Head of Accounting Technology - Vice President

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Overview Of The Department/Section

The Finance Technology Team is responsible for providing support and development of technologies for the Finance department within the Group. The Head of Accounting Technology will be responsible for managing a team of on-shore and off-shore technologists servicing Finance’s Accounting & General Ledger requirements within the international MUS group, EMEA Bank, MBE, MUMSS and MUFG Bank Tokyo.

NUMBER OF DIRECT REPORTS

Approx. 10-20 direct reports. Team leader on ERP and Financial Reporting software leading both support and change management comprising of team of full time employees and off-shore managed services consultants.

MAIN PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

• Manage the support and enhancement of accounting technologies used by MUFG Bank (EMEA) and MUFG Securities (International) including General Ledger, Financial Accounting Hub for revenue accounting, procure to pay, expense management, project financial accounting, cash management & fixed asset management.
• Hold regular BaU meetings with accurate appraisal of the book of work, highlighting progress, blockers, test windows etc.
• Ensure the SDLC is being adhered to and changes are subjected to the appropriate levels of QA.
• Review releases and ensure internal change standards and policies are adhered to and providing feedback on any gaps or re-work required.
• Responsible for shaping functional and technical design of the accounting platforms in line with the firm business objectives and regulatory obligations.
• Lead a technology team of 10+ members responsible for development, support, testing and developing the accounting platforms.
• Maintain a robust GITC environment, working with Information Security to ensure a high level of security standards are complied with.
• Participate on projects and long term change objectives.
• Work across the organisation and branch out to work neighbouring teams on ensuring successful and high quality changes are transitioned into the live production environment.
• Ensuring appropriate levels of support are available to the relevant business departments to agreed standards, SLAs and KPIs for Finance across the EMEA, Americas, and Asia & Tokyo.

Key Responsibilities

• To provide functional accounting technology subject matter expertise supporting the gathering of requirements for major change initiatives as well problem solving to resolve BAU issues.
• Deliver a reliable, robust, sustainable and efficient accounting technology operating model by leveraging best practices from both Bank and Securities teams.
• Facilitate the validation of new products which require accounting for support and sign-off.
• Promote a dynamic and innovative culture that works responsive to business demands for change within the capacity of BAU.
• To support the Delivery of Business sponsored project programmes.
• Responsibilities include liaising with project team members at all levels, contributing towards funding submissions, managing & understanding scope, validating target architectures proposal, actively participating in working groups, approving and supervising the transition into production.
• Partner with colleagues across the business including Finance, business planning teams, PMO office, QA and testing, business analysis teams, senior management etc.
• To provide proactive Technology support during time critical periods for Financial & regulatory reporting.
• To maintain appropriate service standards, SLAs, KPIs and targets, ensuring they are reflective of the evolving business needs and expectations.
• To maintain system performance and stability through housekeeping & maintenance initiatives.
• To manage annual Disaster Recovery and fire-drill scenarios for affected systems.
• To ensure confidential and sensitive data is controlled and managed in accordance with internal and external policies.
• To manage vendor relationships to drive strategic values e.g. service quality, agility and cost align with the wider EMEA IT strategic objectives.

Governance

• To ensure technology adheres to EMEA IT Risk and Control; all regulatory requirements are fully complied with, including SOX.
• Highlight major issues or risks to senior management in an appropriate timescale.
• Ensure data is secure with only appropriate personnel provided access and information sharing complies with Information Security policies.
• Develop systems in line with the Medium Term Business plan.

Culture and Leadership

• Provide guidance and leadership to accounting technology team members, nurturing talent and providing opportunities for career development.
• Promote MUFG values-led culture which is inclusive and diverse.
• Build strong partnerships with internal and external stakeholders influence change and promote technical credibility and provide world class technology services.

Work Experience

• Must have a good understanding of technology used in Finance and experience working with key financial functions such as management of a General Ledger, Financial reporting, revenue and expense management, reconciliation and controls.
• Have worked for a large global organisation with multiple entities, multiple currencies, multiple reporting calendars, preferably in a support function.
• Proven track record of successful delivery of projects using both on-premise & cloud based technologies.
• Possess vertical within the financial services sector and have a broad understanding of the wider finance industry and economy.
• A robust understanding of Finance’s accounting reporting requirements including month end reporting on trial balance, tax filings, balance sheet disclosures plus year-end P&L management.
• Detailed understanding of reporting and data warehouses including industry standard practices around Business Intelligence solutions for Finance.
• Experience in managing teams, developing & nurturing talent.
• Strong track record of building effective partnerships with peers.
• Proven experience of managing a 24/7 production environment.

Skills And Experience

Functional / Technical Competencies:

Essential

• Understanding of key accounting functions and how modern Technology platforms service those functions, particularly cloud based software and solutions.
• Expert understanding of accounting concepts and principles such as double entry accounting, trial balance, financial statements, month-end reporting, adjustments and reversals.
• Excellent understanding of a General Ledger and how it is used across a large complex enterprise.
• Knowledge of core financial sub ledgers such as invoice and payments, workflow approval rules, payment formats and bank integration.
• Knowledge of Asset Management and Project Costing.
• Knowledge of accounting for revenue including accounting engines and Subledger accounting rules.
• Experience of platforms: Oracle Fusion Financial / Oracle e-Business suite, MS SQL Server and SSRS.
• Understanding of technical programming languages and software Database languages such as SQL & PL/SQL.
• Understanding of XML messages using a Messaging Bus.
• Understanding of the operating system, Windows and Linux.
• Expert understanding of Project Life cycle methodologies.

Preferred

• Good understanding of financial products such as loans, deposits, corporate lending, project lending and capital markets products.
• Practical understanding of digital transformation strategies including leveraging cloud technologies.

MUFG operate a hybrid working policy with 3 days in the office per week. We are open to considering flexible working requests in line with organisational requirements. MUFG is committed to embracing diversity and building an inclusive culture where all employees are valued, respected and their opinions count.