Costings Team Leader in Colchester

We're looking for a proactive and commercially minded Costings Team Leader to join our UK Group Finance Department, supporting the financial operations of the Penguin Random House Group. As part of our Record to Report (R2R) function, you'll play a key role in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of our costing processes, providing the financial insight that underpins informed business decisions across our publishing divisions. This is an excellent opportunity to join a collaborative finance team where your expertise will directly contribute to the success of the business.

Role Summary

Reporting to the Deputy Costing Manager, and managing 3 direct reports, you'll take ownership of the end-to-end costing process for a number of commercial publishing divisions, ensuring accurate product costing and identifying any exceptions or unusual costing activity. Working closely with colleagues across Finance and a range of internal and external stakeholders, you'll help maintain the integrity of our costing approach while supporting month-end activities and continuous process improvement. This role is ideally suited to a confident finance professional who enjoys working collaboratively, building strong stakeholder relationships, and delivering high-quality financial information in a fast-paced environment.

Key responsibilities:

• Plan and monitor workflow in department ensuring that targets are met
• Ensure completeness of interface relationships between core finance system (SAP) and other company applications; Biblio, Blue Yonder, Data Warehouse.
• Manage the timely and efficient production of specified Balance Sheet reconciliations in accordance with Group accounting policies
• Work with key stakeholders within the Penguin Random House Group of companies management/financial accounts process to ensure strong controls, compliance and governance
• Ensure continuous improvement (CI) of the Penguin Random House Group of companies Costings processes through identifying common trends in issues and queries, reviewing target performance levels and looking at best practice
• Assist with the testing and full implementation of the SAP S4 Hana Integration project
• Liaise with Technology Business Systems and SAP consultants, logging and helping solve SAP Costing problems
• Review work in progress ledger for specific imprints, prepare variance schedules, attend meetings at the London office if necessary, to agree and finalise write offs with the production department and the Finance Director
• Run WIP Settlement Process each month and ensure all postings are correct in accounts
• Effective review, control and management of Penguin Random House Group of companies WIP accounts, and associated KPI reporting
• Assist and develop the Penguin Random House Group Costing Team
• Using your knowledge of the Costing functions, support in the wider PRH systems development initiatives.
• Manage the year end, half year and interim audit process related to Costing queries

What you’ll bring

Essential criteria:

• AAT Qualified or Equivalent
• Experience of staff management
• Experience of balance sheet reconciliations
• Advanced IT and systems skills e.g. Excel
• High attention to detail
• Good time management
• Excellent Communication skills

Preferred criteria:

• Experience of SAP

Application instructions

Please apply with your CV and cover letter (both in pdf format) outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Sunday 13th September. The cover letter should be uploaded as an additional document.

Please ensure you include a cover letter (in pdf format), as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.

Salary

£30,000 - £35,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

Hybrid working

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect that you will work from our office in Frating, Essex, no more than 2 days per week.