Head of Finance Governance and Assurance

My client a leader in the Real Estate Sector is hiring a Head of Finance Governance and Assurance to join their team.

My client is seeking a highly skilled and experienced finance professional to take on the role of Head of Finance Governance and Assurance. This position involves providing independent oversight of our fee and non-fee earning departments within Ireland for an initial period and thereafter with the potential to expand the role across the European portfolio.

Reporting to the Finance and Operations Director, the Head of Finance Governance and Assurance will provide professional, high quality and independent assurance to senior leadership team around the integrity and performance of internal finance and non-finance processes with the business.

On successful hire you will: 

·       Set out and execute the annual surveillance plan to independently assess the performance of the business including measuring the ongoing conformance with client service level agreements and contractual obligations.

·       Create a heat map of revenue streams by client, service line and risk to enhance transparency, inform senior leadership and facilitate the prioritisation of oversight activities.

·       Develop a risk register to include all key operational and strategic risks and, thereafter, undertake periodic risk assessments of the function driving the timely completion of associated follow-up action plans emphasising remediation of control weaknesses including the development and implementation of controls to mitigate key risks.

·       Build relationships with departmental management team to ensure support around oversight activities and unfettered access to staff, processes, systems, reports and activities.

·       Develop an in-depth understanding of the overall performance of the business, cost recoverability against budget per key instruction, the productivity and efficiency of staff including an evaluation of the performance management process in place reporting on adverse findings.

·       Establish metrics and reporting to clearly and concisely communicate relevant financial information on performance of the business including transparency around costs associated with the provision of services for internal recharges.

·       Provide recommendations for implementing best practices to drive improvement in the quality, efficiency and accuracy of processes by uncovering areas for improvement through the initiation of a comprehensive rolling review and analysis of the business using appropriate audit techniques and tools.

·       Work with the existing compliance functions to conduct an annual review of compliance processes identifying opportunities for improving the processes.

To get this job, you will have the following knowledge, skills and experience:

·       Qualified accountant with post qualification experience of auditing and advising on governance, risk and controls, with a strong knowledge of financial principles, practices, and relevant accounting standards and, ideally, an understanding of property industry regulations.

·       Demonstrated experience in managing functions, implementing process improvements, including a deep understanding of month end and year end close activities for multiple entities including financial and management reporting.

·       Ability and desire to act autonomously with excellent organisational, planning and project management skills and the ability to manage multiple priorities, lead complex and challenging projects.

·       Driven and self-motivated with a hands-on practical approach and an ability to work to deadlines, achieve accuracy, inspire and lead others, and deliver under pressure within a matrix organization.

·       A high level of personal integrity, tenacity, independence with exceptional analytical and problem-solving skills, a keen attention to detail and ability to challenge senior management.

·       The credibility and personal presence to understand and integrate into the business with excellent interpersonal, written and oral communication skills along with an ability to adjust your approach, influence others and build relationships at all levels including senior leaders.

·       Exceptional computer-literacy skills and proficiency in financial software and ERP systems

·       The ability to adapt to a dynamic and evolving business environment and are curious about business with a willingness to understand the wider business imperatives.

For more information, please contact [email protected]

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