Assurance Manager - Finance and Trust

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Join our journey to create a new experience for the National Lottery and help us to power change for the greater good.
About us:

We are Allwyn UK, part of the Allwyn Entertainment Group - a multi-national lottery operator with a market-leading presence in Austria, the Czech Republic, Greece, Cyprus and Italy. In the UK we are the operator of the National Lottery with a 10 year licence that started in February 2024.

We've developed ground-breaking technologies, built player protection frameworks, and have a proven track record of making lotteries better. Our aim is to create one of the UK's most inclusive organisations - where people can bring the best of themselves, to do their best work, every day, for the benefit of good causes.

While the main contribution of the National Lottery to society is through the funds to good causes, at Allwyn we put our purpose and values at the heart of everything we do. Join us as we embark on a once-in-a-lifetime, largescale transformation journey to build a bigger, better, and safer National Lottery that delivers more money to good causes.

Role Purpose:

Allwyn operates a Three Lines of defence model.
• First line: Functional Management & Staff,
• Second line: Functional and Central Compliance and Risk & Assurance,
• Third Line: Internal Audit.

You will be part of the second-line Finance and Trust functional assurance and compliance team working very closely with Senior Finance Function management and staff. The Finance and Trust function includes:
• Trust and Gaming,
• Treasury,
• Finance Operations,
• Commercial Finance,
• Strategy and Insight,
• Financial Accounting,
• Procurement and
• Tax

Reporting into the Senior Assurance Manager: Finance and Trust, you will also have a very close relationship with the Head of Enterprise Risk & Oversight and her team, whilst also engaging with the Internal audit team and wider central Assurance function to enable an aligned and integrated assurance approach.

The primary responsibilities of the Finance and Trust Assurance and Compliance team is to evolve and further strengthen the Assurance framework for Finance and Trust and to implement and report on, the effective monitoring controls and procedures in place.

The evolution of the Assurance framework is pertinent as Allwyn is currently a significant way through a transformation programme. Therefore, the ability to build strong relationships, create robust plans and gain stakeholder buy-in at all levels is key to ensuring that the Assurance framework is current and always fit for purpose which underpins the way we operate in Finance, Trust and Allwyn. We strive to be best in class.

This is an important role within the organisation as you will be heavily supporting the Senior Assurance Manager: Finance and Trust with projects and facing off into senior internal and external stakeholders. As such you will be required to be able to communicate articulately and succinctly (written and verbally) to stakeholders at all levels on the effectiveness of the assurance activities across Finance through preparation of monthly reports, regular progress reports (including remediations) and KPI dashboards.

Role Responsibilities:
• Line management of three direct reports including a graduate trainee. Effective leadership and management skills are required to ensure that the team are fully engaged to deliver the business goals.
• Support the Senior Assurance Manager: Finance and Trust to embed the Assurance, Compliance and Risk frameworks and objectives across Finance and Trust with particular focus on enhancing risk management, Controls activity, real time compliance, governance, outcomes and monitoring activities.
• Perform extensive second line activity over the Trust arrangement - which manages player funds as an independent team from the Treasury and Trust teams.
• Support the Senior Assurance Manager to run a key governance forum, the Funds Protection Forum to ensure it meets regulatory and governance requirements.
• Support the Finance Director and the Senior Assurance Manager: Finance and Trust, and wider Finance teams to ensure the effective implementation, execution and monitoring of the wider National Lottery licence conditions, Matters to be protected, Trust Deed and Fund Protection policies.

• Support the Senior Assurance Manager: Finance and Trust by preparing regular reporting, assurance updates, KPI's and dashboards to a variety of senior stakeholders on the effectiveness of Allwyn's control environment with respect to all areas of responsibility of the Finance function.

• Evolve, enhance and monitor Finance's self-assessment control framework and risk register and identify areas for continuous improvement.
• To ensure that the strategies, policies and procedures for Finance are fit for purpose, regularly reviewed and challenged and subject to appropriate governance especially in the period of change.

• To act as the go-to person between the Finance function and the central Assurance function (Risk, Compliance, Governance, Regulatory affairs).

Key Measures of Success:
• Operating with integrity and staying independent
• Assurance activities are supported by adequate documentation, peer reviews and quality checks.
• Finance team risk register is up to date and has appropriate sign off as scheduled
• Finance team self-assessment activity is up to date and completed as scheduled
• Delivery of activity to support Outcomes Based Decision Making (OBDM) and wider business assurance requirements
• No surprises - all assurance activities, plans and projects are communicated clearly and in a timely manner with effective progress tracking and risk monitoring.
• Controls, compliance and assurance culture is embedded in the psyche of finance colleagues

Requirements
Key Skills and Experience:
• Strong understanding of finance and compliance - A qualified ACA or ACCA accountant with an audit and / or compliance, regulatory and assurance background would be preferred
• Bright, highly analytical and intellectually agile, able to learn and manage complexity quickly.
• High level of integrity and independence whilst also able to successfully partner with the business in meaningful ways through building trusting relationships and connections.
• A strong collaborator, influencer, listener, to build consensus and a constructive working relationship across the organisation.
• Excellent communication skills (written and verbal) and executive presence, and ability to influence a variety of internal and external stakeholders.
• Good commercial acumen and strategic mind-set.
• Demonstrate some experience of leadership and operating with senior stakeholders within Risk, Compliance and or Internal Audit.
• Experience of developing and leading a team to deliver the company's goals
• High level of personal integrity and ability to maintain independence whilst also building strong and impactful relationships across Finance, Central Assurance, Risk Compliance and Internal audit teams and various Governance Committees.

Benefits

• 26 days paid leave (plus bank holidays)

• Annual bonus scheme

• 2 x Life Days

• 4 x Salary of Life Insurance

• Pension: we'll match your contribution up to 8.5%

• Single Private Health Cover

• £500 Wellness Allowance

• Income Protection

• Enhanced parental leave (maternity and paternity)

• Eye Care, Dental and Cycle To Work schemes