Financial Controller

The Group IS Finance Team accounts for Atkins’ substantial annual spend on IS, supporting the Group IS management team to prepare financial plans and understand and manage variances. The Financial Controller role is responsible for providing financial support to designated Group IS budget holders, including preparing financial plans and monthly financial reports, and also for providing support and advice on accounting matters to other members of the team.
Group IS is the in-house provider of IS systems and support to the c18,000 staff in Atkins, a division of the SNC-Lavalin Group.

Key Deliverables/Responsibilities

• Work with Group IS budget holders to prepare annual budgets and quarterly re-forecasts and supporting analysis.
• Prepare management accounts and balance sheet reconciliations for Group IS UK cost centres.
• Work closely with accountants in other regions to ensure that accounting for local Group IS cost centres is in line with group accounting policies.
• Analyse actual variances to budget/forecast and work closely with budget holders to understand, explain and anticipate financial performance.
• Provide ad hoc advice on financial matters, eg coding purchase orders, setting up jobs, extracting information from the Group’s information systems.
• Support preparation of business cases to ensure the Group gets maximum benefit from planned investments.
• Other ad hoc analysis and financial support as needed.

Experience Required
Essential:
Proven post qualification experience of:
• Preparing budgets and forecasts and of management reporting in a plc environment.
• Using Microsoft Excel, including use of pivot tables and lookups. (Macro skills are not required.)
• Supporting non-financial budget holders to prepare and manage their budgets.

Desirable:
• Experience of using JDEdwards and/or Hyperion Financial Manager.
• Experience of working in a rapidly changing environment and of anticipating and responding to changing customer needs.

Competencies
• A formal financial qualification.
• Strong analytical skills.
• Good communication and interpersonal skills and ability to build and maintain relationships.
• A pro-active approach, able to work autonomously and use own initiative.
• High personal standards and a commitment to delivering quality information to deadlines.
• A critical eye for detail, accuracy and presentation. It is essential that the Senior Financial Controller takes responsibility for checking and critically reviewing their own work, as incorrect information or analysis can have serious implications for the business.
• An enquiring mind and desire to understand the story behind the numbers.
• Ability to understand, prioritise and manage internal customer expectations.