Senior Manager Financial Accounting in London

Save the Children International has an exciting opportunity for a Senior Manager Financial Accounting to join our global team.

Team and Role Purpose

To ensure SCI's financial accounting policies, processes, and procedures adhere to UK accounting standards, fostering transparency and accuracy in all financial matters. Our team leads and delivers successful statutory audits and develops action plans to address any findings, ensuring compliance and continuous improvement. We prepare financial statements and reports that meet regulatory requirements, provide accurate balance sheet reporting, and expert advice on financial accounting issues to support the organisation's overall financial health and strategic objectives. To ensure tax compliance across all workstreams by providing specialist advice on direct and indirect taxes, maintaining robust tax governance and controls, ensuring timely and accurate tax reporting and filings, managing relationships with tax authorities and external advisers, identifying and mitigating tax risks, and supporting the organisation to optimise its tax position while remaining fully compliant with relevant legislation across all jurisdictions.

Role purpose

To lead our financial accounting and statutory audit processes to ensure compliance with statutory financial reporting requirements and accounting standards, while maintaining the integrity and accuracy of financial data. As the Senior Manager Financial Accounting, you will play a critical role in supporting the organisation's mission to deliver high-quality and transparent financial information, aligning with our values of accountability and integrity. Your work will directly contribute to the financial sustainability and operational efficiency of Save the Children, enabling us to maximise our impact for children.

With the support from our external tax advisors and support from the Global Financial Controller, the role holder will also have responsibility for managing, advising on and monitoring tax matters across the organisation, reporting to senior leadership where required.

Principal Accountabilities

• Lead on SCI/SCA global financial accounting policies and processes to meet accounting standards in the UK (for SCI), in Switzerland (for SCA) and other relevant standards in countries where SCI operates or has employees based.
• Provide expertise and support country and global teams to embed best practice on financial accounting matters.
• Support development of professional financial accounting skills across global and country finance teams; ensuring documentation of policies, procedures, guidance in Quality Framework and appropriate training available.
• Lead on quarterly balance sheet reviews to assess accuracy of financial accounting data and develop action plan to address any weaknesses.
• Support data governance processes.
• Lead on preparation and review of SCI, SCA and Trading annual statutory Trustees report and financial statements to ensure completeness and accuracy and they meet UK charity and company law reporting requirements (including Charity Commission Return).
• Lead on SCA/SCI Going Concern assessments.
• Support on reporting to Board, Finance Committee, Audit & Risk Committee and Members Meeting to gain approval of SCA, SCI, Trading reporting and accounts.
• Lead on planning, preparation and delivery of SCI and SCA annual statutory audits.
• Support with KPMG’s audit strategy and manage day to day relationship with KPMG to deliver efficient and effective audit.
• Lead on preparation of action plan to address and reduce audit findings, monitor and report on progress against plan.

Financial accounting

• Support statutory audits & reporting in country where SCI operates to meet local laws and accounting regulations.
• Monitor & review quality of deliverables with regards to VAT submissions to HMRC including VAT recoverability information produced by Financial Accounting Team resources.
• Respond to tax queries relating to compliance, cost inclusion and donor recovery in internal and external budgets and forecasts.
• Monitor & review quality of deliverables with regards to other routine returns to regulatory and/or government bodies such as corporation tax returns and ONS submissions, amongst others.
• Assist the global finance controller in other tax responsibility areas where required.
• Lead the Financial Accounting team.
• Advise TDIT projects to ensure financial accounting matters are fully considered and implemented effectively to achieve project deliverables and benefits.

Experience and Skills

Essential

• Extensive knowledge of UK GAAP and substantial experience in financial accounting, demonstrating proficiency in applying complex accounting standards and principles.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with an ability to evaluate complex accounting issues.
• Understanding of key tax computations e.g. VAT, corporation tax.
• Strong process management skills, with a track record of designing and implementing efficient financial accounting processes.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, capable of conveying complex information clearly and effectively to non-finance staff.
• Leadership skills, capable of guiding and inspiring a team towards achieving objectives and best practices.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office suite, particularly Excel and in other financial software.
• Experience in leading the preparation and review of statutory financial statements and reports, ensuring compliance with relevant legal and regulatory requirements.
• Proficient experience in leading and managing external audits.
• Considerable experience in conducting financial data analysis and balance sheet reviews to assess data accuracy and integrity.
• Experience in advising and supporting multidisciplinary teams to embed financial best practices and enhance professional accounting skills.

Desirable

• Knowledge of other global financial accounting standards, in particular Swiss GAAP.
• Experience in operating within the charity or non-profit sector, with an understanding of charity accounting and financial regulations.

Education and Qualifications

Essential

• ACA from ICAEW (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales).

Working at Save the Children International

Save the Children is the world's leading organisation for children, employing ~25,000 staff. We save children's lives. We fight for their rights. We help them fulfil their potential. Through our work in 116 countries, we put the most deprived and marginalised children first. We know that great people make a great organisation, and that our employees play a crucial role in helping us achieve our ambitions for children. We value our people and offer a meaningful and rewarding career, along with a collaborative and inclusive environment where ambition, creativity, and integrity are highly valued. The work here is challenging but is also immensely rewarding. At Save the Children, you will be in good company, working with talented, like-minded individuals who are determined to ensure that all children survive, learn, and are protected. Your contribution will help ensure children's voices are heard at the highest levels, and that we achieve our global strategy, Ambition for Children 2030, and reach every last child.

Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Equal Opportunities

DEI is core to our vision, values and global strategy. Save the Children is committed to creating a truly diverse, equitable and inclusive organisation, and one which will support us in our vision to ensure every child attains the right to survival, protection, development, and participation. We are committed to equal employment opportunities, regardless of gender, sexual orientation, race, colour, ethnic origin, nationality, disability, marital or civil partnership status, gender reassignment, pregnancy and maternity, caring or parental responsibilities, age, or beliefs and religion. We are committed to diversifying our staff to better represent the communities we serve and actively welcome underrepresented groups to apply. Reasonable adjustments will be made should any candidate invited to interview require this.

Application Information

Please attach a copy of your CV and cover letter with your application. A full copy of the role profile can be found at SCI Careers. It is recommended that you save a copy of the role profile as it will no longer be available after the advert closes. Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the job advert may be closed earlier than advertised subject to the volume of suitable applicants. Please submit your application at your earliest convenience to avoid disappointment.

Due to the high volume of applications we receive, only shortlisted candidates will be contacted. Candidates who are successfully shortlisted should expect to hear from us within 2 weeks of the advert deadline.

Our Recruitment Process

Application review by our recruiting team based on your CV and cover letter. Two-stage competency-based interviews with the hiring team. Some recruitment may include an additional assessment or case study stage, or a third stage interview. If successful, you will receive a conditional offer of employment, followed by your contract subject to passing background checks.

We need to keep children and adults safe so our selection process includes rigorous background checks and reflects our commitment to the protection of children and adults from abuse. All employees are expected to carry out their duties in accordance with our Code of Conduct and all policies and procedures relating to Anti-Harassment, Health and Safety, Safeguarding, and DEI and Equal Opportunities.

Save the Children does not charge a fee at any stage of the recruitment process.