Senior Financial Accountant

Collinson Group is a global leader in driving loyalty and engagement for many of the worlds largest companies. Predominantly through the provision of travel related benefits within a market leading digital travel ecosystem. The group offers a unique blend of industry and sector specialists who together provide marketleading experience in delivering products and services across four core capabilities: Loyalty Lifestyle Benefits and Insurance.

The group provides unrivalled insight and expertise around affluent consumers and frequent travellers creating and delivering products and services now accessible to over 400m end consumers.

We have more than 25 years experience with 28 global locations servicing over 800 clients in 170 countries employing 1800 people.

We have been bringing innovation to the market since inception from launching the first independent global VIP lounge access Programme Priority Pass to being the first to sell direct travel insurance in the UK through Columbus Direct and creating the first loyalty agency of its kind in the travel sector with ICLP. Today we still invest heavily in innovation to ensure that we continue to deliver superior customer experiences.

Key clients include: Visa Mastercard American Express Cathay Pacific British Airways LATAM Flying Blue Accor EasyJet HSBC Chase HDFC.

Our mission is focused on doing good beyond profit which for us means we seek out opportunities for our people to share in our success and that we give back to the communities and people within which we work.

Never short of ambition the success of our business is delivered through the diverse and talented team of over 1800 colleagues globally.

What does an Senior Financial Accountant do at Collinson

The Senior Financial Accountant will work within the Central and Loyalty Financial Reporting team of the Collinson Group. They will work as an integral part of the finance team responsible for a range of entities across Loyalty and Central Service business areas. They will work with the Head of Financial Reporting and the Financial Reporting Manager to help oversee the monthly management accounts support the production of the statutory accounts and act as a key point of contact during the audit process.

The Senior Financial Accountant will provide oversight on the production of the monthly management accounts for all Central entities reviewing the completeness and accuracy of the results. They will provide input and support for regulatory reporting balance sheet reconciliation and other tasks relating to the entities within the Central and Loyalty Finance team. They will also provide technical accounting guidance across the team actively drive support and implement process/ system changes within the team ensuring a strong and effective control environment exists standardising where possible with a specific emphasis on improving and reducing month end close timeline.

Key responsibilities of this role include:

• Lead the team to drive improvements to establish improve and maintain high quality and timely management accounts
• Delivering monthly management accounts including variance analysis and commentary highlighting opportunities & threats and responsibility to presenting to internal customers
• Delivery of annual Group Stat Packs and internal compliance declarations ensuring they are completed in line with Group policies and deadlines for the specified entities
• Line management for 34 staff including objective setting and monitoring of those objectives. Develop and motivate staff by providing them with clear direction to achieve their goals
• Management of the financial accounting and reconciliation for the monthly payroll processes
• Ensure balance sheet reconciliations are produced in line with agreed timings are clean and any outstanding items have clear ownership and actions and are followed up
• To provide oversight of the intercompany position ensuring this is reconciled monthly to agree with the other group entities and settled as per Group policy
• To collaborate with the Commercial Finance Business Partners to ensure good understanding of the budgets and forecasts to support accurate accruals prepayments and ad hoc journals that are required to be posted into the month end management accounts ensuring a high level of accuracy and understanding exists across the team
• Support the wider Finance Operations team to ensure all transactions processed are accurate and complete and recorded in a timely manner
• Support the Head of Financial Reporting and the Financial Reporting Manager on all audits (including but not limited to internal 3^rd party or yearend). Assisting with the management of audit requests to ensure evidence is sufficient
• Oversight of the financial position of the Group funding entity including interest calculations FX exposure and reconciliation to the treasury system
• Assist with continuous embedding and delivery of the Finance Transformation project
• Ensure robust controls are in place adherence and look to enhance where possible
• Keeping abreast of technical accounting developments to ensure that the impact of changes is understood and applied on a timely basis providing accounting guidance across the team.
• Ensuring all process documents are in place regularly reviewed and updated
• Strive to deliver continuous process improvements delivering best in class processes
• Support in the review of any regulatory reporting as required
• Ownership of the periodic VAT returns
• Play an active role in the ongoing embedding of the new accounting software Microsoft Dynamics.

Key skills and experience to be evidenced within your application include

• Qualified Accountant (ACCA CIMA ACA or Equivalent) with at least 3 years post qualified experience.
• Good knowledge of Microsoft Dynamics accounting systems preferable
• High personal levels of motivation and delivery orientated focus
• Evidence of continuous improvement experience
• Able to work well under pressure
• A proactive forwardlooking and challenging mindset
• Detail focused with strong organisation and planning skills
• Ability to interact with and develop working relationships internally and externally to achieve best outcomes for the business and customer
• Experience of developing and leading high performing teams
• Ability to encourage train and develop the Financial Accountants and Assistant Financial Accountants
• Knowledge and experience of best practice within industry to consistently improve delivery within department

Collinson is an equal opportunity employer and welcomes differences in all their forms including: colour race ethnicity gender identity sexual orientation neurodivergence family status age individuals with disabilities and people from all backgrounds cultures and experiences as we strongly believe this contributes to our ongoing success.

We are focused on continually evolving our purpose driven high performing culture providing an environment where our people have the opportunity to achieve their full potential and do interesting and meaningful work. Our company values are: Act smarter Do the right thing One team and Be insight led. These help guide everything we do internally in terms of how we think act and interact right through to how we deliver value to our customers and clients.

In your application please feel free to note which pronouns you use (For example she/her/hers he/him/his they/them/theirs etc).

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We also have our very own Beacons (Domestic Abuse Advisors) supporting within each of our global offices. Our Beacons will be your point of contact if you or someone you know needs support.