Job Description

You will be expected to:

• Take ownership of several sub-teams within the financial reporting and control team.
• Ensure efficient & effective management and delivery to customers of financial reporting and control activities within their specified areas.
• Undertake effective demand management processes to manage, prioritise, delegate and deliver an optimum service to the customer that aligns to their strategic requirements.
• Liaise closely with the Governance Team in order to maintain effective service delivery to PFS from the BPO centre in Bangalore and drive standardisation of processes within the BPO team.
• Be a fully integrated member of the PFS leadership team to assist the continuing and effective operations of the organisation.
• As a senior member of the PFS financial reporting and control team, work to develop & continuously improve the services performed by the team, constantly seeking further efficiency & effectiveness through standardisation, simplification & elimination as appropriate.
• Lead, coach and mentor staff within the team.
• Deputise for the PFS Senior Financial Reporting & Control Manager where required.

You will responsible for:

• Monthly ‘close the books’ activities including balance sheet reconciliations and review; accruals; prepayments; bank and cash and other accounting entries arising; and other operational accounting processes for Pearson products and services.
• Challenge and follow up on reconciling items within your specified areas, ensuring explanation and actions arising are completed. Ensure particular balance sheet risk areas are brought under control.
• Ensuring communication of required accounting entries impacting on management reports across the relevant teams in the Pearson Finance Community.
• Check the integrity of the sub-ledger accounting entries being driven from the operational accounting teams.
• Working closely with the Senior Financial Reporting & Control Manager and Controls Centre of Expertise to deliver a robust internal controls framework and ensure that controls are tested at recommended intervals.
• Act as a key player in facilitating audit process across interim and final audit. Liaise closely with external auditors throughout the audit cycle.
• Adhering to financial reporting standards and ensuring self and team remain up to date on current technical requirements.
• Manage the activities in the running of the team. This includes establishing and managing operating plans and goals for the team, developing work schedules, back-up procedures and managing staffing requirements to ensure maximum and minimum coverage levels at all times.
• Ensure that teams function effectively and efficiently.
• Develop and manage short- and long-term operational goals and tactical objectives ensuring customer goals are incorporated.
• Ensure key performance metrics are met and service is delivered to customers as expected.
• Develop, build and maintain relationships with all finance areas serviced by PFS.
• Manage key projects and improvement initiatives as directed.
• Monitor, control and identify improvements required to systems, processes and databases to ensure system and data security and ensure they are up to date and comply with current legislation.

You are:

• Keeps abreast of latest developments in accounting standards, attending technical updates internally and externally to ensure compliance with requirements.
• Ability to multi-task; coordinating the delivery multiple priorities in parallel across disparate teams and locations.
• Works closely with the Controls Centre of Expertise to ensure SOX controls across all aspects of the Finance Operations organisation are embedded and tested, and pass audit requirements.
• Liaises closely with the business to ensure audit required documentation is retained, archived and easily collated for internal and external audit purposes.
• Key contributor to the co-ordination and delivery of the year end audit.
• Works closely with internal and external auditors to implement recommendations arising from audits.
• Understands filing deadlines for financial statements and tax returns and liaises with all relevant teams to ensure deadlines are met.
• Identifies areas of risk and escalates as appropriate.
• Works closely with other teams across PFS to maximise the efficiency and effectiveness of their own service.
• Works closely with the community of Global Process Owners to embed best practice across PFS, BPO and the business as a whole.
• Takes ownership for resolution of issues pertaining to financial control and reporting, building a reputation as a trusted advisor/experience user in their area of expertise.
• Has experience/knowledge of Oracle R12 including Oracle Hyperion Planning and OBIA.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities