About the Role 
 
As Financial Controller, 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 position will report directly to the Head of Finance and will interact with the CFO, Senior Leadership Team and Shareholders. As well as managing the company's daily financial, regulatory and taxation matters.  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. 
 
Financial 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 and provision of accurate information to Group and KPI analysis for board and shareholder reporting, with focus on optimising month end close process.
• Manage periodic reporting to the Board and FDJ Group (including the Regulator) on our financial performance.
• Manage the audit process and timelines, both internal and external, ensuring financial statements are produced in line with IFRS/FRS and implement agreed recommendations.
• Assist in changing ways of working to ensure automation and group efficiencies and ERP improvements.
• Ensure compliance as appropriate with National Lottery License reporting requirements.

  
Financial Forecasting, Budgeting and Investment Appraisal 

• Lead and coordinate the budgeting and forecasting cycle, working closely with the business and Head of Finance in line with group timelines as well as preparation of budget and forecast presentations for the Senior Leadership Team and Board.
• Maintain and own the long-term business plan and projections and update as required with support from senior management.
• Review underlying trends, assisting with target setting, communicating current/future trading position to senior leadership and management teams.
• Undertake detailed commercial analysis to understand business performance and prepare commercial commentary for monthly trading meetings.
• 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.
• Ad hoc commercial and analytical requests, review of business initiatives and new strategic plans, complex analysis, and modelling.

Financial 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.
• Manage all aspects of the day-to-day finance operations and systems, including training requirements within the team.
• Manage all treasury, working capital and other cashflow management matters.
• 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 with and submitted in a timely manner.
• Work with external tax advisers on day-to-day tax matters and tax compliance and planning.

About You 

• You are a Qualified Accountant with excellent financial control experience and technical accounting acumen.
• You have strong Excel, PowerPoint skills, PowerBI. SQL experience is desirable but not essential
• You will ideally have at least 8 years' post-qualification experience.
• You have first-rate analytical skills with a sound understanding of the commercial impact of the reported figures.
• You have the ability to work with complex data sets.
• You have experience of working at senior level and cross functionally.
• You’re highly articulate and influential with exceptional presentation and communication skills.
• You have a proven record of accomplishment of successful management of financial reporting processes in a large commercial organisation.
• You’re a self-starter, highly motivated by continuous improvement, focused and have incredible attention to detail.
• You can lead, influence and build appropriate career and development plans for a growing team of finance professionals. 
• You understand the importance of talent development and management within the team as a critical enabler for the overall future growth of the business. 
• You can work to tight public company reporting requirements.
• You can demonstrate good personal time management skills, including punctuality and completion of assigned tasks within agreed timeframes.
• You can present technical and business solution concepts to all levels across functional domains (both technical and non-technical audiences).