Group Internal Controls & Governance Manager in Manchester

If you are ambitious, self-motivated, hardworking and a team player and interested in growing your career with an International FMCG business, please read through our job opportunity.

Key Responsibilities

1. Internal Controls Management

• Develop, maintain, and continuously improve the organization’s internal controls framework for key financial and operational processes.
• Manage and update Risk and Control Matrices (RACMs) to reflect process, system, and business changes and identify any process / control deviations etc.
• Identify, document and deploy any localised RACMs to specific jurisdictions (only where needed).
• Create and manage a centralised controls repository – including RACMs, Process flows, Testing scripts, test results, SOPs, etc.
• Coordinate with the SAP S/4HANA programme team to ensure a successful implementation of the newly developed internal control framework, alongside each wave of the system roll-out.
• Identify control gaps arising from different sources – eg management, Internal Audit, etc (eg for any observed process/ control deviations) and coordinate remediation with relevant stakeholders, ensuring the risks related to control gaps are adequately and proportionately addressed by the next relevant reporting date
• Provide guidance and training to process owners and control performers on control requirements and documentation standards.

2. Governance of Policies & Processes

• Establish, maintain, and enforce governance over finance and related key Group functional/business processes, including standardized documentation (policies, procedures, work instructions).
• Facilitate process and control ownership and accountability across business units by communicating and monitoring control owner / operator responsibilities and expectations.
• Ensure alignment of process governance with expected internal control, corporate risk management, audit, and compliance standards.
• Monitor segregation of duties across the organizational process structure and approve any new system access requests.
• Monitor and report on relevant KPIs for process efficiency, compliance, and risk mitigation.
• Controls assurance reporting to management (FLT, ExCo, etc) and Audit & Risk Committee, as required.

3. Post-Implementation S/4HANA Finance Support

• Act as a permanent “Business Process Owner” representative for finance-related processes post-implementation. Manage change communication with control operators / owners
• Act as 1st stage gatekeeper and an effective filter for finance related system / process change requests. Coordinate with GIS and process owners to assess and resolve system/process issues and qualify / manage change requests.
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives leveraging S/4HANA functionality, analytics, and automation capabilities, to drive future improvements in process/control effectiveness and efficiency.

4. Stakeholder Engagement & Collaboration

• Work closely with Finance, GIS/IT, Divisional teams and Central functions – as well as with external audit and Internal Audit to ensure a coordinated approach to controls and governance.
• Provide subject matter expertise for relevant finance/internal control-related queries, audits, and reviews on an ongoing basis.
• Serve as a trusted advisor to process owners, guiding them through governance, controls, and system utilization best practices.

5. Monitoring control effectiveness

• Develop risk-based testing approach and design internal control sampling methodology aligned with external auditor expectations and management’s own risk appetite. Could include self-assessment (if considered appropriate) for a selection of controls.

• Monitor the effectiveness of controls through testing, reviews, and exception reporting.
• Oversee controls assurance programme/process (as approved by management and discussed with external auditors) to ensure controls are operating effectively on an agreed cyclical basis - via an annual governance calendar for reviews, attestations (e.g self-assessments) and audits.

Required Skills & Experience

Education & Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, or related field.
• Professional certification preferred (e.g., CPA, ACCA, CIA, CISA, or similar).

Experience:

• Extensive experience in internal controls, finance governance, audit, or process management.
• Experience with SAP S/4HANA preferred (preferably post-implementation environment).
• Familiarity with RACM management and internal controls frameworks (COSO or equivalent).
• Experience in process documentation and governance frameworks.
• Proven ability to bridge finance, IT, and operational stakeholders.

Skills:

• Strong understanding of end-to-end finance processes (P2P, O2C, R2R, IM, etc.).
• Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and process improvement skills.
• Strong project management and organizational skills.
• Exceptional communication and stakeholder management abilities.
• Ability to work autonomously while managing multiple priorities.

Key Success Measures

• RACMs are up to date, complete, and aligned with current processes and risks.
• Governance forums and process reviews occur on schedule with actionable outputs.
• Post-S4HANA processes are stable, efficient, and well-documented.
• Reduction in control deficiencies and audit findings.
• High stakeholder satisfaction with process governance and support.

Privacy Statement: We will use the personal information that you have submitted to us in order to consider your application for the relevant role. Your privacy is important to us. Please check our Job Applicant Privacy Notice on our career opportunities page which explains the purposes for which we will use your personal information and the ways in which we will handle and retain your information. It also explains the rights you have in relation to your information, and how to contact us with any queries or requests.