Finance Policy Accounting Manager

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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:

This role sits within the Financial Accounting team within Finance, reporting to the Financial Reporting Manager, who has a team of 5 accountants and 1 graduate trainee. The team reports into the Financial Controller. The Financial Accounting Team ensures the reporting integrity of our Group and Statutory accounts through robust accounting and controls.
• The Financial Accounting team is responsible for:

o Monthly reporting to Group

o Delivery of enhanced reporting requirements on a quarter and year end basis to Group

o Delivery of the statutory accounts for Allwyn, our financing company and holding companies

o Owning the relationship with the external auditors

o Owning the relationship with Group Finance

o Ensuring our financial statements are aligned to IFRS at all times

o Robust balance sheet governance and risks and opportunities management.

The IFRS and Policies Finance Manager has primary responsibility of ensuring our group and statutory accounts are IFRS compliant. This will be achieved through the creation of an IFRS policies library which needs to reflect the operations of Allwyn and also be aligned to Group policies.

This role will be a co-ordination role, you will need to be an effective communicator and will need to forge good relationships with the commercial team to understand how we operate as a business. This will enable you to ensure that Allwyn is applying the most suitable policies and accounting estimates.

Allwyn is in its first year of operation as the national Lottery operator, therefore this person will need to be able to work at speed to ensure that policies are updated and fit for purpose before we head into our year-end, therefore an excellent knowledge of accounting standards is a pre-requisite to being successful in this role.

This role will also support the Senior Financial Reporting Accountant and the Financial Reporting Accounting by introducing and maintaining an effecting balance sheet monitoring, balance sheet risk and ops and balance sheet controls process.

Role Responsibilities:
• Reporting to the Financial Reporting Manager, with primary responsibility for creating best-in-class robust accounting policies for Allwyn.
• Collaborate with and get buy-in from internal stakeholders across Finance to inform understanding enabling the delivery of the most appropriate accounting standards.
• Where you have identified a need to change accounting estimates, ensure that the Financial Controller, Finance Director and Commercial Finance director are fully informed including communication of the financial impacts
• Introduce a robust balance sheet reporting and monitoring process to include random sampling, reporting of risk and opportunities and updating the existing policy
• Create a centralised accounting policies library that all finance colleagues can access
• Be the go-to technical expert for all IFRS accounting queries
• Deliver regular reports and updates to senior leaders on the progress and evolution of accounting policies including any financial impacts from changes to policies or accounting estimates.
• In relation to the above, support the commercial team by tracking and regular reporting of the impacts of adopting changes to accounting policies or estimates.
• Overseeing the production of accounting memos and providing high level technical accounting guidance, you will also challenge and align with auditors.
• Provide analysis and recommendations to Allwyn from an operational and reporting standard
• Ensuring a robust control environment exists and drive continuous process improvements.

Key Measures of Success:
• Operating with integrity and staying independent
• Creation of a Central Accounting Polices library
• No surprises - any changes to accounting policies / accounting estimates are communicated clearly and in a timely manner with effective progress tracking and risk monitoring.
• Creation of an effective balance sheet policy to include monitoring, risk and ops reporting and random sampling
• Excellent working relationships developed through trust and competence
• Be the go-to person for all matters relating to IFRS (i.e. be the IFRS technical guru)

Requirements
Key Skills and Experience:

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA or ACT qualified

• Strong academics; University and A levels

• At least 3 years PQE, ideally from a similar role, or ex-audit

• Strong stakeholder management with the ability to forge strong relationships across the business

• Excellent communication skills and confidence to provide constructive challenge where necessary

• Experience of using SAP desirable

• Excellent communication skills (verbally and written)

• High level of integrity and independence whilst also able to successfully partner with the business in meaningful ways through building trusting relationships and connections.

• Must be self-motivated and a self-starter

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