Senior Finance Accountant

Ocado Group is an equal opportunities employer and as such makes every effort to ensure that all potential employees are treated fairly and equally, regardless of their sex, sexual orientation, marital status, race, colour, nationality, ethnic or national origin, religion or belief, age, or disability or union membership status.

About Us

Our teams are putting the world's retailers online using the cloud, robotics, AI, and IoT. We provide

services to partner clients globally via our innovative advanced robotics technology, known as the Ocado Smart Platform ("OSP"), this drives our highly automated, multi-million pound Customer Fulfilment Centres (CFCs). In our CFCs - together with the proprietary software applications - we operate a world-class online grocery business that automates the single pick of products, ready for your online delivery.

About the role

12 months FTC

The Senior Finance Accountant is responsible for managing the activities of the Tech Direct and Indirect Accounting team to deliver all month-end requirements.

Key responsibilities include;

Delivering period end for nominated mission area and ensuring the production of accurate and timely financial information

Collaborating with the Commercial Finance business partners to ensure accuracy of financials

Supporting in half year and year end accounting and audits

Ensuring the teams adhere to group policies & practices

Identify areas for continuous improvements and support in delivering approved initiatives

Line management and development of your team.

Accountabilities

• Managing a team of three to undertake monthly accounting and month-end close activities including: processing journal entries/allocations and the preparation of key reporting on the group's financial performance to the period-end close timelines
• Responsible for the preparation of robust P&L's and month-end packs, substantiating account/general ledger balances and providing first level commentary
• Presenting monthly financial results to key stakeholders and highlighting risks and opportunities
• Ensuring Balance Sheet reconciliations have been completed to an excellent standard, in a timely manner and have been subjected to a robust review process
• Supporting in the half year and year end process and ensuring audit requests are dealt with swiftly
• Raising issues with senior management and helping resolve them
• Ensure accounting policies set by the in-house technical team are implemented and adhered to
• Line management and development of the team and setting smart objectives to aid the success of the team
• Continuously reviewing and ensuring the team is set up for success
• Proactively identifying problems and opportunities to standardise, streamline/improve processes and analysis and improve accuracy
• Support the management team to drive process governance and measure process effectiveness
• Contribute to building and developing a high performing and engaged team
• Embed a culture of controls within the team, responsible for operating effectiveness of all key controls within the department's processes and remediation of any control weaknesses
• Ensuring the team builds excellent relationships with finance business partners and other areas of finance to quickly resolve variances and issues in order to meet reporting/timing requirements
• Closely partnering with the commercial finance team, including providing first level commentary on key movements to aid business decision making
• Provision of accurate numbers for all disclosures in the annual report and statutory accounts
• Support the global process owner for record to report processes by driving process efficiency, effectiveness and compliance
• Working with and supporting the Finance Manager and Senior Finance Manager to improve the service offering.
• Seeking continuous improvement and constantly challenge the team to improve standards

About you

• Relevant financial qualifications (ACA, ACCA, CIMA) and understanding of relevant regulatory environments
• An understanding of core financial processes and relevant systems
• Knowledge of accounting, tax and reporting standards & principles
• Experience in a fast-paced similar sized environment
• Experience in delivering great customer / user experience (desirable)
• Line management experience

What we offer you

Our employee benefits are designed for you, we care about people and we've ensured we have a wealth of benefits that focus on your well-being. We regularly review our benefits to ensure we are supporting our employees appropriately.

30 days ‘working from anywhere in the world' policy

Wellbeing support through dedicated apps and an Employee Assistance Programme

25 days annual leave, rising to 27 days after 5 years service (plus optional holiday purchase)

Pension scheme (various options available including employer contribution matching up to 7%)

Generous Private Medical Insurance (within the first month of joining!)

Income Protection (can be up to 50% of salary for 3 years) and Life Assurance (3 x annual salary)

22 weeks paid maternity leave and 6 weeks paid paternity leave (once relevant service requirements complete)

Train Ticket loan (interest-free)

Cycle to Work Scheme

Free shuttle bus to and from Hatfield Train Station to the Hatfield offices

Free shuttle bus to and from Welwyn Garden City Train Station to the Welwyn Garden City offices

Opportunity to participate in Sharesave and Buy as You Earn share schemes

15% discount on Ocado.com and free delivery for all employees (within the first month of joining!)