Head of Financial Compliance

AWE is looking for a Head of Financial Compliance at an exciting time of growth and change.

As the Head of Financial Compliance, you will lead the Financial Compliance team, and you will ensure that AWE has an effective and efficient internal financial control framework, which is integrated across the organisation, and adheres to relevant financial policies, regulations, and financial control methodologies to maintain appropriate financial standards.

The role also leads the Business Case Assurance Team (BCAT) which provides the investment approvals framework and business case assurance for AWE's investment proposals.

Location - Reading / Basingstoke area

Package - Competitive leadership salary depending on experience, performance related bonus, flexible benefit scheme.

As part of our People Promise, AWE (one of the best 25 big companies to work for in the UK) has a range of benefits to suit you. These include:

• Time to recharge your batteries with 270 hours of annual leave (plus every other Friday off work)
• Consideration for flexible working arrangements so that your work may fit in with your lifestyle.
• Opportunities for Professional Career Development that include funding for the annual membership of a relevant professional body, access to mentors and training
• Employee Assistance Programme and Occupational Health Services
• A generous defined contribution Group Personal Pension (we will pay between 9% and 13% of your pensionable pay depending on your own contribution)
• Life Assurance
• Discounts - access to savings on a wide range of everyday spending
• Special Leave Policy including paid time off for volunteering, public service (including reserve forces) and caring for your family
• A host of voluntary & core benefits to suit your health and wellbeing - more information available on our careers site

What will you be required to do?

• Undertake continuous financial controls compliance testing and reporting the results to the AWE plc Board
• Monitor compliance with the internal financial controls framework and ensuring non-compliances are identified and escalated and that appropriate actions and mitigation strategies are developed and implemented
• Coordination and engagement on financial control and compliance matters with Internal Audit, external auditors (NAO) and the AWE plc Board and committees. Attendance and reporting to Audit Committee
• Benchmarking of the financial control framework against best practice
• Performance of business case assurance activities
• Monitoring compliance with the business case assurance and approvals process and the maintenance and tracking of the approvals pipeline
• Identifying and executing process improvement and optimisation in financial compliance and control and the business case assurance and approvals process
• Managing stakeholder relations with government finance control and risk teams and finance related agencies (e.g., external audit (NAO), cost assurance services (CAAS), and the single source regulator (SSRO))
• Advise AWE leadership and business on finance compliance matters
• Dealing with Freedom of Information requests in relation to financial matters
• Ensuring compliance with financial delegations of authority within the business
• Ownership of the business case assurance and approvals process, including compliance with the process and the maintenance and tracking of the approvals pipeline

Whilst not to be considered a check list, candidates should be able to demonstrate some of the following:

• Member of a finance professional body (ACA, ACCA, ACMA or equivalent).
• Excellent understanding of financial compliance and controls matters.
• Ability to effectively monitor and apply key financial controls and associated exception reporting.
• Stakeholder management experience at a senior level with gravitas to influence and create confidence.
• Highly developed communication skills with the ability to influence at all levels.
• Highly developed facilitation, presentational, leadership and interpersonal skills
• Experience working in a financial control and compliance environment in a large company.
• Experience in developing and implementing financial processes and controls.
• Previous experience of successfully building, leading, motivating and managing teams and workload planning.
• Experience of leading process integration and improvement activities.
• Experienced in working with senior management, business leaders and senior customer representatives displaying exemplary communication and influencing skills.
• Experience working within a Sarbanes Oxley (SOX) framework and/or UK government internal control assurance framework (ICAF) or similar

Closing date - 25 June 2024

All candidates must be willing and able to obtain and maintain the necessary security clearance for the role.

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