Financial Controller

Description

Company Overview:

Hitachi Europe Ltd (HEU) is a social innovation company with headquarters based in Slough, England. The company’s European operations employ over 350 people to deliver services and solutions to customers in several key business areas. The company’s portfolio includes digital media products, industrial components and equipment, value chain integration, research and design, information systems.

HEU is also responsible for managing a Shared Services Group that provides the Company’s business units with a range of innovative and effective common services that deliver value, create ‘lean’ processes and support growth and development – including HR, IT, Legal, Finance, Public Affairs and Business Development.

As part of the Finance & Accounting Team, the UK Financial Controller is responsible for leading the delivery of statutory accounting for Hitachi Europe Limited & other Hitachi Group Companies. This includes defining and delivering robust statutory accounting services, accounting and reporting services as well as building up the shared service customer base. It is essential that the successful candidate has experience of finance and accounting global business service operations.

Tasks and Responsibilities:

• Direct management of Senior reporting specialist based in Poland

• Indirect Management of Financial Reporting, Treasury and Accounts Payable teams

• Manage and provide shared services to other Hitachi Group companies in UK

• Management of month end and quarter end timetable and process. This includes preparation and review of consolidation for Hitachi Europe (HEU) legal entities (UK, France, Germany, Spain, Greece, Denmark, Poland, South Africa and Turkey) as well as Group Reporting to Japan on a quarterly basis

• Preparation and review of local statutory financial statements or returns for UK legal entity, Branches (Poland, South Africa, Denmark) and other Hitachi Group Companies under shared services

• Manage relationship and key contact for external auditor and other external advisors. This includes leading year-end audit and quarterly review with external audit, JSOX reporting and define benefit pension disclosures with pension advisors

• Working closely with Tax Manager in preparation of tax return calculation for Hitachi Europe Ltd and branches

• Update Finance related policies related to Financial Reporting, Inventory, Fixed Assets and travel policy

• Key contact for financial reporting standards queries under IFRS and implement new accounting standards, including IFRS 15 and IFRS 16

• Key approver for key SAP master data including GL chart of accounts, cost centres and profit centres hierarchy for all HEU locations

• Key reviewer and approver for SAP user and roles access taking into consideration of conflict of interest and segregation of duties under JSOX requirement.

• JSOX control owner including review of month balance sheet reconciliation, sales cut-off, consolidation and group reporting sign-off

• Lead or participate in process improvement initiatives and projects including Purchase to Pay (PTP) automation, i.e. OCR, approval workflow, digitalisation of finance forms and shared services processes for other Hitachi Group Companies

• Banking – signatory under bank mandate for payment runs approvals and other banking matters.

Skills and Experience:

• Qualified chartered accountant, i.e. ACCA, ICAEW

• Solid experience in consolidation and financial reporting in multi-location and currencies

• Proficient user of SAP and BPC (Budget Planning Consolidation) ERP system

• Exposure to reporting and implementation of new standards under IFRS

• Previous experience in a financial management role

• Stakeholder management in cross-functional departments and other legal entities

• Good analytical skills including commentary and presentation to senior management.

• Exposure to SOX or JSOX environment

• Competent user of Excel and other Microsoft tool, i.e. word and power-point

• Previous Process Improvement project leadership experience desirable

Benefits:

In addition to offering a market competitive salary and discretionary bonus scheme, Hitachi also provide an attractive benefits package, which is regularly reviewed, and offers a wide range of benefits that you can choose from, including:

Company Funded Benefits

• Competitive Salary and bonus scheme

• Generous holiday entitlement (25 days per annum) with the option to buy up to an additional 8 days per year 

• A Holiday Banking scheme allowing you to bank untaken holiday to use another year 

• Company Pension Scheme 

• Private Medical Insurance with self-funded option to increase cover to include family members. 

• Employee Assistance Programme available to all employees 

• Personal Accident Insurance 

Voluntary Benefits (funded by employee) including;

• Gym Membership

• Dental Insurance with option to include dependent children 

• Health screening