Head of Accounting

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Overview

Would you like to help enrich the lives of learners around the world?

At RM, we've been pioneers of education technology since 1973. We provide technology and resources to the education sector, supporting over 10 million students worldwide. We work with over28,000 schools, nurseries, and education trusts in 115 countries to deliver customer-centric solutions that improve education outcomes.

What we do helps learners at all stages of their lives, from preschool to higher education and professional qualification; we partner with schools, examination boards, central governments and other professional institutions to enrich the lives of learners.

RM Group operates through three businesses: Technology (Managed Services, Software and Infrastructure for Schools), Assessment (Software and Services) and TTS (Educational Resources).

Visit us here to find out more: www.rm.com

Following a period of significant change within the business and the department itself, Group Finance needs to finalise its mission to deliver robust, repeatable processes, rapid and reliable internal and external reporting, and a cost-effective statutory audit.

Responsibilities

• Ownership of all financial reporting controls, and continued focus on process improvement to drive robust, repeatable process with sufficient contingency time to deal with non-BAU activities or issues, working closely with the Internal Audit & Internal Controls team
• Maintain a list of risks and opportunities within the divisional and corporate balance sheets, liaising closely with the divisional R2R heads and finance directors
• Principal point of contact for the divisional finance teams for any technical accounting assistance, including embedding of appropriate processes
• Principal point of contact for the auditors, managing the annual audit process from end to end, including oversight and ownership of explanation of complex or convoluted financial processes by the divisional finance teams
• Production of technical accounting papers for management, the Board and the auditors as and when required (to support bi-annual financial reporting, and on an adhoc basis)
• Annual refresh of the Group Accounting Policy manual and creation of practical support documentation for the Finance Hub intranet site, to be used by all members of the Finance team (including offshore)
• Providing 'critical friend' support and challenge to the Head of R2R and Finance Director of the Assessment division on IFRS15-specific matters
• Production of interim financial statements in compliance with IAS34 and working closely with the Group Financial Controller and Chief Financial Officer to produce the associated commentary and figures in the RNS statement and analyst presentation
• Ownership of the 'back end' of the Annual Report, working closely with both the divisional finance teams (to collate the required additional disclosures to support the financial statement notes) and the annual report project manager (to ensure the timetable is adhered to and all numbers throughout are auditable)

Experience

• Qualified ACA or ACCA accountant from a practice background, with strong post qualified experience
• Good communicator, including negotiation with the business and auditors, and an ability to pitch at multiple levels - experience of working with offshore teams desirable (but not essential)
• Excellent time management skills, with appropriate pragmatism and strong task-oriented focus
• Clear and concise technical writing for multiple audiences, including the business (up to Board level) and the auditors
• Practical experience of application of IAS19, IAS38, IFRS15 and IFRS16 considered desirable
• Direct involvement in the production of consolidated financial statements, ideally in a listed environment

What's in it for you?

At RM we have My Work Blend @RM which provides office-based colleagues with multi location and hybrid working options. As well as your office base, you can spend a proportion of your time working at other locations that suit your role and your life, including home, other offices, customer sites, distribution centres or on the move. We encourage you to discuss arrangements for this role with your potential line manager during the recruitment process.

As well as a competitive salary and our core benefits package which includes private medical healthcare, life assurance and a Group Personal Pension Plan with higher contribution levels available, some roles are also eligible for a performance-related bonus. There are lots of voluntary benefits too. You could buy additional annual leave, join our dental plan, sign up for a health assessment, or take part in our cycle to work scheme. You could even earn yourself an extra bonus for successfully recommending a friend or family member for a position within RM.

To better reflect the society that we serve, we're committed to building a diverse workforce and creating an inclusive and welcoming environment for all. To achieve this, we create teams of talented people from different backgrounds and experiences and strive to be a business where our people can bring their whole selves to work, we also want to make the recruitment process as inclusive as possible for everyone. Should you require additional support with your application or through the interview process, please contact us at recruitment@rm.com.

Unfortunately, we are unable to offer visa sponsorship for this role.