Group Systems Accountant

Company Description

Informa is a leading business intelligence, events, and academic publishing business operating in the Knowledge and Information Economy.

We are listed on the London Stock Exchange and a member of the FTSE 100. We operate in more than 30 countries and employ over 11,000 people globally.

Informa's leading brands and expert teams create intelligence-based products and data-driven services, convene communities in person and digitally and provide access to cutting-edge research for customers working in specialist markets, worldwide

Job Description

This is an excellent opportunity to join one of the world's leading knowledge providers and be part of the Group Finance team.

Group Finance consolidates the financial information provided by the divisions and reports these results to Executive Management Team (EMT) and other Divisional Finance teams located across the world (Asia Pacific, America, Middle East, UK and rest of Europe).

The information provided plays an important part in both internal and external reporting including Management reporting, Annual Reports, Investor information, Budgeting, Planning and Forecasting.

The delivery of the financial information is supported by SAP Financial Consolidation a specialised financial consolidation system, to provide a single trusted source of data.

Group Finance is also building other third-party reporting solutions to provide better Data Visualisation across all levels of the organisation from monthly Board reports to Event reporting.

Group Finance is divided into various sub teams Group Financial Accounting (GFA), Financial Planning & Analysis (FP&A), Tax and Group Financial Reporting Systems (GFRS) along with other group functions.

The role is within the Group Financial Reporting Systems team which is a pivotal team as it not only provides support to the organisation across the world but also enables other Group Finance departments in delivering their individual goals.

GFRS is responsible for dealing with complex data to generate insights that empower individuals to maximize commercial value.

This can only be delivered through the development of accurate standard datasets leveraged through best-in-class Consolidation and Analytical tools.

The successful candidate will act as the primary contact within the US to support both business and Shared Service Centre users in their daily use of Group Financial Systems.

The efficient and timely consolidation of Group data, production of reports and other outputs is a critical part of GFRS activities.

The GFRS team is essential to the success of this activity and the individual needs to assist with the development of this role.

More specifically, the Group Finance Systems Accountant will support the business, SSC and Group Finance and be responsible for :

• Be the primary contact in the US region to liaise between the Group team in the UK and the business and SSC contacts within the region.
• Assist with the day-to-day support, assistance and training of system users.
• Ensure the monthly collection and reporting of data is achieved on schedule and to the expected high standard.
• Enable Group Finance and wider business to deliver strategic plans and performance improvements using comprehensive data and analytical tools to raise the capability of the organisation and improve performance year on year
• Assist GFRS team with the delivery of Group Consolidation, reporting and system integration tools
• Reinforce and manage the data architecture design and maintenance to ensure robust management information and a single version of the truth
• To assist with the development of change control and support framework, and help to develop the function to meet both internal and external policies and standards
• Assist in specifying and participating with the ongoing development of SAP-FC and reporting tools. This will involve assisting with the designing of changes in data model, system functionality and user acceptance testing.
• Support the production and delivery of required reports to FP&A and divisional accounting teams and Group stakeholders for reporting cycles and associated reporting in accordance with Group timetables.
• Challenge current ways of working and bring constant improvement to the group process.
• Become an expert in all fields of consolidation and analytics

Qualifications

Ideal candidates will be able to demonstrate the following skills and qualities :

• 2-4 years of Systems Accounting experience preferred
• Systems analyst skills and a solid understanding of database design and structures
• Practical experience of financial reporting & accounting principles
• Be a data expert, i.e. comfortable with large, complex sets of data
• Analytical approach to problem solving
• Dealing with users across the globe, confidence in multiple languages would be beneficial. Working with a global team, excellent written and spoken English is a must.
• Self-starter, prioritization skills and requires minimal supervision
• Proactive self-management behaviors and values
• Integrity coupled with high level of commitment, accountability and Ethics
• IT confident with experience of several systems, i.e. advanced user of MS Excel, SAP, report writing tools, Oracle, MS PowerBI
• Experience of SAP FC would be useful however application training will be provided. Prior knowledge and experience of a financial system;

ideally within a EPM tool such as SAP HANA, TM1, SAP BPC, HFM, OneStream, Tagetik.

• Candidates with experience in a financial / GL system would also be advantageous
• Strong oral and written communication skills; positive attitude and interpersonal skills
• Experienced with working with Business partners at varied business levels
• Confident and articulate communicator, both written and verbal
• Worked within Listed / Large Group Company environment
• Absorb and summarise complex or diverse information

Additional Information

Why work at Informa

Employee experience is very important to us at Informa. On top of joining a supportive, diverse and ambitious team that welcomes all types of candidates.

We are also flexible with different working patterns and prioritizes promotions internally.

Our Benefits include :

• Freedom & flexibility : colleagues rate us highly for the flexibility and trust they receive, and we support a range of working patterns
• Great community : a welcoming culture with in-person and online social events, our fantastic Walk the World charity day and active diversity and inclusion networks
• Broader impact : take up to four days per year to volunteer, with charity match funding available too
• Career opportunity : the opportunity to develop your career with bespoke training and learning, mentoring platforms and on-demand access to thousands of courses on LinkedIn Learning.

When it's time for the next step, we encourage and support internal job moves

• Time out : 15 days PTO rising to 20 after three years and 25 after six years, plus 10 national holidays, a birthday leave day and the chance to work from (almost!) anywhere for up to four weeks a year
• Competitive benefits, including a 401k match, parental leave and an ESPP offering company shares at a minimum 15% discount
• Strong wellbeing support through EAP assistance, mental health first aiders, free access to a wellness app and more
• Recognition for great work, with global awards and kudos programs
• As an international company, the chance to collaborate with teams around the world

We're not solely focused on a checklist of skills. We champion energy and ambition and look for colleagues who will roll their sleeves up, join in and help make things happen.

If it sounds like a match and you have most - although not all - of the skills and experience listed, we welcome your application.

At Informa, you'll find inclusive experiences and environments where all perspectives and backgrounds are welcomed. As part of this approach and our diversity and inclusion commitments, we are also formally an Equal Opportunities Employer.

This means we base decisions on relevant qualifications and merit and do not discriminate on the basis of key characteristics and statuses, including all of those protected by law.

Ask us or see our website for full information.

See how Informa handles your personal data when you apply for a job here.

This post will expire on 06 / 21 / 2024