Senior Finance Manager - Private Sector

Full job description
Sopra Steria have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Finance Manager partnering the UK Financial Services vertical sector. The role is required to financially support the UK Financial Services vertical and business partner with executive level management, provide financial oversight and contribute to the business strategy and performance. The role offers a wonderful opportunity for a wide spectrum of financial engagement with customers, key business stakeholders, up to board level, and offers ideal experience for candidates aiming to move to senior finance leadership roles in their career.

You will be responsible for being the finance lead for the UK Financial Services vertical which incorporates Debt Management Services and major customer contracts which are key to Sopra Steria's Private Sector strategic growth plan for the next five years. The role will report into the Private Sector FD and is expected to lead and have line management of a supporting Finance team, with a key aspect of the role helping to shape this new team.

Key to the role will be working with the senior internal stakeholders in Executive & Operations Management and Supporting functions like Finance, Commercial and HR, alongside building effective relationships with customers and overseeing contract reporting requirements. The role will provide insightful financial analysis, oversee P&L reporting, budgeting, forecasting and cashflow reporting. The ideal candidate will be comfortable managing effective relationships with senior executive stakeholders, can act as a financial advocate to aid strategic commercial decision making supporting the growth strategy while challenging the stakeholders when needed.

The candidate will be comfortable leading and directing a supporting finance team to deliver various areas of financial support, ranging from overseeing financial period closes, management reporting, actively participating and presenting in business reviews, managing budgeting and monthly forecast cycles, supporting pricing of sales opportunities, investment appraisal and inputting into cash management optimisation.

The role offers fantastic opportunity to join a certified “UK Top Great Place to Work” company and be part of a dynamic and evolving team. The role would ideally be suited to a qualified accountant (ACCA/CIMA/etc professional body qualification) experienced in management accounting, analysing business performance, business partnering senior stakeholders and leading a team.

The candidate should also be aware the role will require standard UK security clearance to be undertaken prior to starting with Sopra Steria.

What you will be doing:

Business partner Executive and Senior Management.
Act as the Finance contact for Sopra Steria for customer contracts and manage relationships with customer contacts.
Lead and line manage a team of finance and assistant finance business partners.
Oversee production of key internal financial and management reporting and external customer facing financial reports.
Oversee and maintain the P&L forecast with input from operations stakeholders.
Manage monthly GL close on a timely and accurate basis (Monthly accounting adjustments/Variance analysis commentary/Forecasting).
Oversee annual budget setting process and financial input into long term strategy plans.
Produce and present business review documents to the MD/FD.
Input into cashflow forecasting and support optimisation.
Support in new service pricing and cost/benefit analysis of internal investments.
Ad Hoc financial analysis & modelling.
Aid commercial strategic decision making.
What you’ll bring:

Relevant Qualification (ACCA, CIMA, ICAEW, CIPFA, etc).
Experience in business partnering senior stakeholders.
Experience managing multiple stakeholders.
Experience managing multiple stakeholders.
Confidence to challenge where numbers don’t look right.
Experience in P&L / Management Reporting / identifying risk and opportunity.
Experience of working with project accounting.