Senior Finance Manager

Job Description

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an ambitious finance professional with a background in technical accounting, looking to progress their experience within a FTSE listed construction business with a track record of delivering high‑profile infrastructure projects.

This is a critical role within the developing technical accounting function that involves thought leadership on key accounting and financial control projects and coordination of the external audit process.

The role will lead the consolidation and disclosure of the group and subsidiary results, deputising for the Head of Technical Accounting and Consolidation and providing day‑to‑day technical accounting support to the business.

The role will work closely with stakeholders from the SSC, FP&A, Tax, Treasury, Divisional finance, Investor Relations, Cosec and Legal teams. The role includes exposure to senior management of the group, providing an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your ability for further advancement.

Responsibilities

• Responsible for the external financial reporting of the group and an efficient and effective external audit.
• Drive improvement to the consolidation and technical accounting processes to provide accurate consolidated financial information to the business, enabling a regular snapshot of total performance.
• Coordinate, coach and develop the technical accounting and consolidation team.
• Prepare and review the legal entity consolidation pack for the main trading entity with support from the relevant accountant in the shared service centre (SSC), including ETB adjustments, on a quarterly basis, performing and understanding trend analysis on period movements.
• Review all other legal entity consolidation packs, including ETB adjustments, on a quarterly basis, understanding trend analysis on period movements.
• Review legal entity financial statements, ensuring they are accurate and compliant with the relevant technical standards and the Companies Act.
• Perform the quarterly consolidation and support the consolidation accountant.
• Critically review the consolidation output including management accounts to consolidation reconciliations.
• Work with FP&A to produce segmental reporting on a quarterly basis.
• Critically review all financial disclosures for the group annual report and accounts and the RNS press release on a bi‑annual basis, ensuring they are accurate and compliant with the relevant technical standards and the Companies Act.
• Support the production of the accurate and timely external statutory reporting for the group and related Board papers.
• Review technical accounting calculations and disclosure notes for IFRS 16 leases, IFRS 9 expected credit loss model, IFRS 7 financial instruments, IFRS 2 share‑based payments, IAS 33 earnings per share and IAS 24 related parties.
• Produce the goodwill impairment and going concern models for the group and related accounting papers.
• Coordinate the external audit day‑to‑day and liaise regularly with the auditors.
• Deliver high‑quality audit deliverables for technical accounting calculations and judgements.
• Write high‑quality technical accounting papers to support key accounting applications and judgements.
• Maintain, update and promote (e.g. through training) the Costain manual of accounting.
• Support the business with technical accounting queries, reviewing papers and proposals where necessary.
• Drive standard processes through principles of simplification, standardisation and, working with the wider team, automation where appropriate.
• Monitor and report the effectiveness of key financial controls.
• Lead other ad‑hoc finance projects for the benefit of the business.

Qualifications

• ACA or ACCA Qualified Accountant with at least 5 years’ relevant post‑qualification experience.
• Experience in a senior technical accounting position at a large corporate or in audit practice.
• Experience with IFRS 15 long‑term contract accounting (construction industry desirable).
• Experience in making technical accounting judgements and writing supporting accounting papers.
• Leading projects and investigating unusual or complex transactions ensuring appropriate accounting treatment.
• Advanced level understanding and application of IFRS accounting standards with a deep understanding of consolidation.
• Strong analytical skills with diligence and an ethical approach to data, respecting the confidential nature of information and associated decision making.
• Strong project management experience with the ability to manage multiple work streams and prioritise accordingly.
• Excellent communication skills, confident to consult with senior stakeholders.
• Ability to think strategically, challenge current processes and introduce improvements.
• Demonstrable ability to form effective working relationships with multiple stakeholders.
• Self‑motivated and self‑starter, able to build positive relationships.
• Gravitas to influence, challenge and support in a matrix environment.
• Strong commercial awareness, vigilant attention to the changing business environment and emerging opportunities and risks.
• Set and achieve high standards for themselves and others, taking personal accountability for results and monitoring performance against pre‑set objectives and performance standards.
• Identifies, anticipates, and navigates problems and obstacles to performance in an orderly and calm manner.
• Responds creatively to personal and team challenges.
• Communicates openly and honestly, listens to differing views and seeks a common understanding and agreement to proposed actions.

About Us

Costain helps to improve people’s lives with integrated, leading‑edge, smart infrastructure solutions across the UK’s energy, water, transportation and defence markets. We help our clients improve their business performance by increasing capacity, improving customer service, safeguarding security, enhancing resilience, decarbonising and delivering increased efficiency. Our vision is to be the UK’s leading smart infrastructure solutions company. We will achieve this by focusing on blue‑chip clients whose major spending plans are underpinned by strategic national needs, regulatory commitments, legislation or essential performance requirements. We offer our clients leading‑edge solutions that are digitally optimised through the following five services which cover the whole lifecycle of their assets: future‑shaping strategic consultancy; consultancy and advisory; digital technology solutions; asset optimisation and complex programme delivery. Our culture and values underpin everything we do.

Seniority level

Mid‑Senior level

Employment type

Full‑time

Job function

Finance and Sales

Industries

Civil Engineering