified accounting experience (or equivalent)
• Proven ability to manage change effectively, continuously improve processes and adopt innovative technologies / ways of working.
• Strong systems skills including use of an ERP system including the general ledger and subledgers.
• A successful record of delivering a finance operations service in a large organisation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with a broad range of stakeholders.
• Capable of remaining positive when under pressure.

We recognise potential, whoever you are

Our purpose is to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. Diversity of thought, facilitated by an inclusive culture, will allow us to make better decisions and better achieve our purpose. This is why inclusion and diversity are a strategic priority for us and why we are an equal opportunities employer. You are welcome here, regardless of your age, disability, gender identity, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socio-economic background, or any other protected characteristic.

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