Basic Function & Purpose of the Role
Premier Lotteries IrelandJob Title: Financial Controller (FC)
Department: Finance
Reporting to: Head of Finance (“HoF”)
Date completed/updated: January 2024
Job Purpose
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As FC of PLI, you will be responsible for providing accurate, timely and relevant information on financial and business performance by leading a team of finance professionals and be responsible for their performance and development.
Key elements of the role include reporting processes, developing people and financial systems to facilitate informed decision making while ensuring a robust financial control environment. This entails forming strong commercial relationships with Retail, Product and Marketing with a particular emphasis on Revenue appraisal and forecasting, analytical and strategic support for initiatives. This is a significant opportunity for an ambitious individual who has a desire to make a contribution and develop their career in a publicly quoted group within the consumer sand digital services market.
This position will report directly to the HoF and will interact with the CFO, Senior Leadership and Group reporting team. As well as managing the day-to-day financial, regulatory and taxation matters of the company,. The appointed person will work effectively as an active part of the Finance Team to enable a commercially focused and financially stable business, supported by proper budgeting, controls and processes, ensuring compliance with all requirements regulation, audit, tax, banking, etc.
The ideal candidate for this position will have a significant background in financial control in a relevant business. An accountancy qualification with a background that ideally includes Top 10 training, or equivalent, is required. A pre-requisite for this position is an ability to engage on a business and commercial level with all stakeholders in a fast-moving and changing business environment.
Strong presence and leadership abilities plus a dynamic and collaborative working style are required for this position. Where necessary, the position also requires a hands-on approach in terms of handling and resolving of issues as they arise.
The role requires a candidate who is a clear decision maker with excellent stakeholder management and communications skills across all channels, in dealing with individuals and groups at all levels, both internally and externally.
The successful candidate will have a desire for continuous improvement, with high energy levels and personal standards in terms of quality, excellence and the desire to achieve.
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Key ResponsibilitiesFinancial Reporting
- Provide regular management reporting on financial and business performance to the management team and Group reporting pack and appendices into consolidation tool.
- Manage period end close within Group extremely tight reporting timelines and provision of accurate information to Group and KPI analysis for board and shareholder reporting, with focus on optimizing month end close process.
- Manage the Audit process and timelines, ensuring financial statements are produced in line with IFRS/FRS and all areas of judgement are documented for the audit committee.
- Maintain a technical understanding of key accounting changes in accordance with IFRS.
- Ensure compliance as appropriate with National Lottery License reporting requirements.
Financial Forecasting, Budgeting and Investment Appraisal
- Provide financial analytics, Business Partnering support to the Retail, Product and Marketing teams and performance management of investments (revenue, cost, margin, ROI, FCF).
- Review underlying trends, assisting with target setting, communicating current/future trading position to senior leadership and management teams.
- Support the capital governance process by working with the business teams to deliver strong business cases for investment appraisal by CFO/CEO.
- Undertake detailed commercial analysis to understand business performance and prepare commercial commentary for monthly trading meetings.
- Leading and coordinating the budgeting and forecasting cycle working closely with the Group reporting team and Head of Finance. Preparation of budget and forecast presentations for the Senior Leadership Team.
- Maintain and own the long-term business plan and projections and update as required with support from senior management.
- Develop the reporting and analytical framework to ensure business understanding and strategic thinking in collaboration with the Business Intelligence team.
- Provide detailed variance analysis between the budget/forecast and actuals to understand and report on variances and communicate the impact on future trends.
- Review month end with Head of Finance to ensure it aligns with expected performance.
- Ad hoc commercial and analytical requests , review of business initiatives and new strategic plans, complex analysis and modelling.
- Represent the Finance function’s voice clearly and pro-actively in multiple areas.
- Challenge performance and be a driver for positive change via accurate and timely insight into trends and performance.
- Assist in changing ways of working to ensure automation and group efficiencies and ERP improvements.
- Develop strong relationship with outsourced ERP support provider and be aware of updates and changes to the ERP system.
- Periodic reporting to the Board and FDJ Group (including the Regulator) on our financial performance.
- Actively participate in ad hoc projects as they arise - by taking full ownership and running with such projects.
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Key ResponsibilitiesFinancial Controls
- Play active role in management of operational performance of the business through weekly/monthly reporting to the shareholder and regulator.
- Manage and improve key control processes to ensure their continued effectiveness in line with best practice.
- Ensure financial processes are appropriately documented, reviewed and stored in the compliance repository.
- Management of internal audit processes under review.
- Manage all aspects of the day to day finance operations and systems, including training requirements within the team.
- Champion continuous improvement of finance processes and systems. Key role in implementing a new ERP system.
- Sponsor continuous focus on cost control.
- Manage all treasury, working capital and other cashflow management matters.
- Manage banking relationships
- Implement agreed recommendations from external and internal audits.
- Manage financial aspects of key projects as they arise.
- Contribute to the Company’s risk register on an on-going basis.
Taxation
- Ensure the Company complies with all relevant taxation obligations for all tax heads in scope and submit appropriate tax accounting for group reporting, including deferred taxes.
- Ensure that all returns submitted to tax authorities are properly complied and submitted in a timely manner.
- Work with external tax advisers on day-to-day tax matters and tax compliance and planning
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Experience, Skills and Qualifications- Qualified Accountant with excellent financial control experience and technical accounting acumen.
- Strong Excel, PowerPoint skills, PowerBI and SQL desirable but not essential
- At least 8-years post qualification experience.
- First rate analytical skills with a sound understanding of the commercial impact of the reported figures.
- Ability to work with complex data sets.
- Experience of working at senior level and cross functionally.
- Highly articulate, influential with exceptional presentation and communication skills.
- Proven track record of successful management of financial reporting processes in a large commercial organisation.
- A self-starter, highly motivated with a continuous improvement focus and attention to detail.
- People Management – ability to lead, influence and build appropriate career and development plans for a growing team of finance professionals.
- Understanding the importance of talent development and management within the team as a critical enabler for the overall future growth of the business.
- Ability to work to tight public company reporting requirements.
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Behavioral Competencies- Ownership & Professionalism: You take pride in what you do and ownership for finding solutions to business challenges.
- Great collaboration: You work in support of the team agenda, collaborating effectively and with respect at all levels of our organisation.
- Results driven: You relentlessly focus on the key inputs to deliver the desired result
- Pace: You can cope with change and ambiguity and always deliver to deadlines
- Initiative: Ability to work on own initiative
- Metrics Driven: You will be data driven in assessing performance.
- Culture fit: You are results-focused, pragmatic, diplomatic, passionate, creative, collaborative, transparent, motivated, high integrity, commercial and flexible.
- Pace: You are able to cope with change and ambiguity. Comfortable with a ‘test and learn’ mentality.
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About us
Premier Lotteries Ireland DAC (PLI) is the operator of the Irish National lottery having been awarded a 20-year license by the Irish Government in November 2014. We are committed to delivering our core purpose, to operate a responsible and world-class lottery for the people of Ireland, raising much needed Good Cause funds for the benefit of local communities throughout Ireland. Located in Abbey Street in the heart of Dublin, PLI is run by an experienced Irish based management team led by our CEO Andrew Algeo.
Life At National Lottery
Want to spend your days dreaming up ways to provide fun and entertainment to the people of Ireland, whilst supporting a host of Good Causes? Then the National Lottery could be the place for you. We’re always looking for positive and energetic people to join us and share in our vision to make dreams come true.
Why us?
At the National Lottery, we put our people first by cultivating a culture and environment that allows people to be at their best! Check out the benefits and initiatives we provide to our staff here.
