About This Role

Summary of the role

Finance Operations is a newly created Utility providing outsourced services to all Diligenta's clients in relation to banking/payments, financial control/reconciliations as well as a number of be-spoke finance and accounting services such as unit pricing, reinsurance and accounts payable. Any Change or Transformation activity in relation to Finance Operations sits outside this function's remit. The department is based both on and offshore.
The role holder will report directly to the Senior Finance Relationship Manager and will be the dedicated Finance Leader responsible for acting as the liaison between Operations Finance and selected Clients, Operational Leads and Change & Transformation as well as providing support, oversight and advice to the relevant internal Head of Operations for all matters relating to Operations Finance.
The role holder will not have line management responsibility for the Finance Operations staff but will influence the activities of the Banking & Payments, Financial Control & Reconciliations and Specialist Centres of Excellence, as they will predominantly be externally focussed.
The role holder will need to be suitably qualified with extensive relevant technical experience in order to be able to "face-off" to the Client's Finance Leaders, Operational Leads and Change & Transformation Leads as well as having strong interpersonal and influencing skills. The Client's Finance Teams can be extremely demanding and to be successful the candidate is likely to have come from a senior role (such as Head of Finance/Finance Director) in order to command the right level of gravitas in the role.
The role holder will be the initial interaction and escalation point for all topics relevant to this role however they will be supported and guided directly by the Senior Finance Relationship Manager.
A key element of this role will be owning the Finance Utility Governance Structure ensuring all meetings are scheduled, attended appropriately and where required that inputs and outputs are promptly circulated. In addition they will be responsible for coordinating the Team's Communication Plan.
The role holder will also coordinate the production across accounts of any key finance information that is reportable to the client externally or the internal account lead as required. This could include Incident Management, Reporting, SLA Breach Oversight and Prevention.

This role can be based in Bristol, Glasgow, Reading or Stirling.

What you'll be doing

• Lead the Finance Relationship for allocated clients (at least 2) implementing a proactive dedicated face to face approach to delivering a first class service to our Client's Finance Teams including leading regular Finance Relationship Meetings, providing industry insights to our clients and devising strategic plans for improvements to Financial Operations.
• Act as the Senior Finance SME for all Operational Finance matters relating to your allocated clients, including knowledge of their specific set-up at Diligenta and their Transformation and Change horizon but also an awareness of the intricacies, culture and challenges the client faces.
• Co-ordinate activities across Finance Operations to ensure the highest level of customer service is provided by Operations Finance (and wider Operations) to your allocated clients both internally and externally. Monitor Finance SLAs and incidents for your allocated clients taking decisive action where required.
• Take ownership of issues relating to Finance Operations for your Client ensuring appropriate escalation, communication, intervention and resolution both externally and internally.
• Attend, as the Senior Finance Representative for your allocated clients, all key internal and external meetings including Client Relationship Meetings, Senior Leadership Team Meetings, Risk & Control Meetings. Change & Transformation Meetings, Senior Business Readiness Groups. Ensure Finance is appropriately represented and contribute to the successful operation of these meetings/committees.
• Review and provide detailed commentary/insight to Finance Operations Packs for your allocated clients ensuring these are value-add and insightful to the client and internally.
• Ensure the contractual Finance SLAs and commercial terms are appropriate and fit for purpose for your allocated clients. Ensure the appropriate tools are in place for accurately forecasting and responding to changes in volumes, processes or regulatory changes.
• Preparation and leadership of meetings, facilitation of workshops and delivery of presentations for a wide range of audiences, demonstrating consistently high quality of communication and influencing powers.
• Active leader within the Finance Operations Shared Services Department and deputises for the Head of Finance Operations as and when required.

What we're looking for

• 10+ years working within a finance role within aFinancial Services firm
• Excellent interpersonal skills, ability to build successful relationships with internal and external stakeholders
  
• Effective stakeholder management skills
  
• Excellent communication skills with proven ability to communicate at senior levels
  
• Outstanding organisational skills, ability to plan workloads and delegate tasks
  
• A systematic, disciplined and analytical approach to problem solving
  
• Expert in MS Excel and Word.
• Strong knowledge of financial services processes and regulations.
  
• Strong understanding of Finance and Accounting principles, practices and compliance requirements for the UK and Ireland.

The hiring manager to contact is: Michael Guest Email: michael.guest@diligenta.co.uk

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