Financial Controller Europe - #1745641

This role is responsible for and owns the balance sheet cashflow and P&L reporting for all the LRQA entities in this region. Including overseeing preparation, reporting and interpretation of the results vs prior year, plans and forecasts.

Review of monthly trail balance and working closely with the R2R team in signing off of all reconciliations. Leading local financial statement preparation and audits. Co ordinating both the activity of the outsourced financial accounting resource and the local auditors.

Ensuring all local accounting, Tax and other local compliance issues are managed including the submission of all tax returns in a timely manner.

The key responsibilities of this role include:

• Ultimate ownership of the financial results of the region by entity. Including P&L, Balance sheet and Cashflow and the presenting of these to LRQA senior finance teams.
• Working closely with the relevant Finance business partner to understand budget and forecast variances as well as period on period trends
• Acting as key point of contact for local regulatory issues and liaising with local management to resolve.
• Work with the Regional /Area lead, local offices of the outsourced provider in the geographical area of responsibility, ensuring that the global ‘Statutory & Compliance process’ is delivered accurately and timely. This means ensuring the input data is accurate, queries are responded to, and issues are resolved. Escalation to SME/Area Lead in case of service issues. Review of the Trial balances for the countries responsibility and support Regional Lead in providing month end / yearend closing process.
• Take responsibility for the timely and accurate accounting and reporting in Group set of books (and wherever applicable Local set of books ) and /or local accounting, reporting, taxation and other activities necessary to comply with applicable national and international entity requirements including country level statistical reporting to Government/ local bodies/ any other Institution(together term as ‘compliance’ activities). This includes support in monitoring and arranging entity capital maintenance and recapitalisation where necessary and, where applicable, management of local statutory invoicing outside of the Group’s ERP system.
• Manage the operational relationship with the local offices of the outsourced provider ensuring that the global ‘Statutory & Compliance process’ meets or exceed the contracted SLA and KPI targets, attending stakeholder and governance meetings as required. Initiate Change Requests, including need for local external advice where needed.
• Helps Act as the first point of escalation when an issue with service provision has been raised and cannot be appropriately dealt with by the local office of the outsourced provider. Initiate further escalation where needed. Identify process improvement opportunities and participates in continuous improvement, Global programmes, and change projects.
• Coordinate local audits. Ensure that deliverables are provided by relevant internal parties to ensure that audits are closed timely. Support in ensuring that deliverables are provided by relevant internal parties to ensure that audits are closed timely. Works with the Global S & C Analysts on identifying common data issues, root cause analysis and resolution. Cross Area Support to the other Regional S & C Lead in completing the Compliance activity or Local/ Group Audit as a backup support or need based support after approval of GPO – Global S & C Lead.
• Maintain Clear documentation and record keeping both in line with LRQA standards and local requirements. Play a key role as part of the Global Statutory & Compliance team ensuring alignment, collaboration and best practice is shared between the other area teams and finance functions.
  
  

Assist in the development of standard processes with outsourced provider for taxation audits and help in speedy resolution on minimising tax penalties wherever possible. Support in aligning Group Tax policy, in implementing structures to reduce entity cash tax expense and effective tax rates as required.