Head of Accounting Shared Services in Livingston

About Aberdeen

Aberdeen plc is one of Europe’s largest investment companies, built on a long-standing culture of caring about the future and making a positive impact. Together we invest for a better future to make a difference to the lives of our clients and customers, our employees, society, and our shareholders. Our business is structured around three distinct areas focused on our clients' changing needs: Aberdeen Investments, Aberdeen Adviser, and interactive investor.

About the Department

Finance Operations is a core part of Aberdeen’s Finance function, delivering services across Record to Report, Billing, Banking, Accounts Payable and Supplier Relationship Management. Within Group Financial Control, the Record to Report team manages General Ledger operations, balance sheet control, reconciliations and the delivery of month-end, quarter-end and year-end close activities across the Group. The team operates within a shared services environment, ensuring robust controls, accurate reporting and high-quality financial outcomes.

About the Role

This is a senior Finance Operations leadership opportunity within the Record-to-Report (R2R) function, responsible for leading the organisation's General Ledger operations and financial control environment. You will be accountable for the delivery of core finance processes including ledger integrity, reconciliations, balance sheet substantiation, controls governance and period-end close activities. You will lead a shared services operating model focused on operational excellence, control effectiveness, service delivery and continuous improvement.

The role is suited to finance operations, shared services, R2R, controllership and finance service delivery leaders with experience managing large operational teams and driving high-volume finance processes. This role centres on the effective running of finance operations, ownership of key control frameworks and ensuring the integrity of financial data and processes across the business.

Leading a team of General Ledger Leads and Analysts, you will establish performance standards, strengthen governance processes and develop a culture of accountability, customer service and operational excellence. You will also play a key role in future operating model development, leveraging automation, AI and process transformation initiatives to improve efficiency, scalability and control across the finance function.

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the Record to Report function across Finance Operations, ensuring the consistent delivery of month-end, quarter-end and year-end close activities.
• Oversee General Ledger operations, ensuring the accuracy, completeness and integrity of financial data across the Group.
• Own reconciliations and Balance Sheet Substantiation processes, ensuring all balances, journals and outputs are fully supported and audit ready.
• Maintain and strengthen the operational control environment through governance, risk management and financial controls.
• Lead and develop GL Leads and the wider R2R organisation across onshore and offshore delivery teams.
• Drive process standardisation, continuous improvement, automation and AI-enabled efficiencies.

About the Candidate

Essential requirements:

• Fully qualified accountant, such as CA, ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent.
• Significant experience leading a large-scale Record to Report or Finance Operations function within a complex global organisation.
• Strong leadership experience within a shared service centre and/or outsourced delivery environment, including offshore teams.
• Deep expertise in General Ledger operations, reconciliations, balance sheet substantiation, financial controls and period-end close management.
• Proven ability to establish and maintain robust operational control environments while delivering accurate and timely financial reporting.
• Experience operating as the senior escalation point for R2R, control and financial risk matters, ideally using Oracle or a comparable ERP platform.

Preferred experience:

• Experience leading finance process standardisation, operating model transformation, automation and AI initiatives that improve efficiency, control and service delivery within Record to Report.