Financial Controller, UK & RoI in Bristol

At IVC Evidensia, we are a leading veterinary services provider in Europe and North America with more than 2,500 clinics and hospitals across 19 countries and around 41,000 employees. We aim to have an extraordinary impact on animal lives, supporting in the region of 25,000 animals every single day across our international network. IVC Evidensia exists to champion the long‑term health and welfare of animals and deliver our purpose of Healthy Animals, Happy Owners.

As Financial Controller for the UK and ROI, you report to the UK&I Finance Director and have responsibility for all areas of financial accounting for the region. The UK&I are serviced by an extensive Shared Services team by Genpact in India as well as several group finance functions (tax, treasury, M&A, Working Capital etc). This role is a real hands‑on role where you manage all aspects of financial controllership of the region; owning our working capital plans, developing new cash forecasting tools, being the key contact and escalation point for audit and stats, driving Balance Sheet improvement programs with the Genpact team, and in co‑operation with other team members managing the Genpact service delivery.

You work with operations when projects span into the operational area as in fixed assets or lease accounting and you work with our internal controls team regarding financial policies and compliance. The delivery in this role is both through personal drive and delivery as delivering through others. The candidate is a strong communicator with clarity of thought and conviction with demonstrated ability to drive continuous improvement and change. Strong leadership, deep finance technical skill as well as analytical skills are crucial for success in this role. As our company moves with very high pace, and so does the finance function. The financial controller is both a doer and a creator, rolling sleeves up every day to drive continuous improvement, helping to solve our lack of standardisation and simplify our complexity.

Key Accountabilities/Responsibilities:

• Understand the working capital drivers across the business and driving improvements.
• Own the balance sheet in the month end process and beyond.
• Monitor key balance sheet movements and drive ongoing improvement programs to reduce unreconciled items with Genpact.
• Review Balance sheet reconciliations done by Genpact to ensure correct and tidy and at standard we expect.
• Feedback and work with Genpact and internal controls team as well as SCC leadership team to drive continuous improvements needed.
• Take a hands‑on approach to resolving issues where no established process exists, using initiative and critical thinking.
• Develop clear, detailed instructions and provide training to Genpact on new processes, ensuring ongoing compliance.
• Act as the primary point of contact for Genpact, assisting with ongoing issues and managing the resolution process.
• Serve as the escalation point for complex queries and ensure timely, effective solutions.
• Gain an in‑depth understanding of Oracle ERP processes to identify and communicate balance sheet‑related issues effectively.
• Review balance sheet commentary and submit to Group Reporting.
• Act as the main contact for related queries.
• Perform analytical reviews during month‑end to identify material errors and coordinate corrections with Genpact.
• Prepare and deliver monthly working capital reports to the CFO, providing clear explanations for variances and movements.
• Review UK&I entity year‑end ETBs and financial statements in collaboration with professional advisors, ensuring compliance with relevant accounting standards.
• Preparation of the Director’s report.
• Responsible for the local finance Internal and External Audit requirement alongside shared services and group finance.
• Manage contractors to ensure projects are delivered effectively, on time, and within scope.
• Act as the escalation point for clinic‑related queries, ensuring timely and accurate resolution.
• Work with group lease accounting team, BDO and closely with operations in the lease improvement project.
• Work with group finance, shared services and link closely to operations in the development of our fixed assets reset initiative.
• In close collaboration with the rest of the local finance team, accountable for quality of accounting entered by Shared Service Centre.
• Collaborating with outsourced partners, you will ensure we maintain accuracy and integrity in financial data.
• Drive policy and control compliance.
• Implementing and maintaining financial controls and ensuring adherence to regulatory requirements.
• Support M&A accounting activity through integration process.

As part of this role, you will work closely with our Insights team, FP&A and Business Partner teams, central finance, group finance, shared services team & Genpact and our operations team. Effective communication with various stakeholders is an integral aspect of this role as it operates in a complex finance matrix of local, group and SCC teams, a large number of Veterinary Practices and several Subsidiaries across UK and Ireland.

Experience/Qualifications:

• Experience as financial controller, or assistant Financial Controller, in a company with very fast moving pace, with responsible for financial reporting and consolidation within a complex multi‑site P&L organisation.
• Excellent technical finance skills with strong knowledge and understanding of both UK GAAP and IFRS.
• Able to understand the impact of technical accounting changes on the business, and to proactively manage any risks.
• Strong experience of finance processes design and development, systems, reporting and controls.
• Comfortable working in a global, matrixed business, delivering through others.
• Experience of managing diverse stakeholders as well as diverse external partners including influencing finance shared services partners and central group finance teams.
• Experience of working in a multi‑jurisdictional and multi‑currency environment.
• Degree educated, with a recognised Finance qualification e.g., ACA, ACCA, CIMA and strong technical accounting skills.
• Strong communicator with ability to bring teams and functions together to achieve common goals and understanding of why change is needed.
• Comfortable managing in a matrix organisation delivering largely through other people.
• A person ready to roll up their sleeves and get stuck in, solving problems, finding answers and creating solutions.
• Ability to adapt and thrive in a constantly changing environment with very high pace and processes still maturing.
• An innovator with a strong orientation towards transformational leadership and change, not settling for status quo.
• A team‑player with high expectations and drive, able to collaborate but also challenge appropriately.
• Comfortable dealing with ambiguity, with the resilience to ensure the right things are focused on.

What We Offer:

• Work‑life balance
• 26 days annual leave
• Cycle to Work scheme
• Initiatives focused on employee wellbeing
• Pension
• Discretionary Bonus
• Discounted staff pet care
• Dog Friendly office
• Free Parking available at Head Office

At IVC Evidensia, we are committed to Diversity, Equality, Inclusion and Belonging, and we are keen to hear from candidates from all minority and diverse groups. As a Disability Confident Employer, we are keen to hear from candidates with disabilities and long‑term health conditions and would be happy to discuss any reasonable adjustments needed during the recruitment process.