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SalaryJob Introduction
Compass Group is a FTSE 20 and Fortune Global 500 company. We’re the people behind the food, hospitality and support services that power your day, make you smile and put a spring in your step. That’s just one of the reasons why we’re the World’s leading contract catering, hospitality, and business support services provider. We operate in 36 countries at more than 50,000 client locations serving over 5.5 billion meals a year with over 550,000 employees globally. We operate in all major sectors and industries including education, business, healthcare, government & defence, sport & leisure, offshore and hospitality. From outstanding restaurant and dining experiences in amazing venues and stadiums to feeding thousands of students, patients, workers, and military personnel, we deliver warm welcomes, clean buildings, and safe environments.
We have an exciting opportunity for a candidate with a strong financial control background to join the Group Financial Control team, based in our Chertsey head office. As part of the Group Second Line of Defence the team own the Group’s Key Financial Control framework and ensuring this continues to meet UK Corporate requirements as these evolve. This includes working with colleagues across the Group to support a robust financial risk and control environment by providing a 2nd line opinion, sharing best practice and guidance to ensuring that risk and control issues are documented, challenged, monitored, tested, reported and escalated, according to the Group’s governance structure and control frameworks. The team supports the bi-annual reporting of compliance to the Group Audit Committee. The team is also responsible for supporting the development of controls and assurance and in reviewing the Group’s reporting of non-financial measures, including ESG reporting, ensuring this meets UK and International regulatory requirements. The candidate will have a hands-on opportunity to help augment the Group’s control environment as it progresses on a control enhancement journey, and to contribute to reporting to the Group Audit Committee. The candidate will have the opportunity for international travel.
Responsibilities
- Support the ongoing design of the Group’s Key Financial Control framework.
- Provide ongoing support and review to the Group’s largest countries (including US, UK, Canada, Australia, France, Germany) as they document and operate Risk and Control Matrices (RACMs).
- Identify & document best practice controls which can be shared across the Group.
- Develop guidance to support the Group with control compliance.
- Build and deliver relevant training across the organisation.
- Prepare the bi-annual governance and controls compliance reporting to the Group Audit Committee.
- Review reporting of non-financial measures & provide support to the teams responsible for the reporting.
- Support the design of the control frameworks over non-financial measures.
- Partner with both internal and external audit teams to facilitate a streamlined and effective audit processes.
- Plan and deliver assurance testing of Financial and non-financial controls across the Group as required.
- Support countries with queries and remediation of issues with the design & operation of processes and controls in line with the Group’s Key Financial Controls (KFC) framework.
- Collaborate with key stakeholders across all levels of the organisation to enhance the control environment through process optimisation and automation.
- Respond to emerging regulatory updates/Corporate Governance Code update.
- Some international travel is required.
Skills
- Technically competent and confident in reviewing and identifying improvements in the design and operation of internal controls over financial reporting.
- Strong analytical skills, with strong risk awareness and understanding of processes and controls.
- Confident stakeholder management, communication, able to build relationships and challenge the status quo at a senior level.
- Excellent planning, co-ordination and organisation skills, balancing country support with external demands and managing multiple priorities and stakeholders.
- Previous experience working in Finance Control, Internal Audit, External Audit, Risk Assurance, Controls Assurance or US SOX experience is required.
- Self-starter with the ability to lead and to work independently and engage with teams at all levels in the organisation.
- Ability to translate and communicate technical or complex ideas in a simple and concise manner.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills are essential, with the ability to influence at all levels, as is the ability to function effectively in teams.
Education and experience
- Professional accounting qualification.
- Experience in a finance or internal audit department and/or or in a major accounting firm.
- Operational experience in a consumer-focused business would be advantageous.
- Excellent PC Skills (Word, Excel, Access, PowerPoint, Visio, Electronic audit work papers, etc.)
