Senior Financial Manager - Accounting Centre of Excellence (FTC)

Senior Financial Manager - Accounting Centre of Excellence

Contract type: Fixed Term Contract (12 months)

Location: Hatfield (Hybrid working - 3 days in the office)

Working hours per week: 40 hours

Level: Senior Manager

Application Closing Date: Tuesday 14th July

About us

Our mission is to deliver joy in every shop, through unbeatable choice, unrivalled service, and reassuringly good value. We’re also on a mission to empower our business with smart technology; we've recently launched our AI Academy, providing a tailored AI learning journey for every colleague.

We’re Ocado Retail , a market-leading joint venture between Ocado Group and M&S, and the world’s largest dedicated online supermarket, ocado.com . Not only is Ocado the only place to shop a full range of M&S food online, it’s also the home to the widest online supermarket range in the UK and champion of small, independent brands. We’re also the brains behind Zoom by Ocado , our same-day grocery delivery service.

About the team and the role

At Ocado Retail, our Finance team plays a critical role in supporting the business to drive forward. Reporting to the Financial Controller, the Senior Finance Manager will lead the accounting centre of excellence to own our month-end processes and ensure integrity and controls of our financial data are delivered to our key finance stakeholders.

The Senior Finance Manager - Accounting Centre of Excellence will lead a team of 7 (1 Finance Manager, 3 Senior Finance Analysts, and 3 Finance Graduates) to deliver our balance sheet and P&L month-end processes, maintain financial integrity, meet controls requirements, and instil a culture of continuous improvement in the team. The team is currently focused on an upcoming ERP system transformation project; this role will be pivotal in supporting the team to adapt processes to align with the new system, ensuring uninterrupted BAU delivery, whilst leveraging the new platform to significantly enhance our financial controls and accounting capabilities compared to where we are today.

What you’ll do

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Lead the Accounting Centre of Excellence - This role will have ultimate responsibility for the month-end close processes, accuracy reviews/approvals, and reconciliations, setting up the team for success.

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MEC timeline management and Process Improvement - A critical success factor for the team is delivering a WD2 month-end close process. It is the role of the SFM to provide leadership that supports the team in meeting these timelines, fostering a continuous improvement mindset in order to do so. You will actively observe the end-to-end close cycle to identify bottlenecks, driving changes that make the process both more efficient and more accurate, and ensuring these optimised workflows are standardised and adopted across the entire team

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Finance to Finance Business Partnering - Finance Business Partnering teams will be the key stakeholders of the Accounting Centre of Excellence team, and this role will be vital in ensuring the ways of working with business partners are effectively managed through the team, enabling our business partners to drive high-quality decision-making to support business strategy.

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Develop the Team - A key principle of the Accounting Centre of Excellence is to lead and develop the team to be experts in project management and delivery, continuous improvement, and a core finance skillset. It is imperative that this role sets the team up and coaches key individuals to develop the right skills and experiences to support their future growth

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Oracle Retail Implementation - Support the implementation of the new sales audit module and stock ledger, ensuring a seamless transition where all current reporting and data requirements continue to be met without disruption. This role will be key in leveraging the new system's capabilities to further optimise our accounting recognition methodologies and strengthen our existing control framework. To achieve this, you will collaborate closely with multiple stakeholders across the business and external delivery partners, while simultaneously upskilling and preparing the ACE team so they are fully equipped and set up for success when the new system goes live.

Who you are

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Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA or equivalent)

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Proficient in Microsoft Excel and Word

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Experience with Finance systems (Oracle Fusion/EPM) and driving process change through systems

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Excellent at managing stakeholders and can build strong relationships with key stakeholders

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Ownership of results with a motivation for continuous improvement and self-development

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Experience in leading a team and coaching individuals to support development

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Experience in delivering and coordinating month-end close processes

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Continuous improvement mindset

What’s in it for you

By joining Ocado Retail, you’ll have the chance to experience life at the world’s largest online retailer, work with an amazing bunch of people who challenge what’s possible each day, and grow your skills and career in online retail. You'll also be part of our AI Academy , a dedicated learning journey designed to empower every colleague with the smart technology skills of the future.

If that’s not enough to tempt you, you’ll also get access to loads of great benefits to sweeten the deal. Here’s a taste of what we offer:

Health & Wellbeing: Private medical insurance with option to add your family, Digital GP appointments, market-leading family policies, mental health support, discounted gym memberships, dental insurance, and more.

Spend & Save: Recognition with reward platform, up to 7% matched pension contributions, 15% Ocado discount, 20% M&S discount, free breakfast every day in the office, electric vehicle leasing scheme, and free shuttle bus from Hatfield station to the office.

Never miss the moments that matter: Hybrid working, 26 days holiday plus 8 flexible bank holidays, options to buy extra holiday, 2 weeks work from anywhere, and lifestyle break opportunities.

Our Hiring Process

Lucky for us, we receive a high volume of applications and genuinely appreciate the time and effort invested by every candidate. To ensure a fair and thorough process, every application is reviewed by a member of our team. If your skills and experience are a strong match, a Talent Partner will contact you to discuss the role and guide you through the next steps of our hiring process.

Your Application and AI

In the spirit of innovation, we welcome you to use AI tools in your application, just as we use them in our own business at Ocado Retail. However, as you leverage this technology, please don't lose sight of the most important element: your unique self. Your experiences, passions, and personality are what truly set you apart. Ensure that your application still authentically conveys who you are and why you're a great fit for us.

Everyone’s welcome

We’re an equal opportunities employer, which means that we make sure all potential colleagues are treated fairly and equally. We want to ensure everyone has a fair chance to apply; if you need this job description in an alternative format (e.g., larger print, different document type, etc.), please reach out to us at careers@ocadoretail.com and we'll be happy to assist you, and if you require reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know on the application form.