Financial Controller

The Competition and Markets Authority (CMA) is seeking a Financial Controller to provide senior technical leadership for Financial Accounts at the CMA, ensuring robust statutory reporting, compliance with accounting standards, and effective financial controls.

About the CMA: We help people, businesses, and the UK economy by promoting competitive markets and tackling unfair behaviour. Our work is wide ranging, ambitious and often new and challenging. It’s a fascinating time to be at the heart of competition and consumer protection as our lives become increasingly digital and society grapples with the unique power of large technology firms. We are fully committed to being a flexible, respectful and inclusive employer. It is a priority to make our workforce as diverse as possible, and we welcome applications from under-represented groups.

What you will do:

• This role owns delivery of the Resource Accounts & Trust Statement, manages the relationship with the National Audit Office (NAO) on financial audit, and provides authoritative assurance to the Audit and Risk Assurance Committee (ARAC) and the Board on complex accounting matters including digital markets competition regime levy (SMS Levy), International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) 16, asset revaluations and Task Force on Climate-related Financial Disclosures (TCFD) disclosures.
• Working collaboratively with the Assistant Finance Director (Strategic Finance) and other Grade 6 leaders, the Financial Controller ensures that financial accounting is integrated with business reporting, risk management and performance frameworks to support evidence-based decision making.
• The role contributes to embedding financial accountability across the CMA, supporting the business partnering approach by ensuring robust financial controls and statutory reporting underpin the finance function's strategic advisory role.
• By leading Business Process and Systems Improvement (BPSI) workstreams for financial systems improvements and ensuring the quality of the Financial Accounts team, this role strengthens financial governance and enables the Director of Finance, Risk and Business Reporting to focus on strategic priorities.

What you will need:

• You will have experience at a senior level in a complex finance environment, managing financial controls and providing assurance to audit committees and accounting officers, with proven experience of leading and developing qualified finance professionals, and managing relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• You will have deep technical accounting knowledge including IFRS standards, FReM, CBG and MPM, with forward planning skills and resilience to deliver high quality, compliant statutory accounts to tight timetables in challenging situations.
• The role requires experience of leading system improvements, embedding functional standards and driving continuous improvement to strengthen financial governance, including experience using finance ERP systems.

What we can offer you:

In return the CMA is a hugely diverse, rewarding and stimulating place to work – an opportunity to work for the public good and to stretch and develop yourself in doing so. We offer generous benefits, including an excellent pension scheme, at least 25 days leave (increasing to 30 over five years), and generous maternity/paternity leave provision. You can also take advantage of interest‑free season ticket loans, a cycle to work scheme, our employee assistance programme and flexible working options.