Controlling Finance Manager in Wantage

About this opportunity:

This is an exciting time to join our European Shared Service Centre (SSC) in Wantage as we evolve from a first‑generation finance operation into a mature, standardised and value‑driven service. As Controlling Finance Manager, you will lead the transformation of our Record to Report (R2R) function—shifting from a fragmented, transactional model to a unified, high‑quality controlling and reporting service that supports our European entities and manufacturing plants. You will be responsible for the accuracy and integrity of financial reporting, establishing best‑practice processes in a SOX‑controlled environment, and acting as a key link between the SSC, local finance teams and Group functions. This role offers the opportunity to elevate our controlling capability, drive automation and continuous improvement across SAP S/4HANA and OneStream and build a truly standardised service that anticipates and meets business needs.

Key responsibilities and accountabilities:

• Leadership and people management
  • Provide strategic leadership to the R2R organisation, setting clear direction, expectations and accountability aligned to Group reporting requirements and European Shared Service objectives.
  • Build, coach and develop a high-performing R2R and controlling team, ensuring structured performance management, talent development and succession planning, transitioning roles from basic accounting execution to true financial control, analysis and stewardship.
  • Drive a move from a combination of general ledger team and traditional controlling teams towards a combined, standardised portfolio of work that reflects the needs of operating finance teams and anticipates the output of the SSC team through an operations lens.
  • Establish a strong performance culture with clear objectives, KPIs, service levels and escalation paths covering close, reporting quality, compliance and stakeholder satisfaction.
  • Lead the function through change, embedding new ways of working, standard roles, documented processes and a service-oriented mindset.
  • Act as the senior escalation point for complex accounting, reporting and control issues, ensuring timely resolution and prevention of recurrence.
• Financial close, reporting and controlling
  • Own and deliver the end-to-end month-end, quarter-end and year-end close process across EMEA entities, ensuring accuracy, timeliness and predictability.
  • Coordination of forecast preparation, analysis, preparation of monthly reporting/analysis pack and working with operations and finance management to drive the periodic re-forecasting process.
  • Ensure the production of high-quality management accounts and financial analysis that support operational and commercial decision-making.
  • Transition the controlling community from transactional processing to value-adding analysis, insight and performance commentary.
  • Ensure balance sheet integrity through robust reconciliations, reviews and governance, driving a “clean balance sheet” mindset.
  • Establish clear ownership of journals, accruals, provisions and estimates, supported by consistent documentation and review standards.
• Statutory accounts, tax and external reporting
  • Lead the preparation and coordination of statutory financial statements for in-scope UK and European entities in compliance with local GAAP and Group requirements.
  • Act as the primary SSC contact for external auditors, managing audit planning, execution, issue resolution and remediation.
  • Support Group Tax and local tax advisors in the preparation and submission of tax returns, statutory filings and regulatory reporting.
  • Ensure alignment between management reporting, statutory reporting and tax data, reducing rework and reconciliation effort.
• Controls, compliance and governance
  • Ensure full compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley requirements, internal control frameworks and Group accounting policies across all R2R activities.
  • Own R2R-related controls, including documentation, testing support, remediation and continuous strengthening of the control environment.
  • Drive audit readiness as a continuous state rather than a periodic activity.
  • Establish and enforce clear governance over accounting judgements, estimates and policy interpretations across multiple reporting lines.
• Process excellence and continuous improvement
  • Design, document and implement standardised end-to-end R2R processes across EMEA, replacing local variation with clear global standards.
  • Lead continuous improvement initiatives to reduce close cycle time, improve first time-right reporting and enhance transparency.
  • Champion the use of technology, automation and data to drive efficiency, quality and scalability in reporting processes.
  • Identify and deliver tangible benefits from system optimisation, automation and process simplification.
  • Develop and maintain KPI dashboards covering close performance, quality, compliance and service delivery.
• Systems, data and transformation
  • Act as the R2R business owner for SAP S/4HANA, OneStream and related reporting and consolidation tools.
  • Drive improved use of systems to reduce manual processing, increase automation and improve data quality.
  • Partner with IT, Finance Transformation and Group Finance on system enhancements and reporting roadmap initiatives.
  • Ensure master data, chart of accounts and reporting structures support efficient, consistent reporting across the region.
• Stakeholder management and business partnering
  • Build strong, credible relationships with local finance teams, plant leadership, Group Finance, Tax and Treasury.
  • Influence senior stakeholders across a complex matrix organisation, balancing local requirements with Group standards.
  • Translate complex accounting and reporting topics into clear, practical actions for operational and finance teams.
  • Act as an advocate for the Shared Service Centre, reinforcing its role as a value-adding partner rather than a transaction factory.

Essential qualifications:

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)

Desirable qualifications:

• Degree level qualifications in Finance, Accounting or Business Administration

Essential skills and experience:

• Significant senior experience leading Record to Report / Financial Reporting in a large, complex organisation.
• Experience working in a complex, multi-entity, multi-currency listed corporate environment.
• Proven experience within a Shared Service Centre or similar centralised finance model.
• Strong background in management accounting, statutory reporting and balance sheet governance.
• Experience operating across multiple legal entities, countries and reporting lines.
• Deep understanding of best-practice R2R and controlling models.
• Strong knowledge of SAP S/4HANA, OneStream or similar ERP and consolidation platforms.
• Ability to draw clear conclusions from complex commercial and accounting issues and translate them into actionable plans and solutions that anticipate operational needs.
• Excellent influencing skills across peer groups and senior leadership.
• Strong problem-solving and issue-resolution capability.
• Proven ability to deliver measurable performance and quality improvements.
• Fluent English.

Desirable skills and experience:

• A career arc that shows experience in a controller role supporting operations and a transition into a larger, multi-site, multi-currency controller role.
• Prior exposure to commercial finance – factoring, supply chain financing, lease finance.
• Experience supporting manufacturing operations and tolling models.
• Experience working in a US-listed, SOX-controlled environment.
• Exposure to European statutory and tax environments.
• Experience implementing automation, workflow or reporting enhancements.
• Exposure to finance transformation programmes.
• Additional European language.

Essential personal attributes:

• Energetic, resilient and credible leader with a strong delivery mindset.
• Comfortable operating in environments with legacy practices and driving cultural change.
• Detail-focused while able to maintain a strategic, end-to-end perspective.
• Strong coaching orientation, with a track record of developing finance talent.
• Service-oriented, with a clear commitment to quality, transparency and accountability.

Desirable personal attributes:

• Ambition to progress within a growing European Shared Service and Group Finance environment.