Accounting Associate - Subsidiaries & Overseas Offices

Our mission and objectives

• British International Investment is the UK’s development finance institution, owned by the UK Government. We invest with the aim of solving the biggest global development challenges by investing patient, flexible capital to support private sector growth and innovation.
• We have 75 years of experience successfully supporting the sustainable, long-term growth of businesses in Africa and Asia, and have recently expanded to invest in the Indo-Pacific and Caribbean.
• We invest to achieve impact and a financial return which is then reinvested for more impact. Over the past five years, we have committed almost £7 billion of new investments, with our net assets growing in value to approximately £7.7 billion. We are now invested in 1,200 businesses which directly employ over 900,000 workers and support many more. Over the next five years, we plan to grow further, and aim to commit around £9 billion of new investments over the period.
• Our new five-year strategy responds to the opportunities and challenges facing developing and emerging economies. To ensure our capital is used in the best way possible to meet these opportunities and challenges, it sets out three clear strategic objectives – to invest in productive, sustainable and inclusive development. These objectives mean an increased focus on climate finance, including investing in green infrastructure; on financing digital transformation; and on driving inclusive outcomes, including through gender and diversity finance.
• We changed our name to British International Investment in 2022, to more accurately reflect our central role in the UK Government’s international financing offer.
• In the last few years, we have expanded our presence in Africa and Asia by opening new offices in Bangladesh, Egypt, Kenya, Nepal, Nigeria, Pakistan, Ghana and Singapore; with further expansion planned.
• We take an entrepreneurial approach to investment. We think innovatively about ways to deploy our capital, attract, and mobilise other investors, and drive transformational impact.
• Deliver impact. We are a growing team of over 500 and place immense value on diversity within our organisation.
• Read more about us and the new strategy at co.uk

Team and role overview

• The Finance team is responsible for the accounting, financial reporting, financial planning and analysis, investment accounting, purchasing and procurement, accounts payable and accounts receivable functions. The finance team consists of 30 people, including the CFO, having grown in the last 18 months to enable it to support business growth.
• BII has recently expanded its operations to incorporate overseas entities and provide accounting services to newly formed investment companies. There are currently twelve Overseas Offices. Additionally, there are seventeen UK investment holding companies.

The Role
Purpose

This role will be responsible for the bookkeeping, month-end close financial reporting, monthly reconciliations, assisting with the year-end audit, production of annual audited financial statements and supporting the overseas team with management of information for the entities detailed above.

Responsibilities

• Supporting the day-to-day work carried out by the overseas team of three people
• Assisting with the real-time bookkeeping for the entities
• Ensuring good financial controls are followed and process improvement where necessary
• Reviewing month-end reconciliations and trial balances for all entities for accuracy and completeness
• Production of annual financial statements for all entities in accordance with IFRS, liaising with auditors in the UK and overseas
• Ensure all overseas VAT and withholding tax returns (prepared by overseas providers) are completed and submitted on time
• Establish and maintain good working relationships with overseas service providers and the business
• Assist the team in collating information to drive for automated solutions in reporting and planning to help find efficiencies, accuracy & insights

The Candidate

Background, skills, aptitude

• Must be a Qualified Accountant with extensive financial accounting experience based in an investment or financial services organisation; processing and preparing IFRS accounts (preferable with exposure to smaller accounts of Subsidiaries & Overseas Offices)
• Strong technical accounting skills
• Experience of Infor SunSystems and Q&A is preferable
• Experience of designing, building and implementing processes from scratch
• A flexible team player and proactive contributor
• The ability to take the initiative, to enjoy new challenges and see tasks through to completion
• Candidates should be strongly motivated by BII’s development mission and ideally demonstrate some commitment to development or social goals through previous executive or non-executive activity.

Our cultural values

We look for team members who aspire, as we do, to work at our best and to be:

• Impact-led, commercially rigorous
• Tenacious in the face of challenges
• Collaborative and caring

BII is committed to diversity and inclusion and welcomes all applicants regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marriage and civil partnership, pregnancy and maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation or educational background.

Please provide a cover letter with your application

Salary: Competitive