The role
This is a key position in our finance team, with responsibility for our financial reporting and controls across our head office companies. It is a central point of contact people across the finance team and wider business, being the 'go-to' person for our financial operations and external financial reporting. This role leads a team of 4 accountants and analysts and is responsible for their coaching and development.
Our Virgin Family
Join the Virgin Group – a diverse collective driving change, enhancing customer experience, and having a blast. We're daring, disrupting industries from finance to space, united as part of the Virgin Family.
VML:
Virgin Management, the heart of Virgin, nurtures the brand globally. Our diverse, 180-strong team in London and New York, supports every facet of the Virgin empire, including Virgin Unite, our entrepreneurial foundation, and Virgin Start-Up, empowering UK entrepreneurs. Working in synergy with various Virgin entities globally, our interests are as diverse as travel, health, music, media, finance, and space. Our unique work culture and purpose unite us.
Our mission:
- To create a thriving world through entrepreneurial initiatives. Our work revolves around:
- Incubating courageous collectives
- Backing entrepreneurial solutions
- Convening purposeful communities
- Challenging unacceptable issues
Tell me more
- This person will be responsible for leading our financial reporting processes and controls across our head office companies and ensuring our financial information is accurate and produced on a timely basis (workday 3 close).
- This is a central role in the finance team, being the key contact for the FP&A team who you will work closely with to create accurate financial reporting for our senior stakeholders. You will also work closely with our tax and treasury teams to make sure we are compliant with quarterly VAT and corporation tax requirements, and to effectively manage our working capital position.
- Controls and processes are a big focus for us to make sure that people in the business can do what they need to, in the right way. This role has overall responsibility for ensuring our financial controls are ‘fit for purpose’, robust and effective across finance and the wider business. This involves working closely with our IT, CoSec, Procurement and Legal teams and ensuring our documentation is up to date, and any changes are communicated to the business.
- This role will have full responsibility for the smooth operation of the AR and AP processes, including intra-group recharges and employee expenses. It is the key contact for the business for escalation of any unique scenarios or issues, so we're looking for someone who is quick thinking and solutions oriented, making sure we're always complying with our controls.
- This role takes the lead on our technical accounting judgements (including deferred revenue and intangible assets) and will take on financial reporting considerations for projects and transactions in the business, so we're looking for someone who is comfortable getting stuck into detailed analysis and finding answers from the relevant guidance when needed.
- In the first half of the year, a key focus for this role is our external financial reporting and audits. This person will own the preparation of financial statements and management of the audit, ensuring we meet all our deadlines. We are also looking for someone who will keep their finger on the pulse of upcoming changes to financial reporting requirements, and ensure we're on the front foot adopting these.
- It is an exciting time to join the team following the implementation of a new finance system (Netsuite) and expenses system (SAP Concur) in April. We are looking for someone in this role to ensure that our new processes are embedded effectively and we're making the most of automation opportunities. This person will lead financial control team input into the finance transformation agenda to ensure our processes and controls continue to evolve to meet our future needs.
- Coaching, managing and developing a team of 4 people is a major part of this role. We're looking for an experienced people manager who is comfortable delegating appropriately, quickly finding solutions and resolving any problems which arise, and ensuring the team is operating effectively to meet the dynamic business and compliance needs.
What you’ll need
- Highly organised, ability to deliver reporting to deadlines, and manage key stakeholders
- Advanced user of Microsoft Office including Microsoft Excel
- Capable of managing and adhering to processes and controls
- Quick and solution-oriented thinker
- Experience in preparing entity statutory accounts and leading audit processes
- Strong technical accounting skills and knowledge
- Reporting to management and external stakeholders
- General operational accounting experience
- Experience of managing, developing and training a team
- Chartered Accountant (ICAEW, ICAS, ACCA) with substantial post-qualified experience
- Strong knowledge of UK GAAP, IFRS, and Companies Act 2006
- Demonstrable experience of dealing with senior stakeholders and external advisors (e.g. auditors)
- Experience working to tight deadlines and managing teams
- Experience running compliance and VAT processes for statutory entities
The extra details
- Role type: Contract (12 months)
- Location: London hub & your home space
- Working hours: Full time - We embrace flexible working. Let us know what hours empower you to be at your best both professionally and personally, we’ll try to find a perfect match for you and us.
- Benefits: Dive into a fast-paced, evolving workspace, where your hard work and dedication is rewarded. Fancy unlimited holidays and weekly yoga? That's the Virgin way. We champion inclusion, wellbeing, and purposeful points strategies. Further benefits include flexible working, healthcare, dental schemes, pension contributions and an employee rewards scheme.
- Closing date: 11 August 2023
Inclusivity statement
Ready to join a brand that dreams big and is visionary in our efforts to change business for good? We strive to make Virgin a family for everyone, by celebrating diversity and welcoming individuals of all background and skills. We treat our people fairly and encourage everyone to be themselves. Your unique qualities are valuable to us.
To make your journey with us accessible and individual to you, we encourage you to let us know if you'd like a little extra help, or if you have any individual requirements at any stage along your recruitment journey.
Excited to make each day rewarding? Don't worry if you don't match every job requirement - we'd still love to learn more about you!