Manager Finance

Role Purpose:

This is a senior role within the Unit Senior Leadership Team, reporting to the Unit General Manager and the Regional Finance Manager. The IDSR Unit Finance Manager will be accountable for all finance matters across the 600-strong, geographically-dispersed and complex business. This will include project, division and territory focused dimensions.

Working closely with the Unit General Manager and the other members of the senior leadership team to design, develop and implement a new Unit operating model for the business to align with market, Mott MacDonald Group strategy and the Unit business plan. This will include the transformation and continuing adaptation of the finance function within the Unit to increase our competitiveness and productivity, whilst ensuring compliance with accounting and Group standards.

The role requires strong leadership, communication and interpersonal skills to influence change across the diverse business with strong stakeholder engagement and buy-in.

You will represent the Finance matters for the Unit with and across the wider Group, ensuring the Unit operates in compliance with Group and Regional policies and procedures. This will include close collaboration with central finance, tax and treasury colleagues.

You will manage the Unit’s finance team, providing leadership, coaching, mentoring and training opportunities to develop their professional skills and liaise with Divisional Managers to ensure proposals and projects receive the appropriate and timely finance and accounting support from the team.

Key Responsibilities:

Driving Change

• Contribute to the design, development, implementation and continuous improvement of a new IDSR Operating Model which aligns with market conditions and Group strategies. This will include development of new systems and processes to align with client and federal reporting requirements.  

• Develop, communicate and implement new finance strategies to improve the business and reduce risk in line with the Unit Business Plan

• Collaborate with and support the statutory accounts team to ensure compliance of all entities/territories is maintained in accordance with the prevailing legislation.

• Support the winning of work by supporting the development of innovative pricing strategies and cost effectiveness measures

• Member of the Unit leadership team reviewing financial performance, proactively identifying and championing opportunistic actions, applying tailored information.

• Applies analytical tools and techniques to identify sources for increased productivity across the Unit.

Management

• Partner the Unit General Manager and Unit management team in preparation and evaluation of Business Plans. Accountable for decision-making and planning from a finance perspective. Escalate issues promptly contributing to an open and honest dialogue across the management team.

• Set objectives and Key Performance Indicators, for performance monitoring and quality measurement

• Responsible for building strong relationships with the project teams and wider business community, sharing best practice and driving a unified culture.

• Collaborate with internal and external specialists in tax, treasury, finance, commercial and legal as necessary to ensure compliance and manage the changeable requirements and obligations across multiple international jurisdictions.

• Attendance at Executive and Management Board meetings, providing strategic direction for the Unit

Projects

• Create and maintain a pro-active support system to the WIN process including the review of proposals, assessment of financial aspects of contracts to facilitate invoicing and payments, working capital requirements, managing fiduciary risk, contingency levels, benchmarking, costs modelling, budget profiling in Connect Business, indexation and identify grounds for additional fees.

• Participate in WIN governance, particularly Yellow and Gold Reviews. This shall include challenging/supporting pricing, entity use, inflation, currency and ensuring sufficient and appropriate level of effort and CVs for finance inputs into programme budgets is made.

• Support the project establishment process to ensure all new projects are set up properly from a finance and accounting perspective. 

• Monitor spend across Unit and Divisional Business budgets and provide information and data to the budget holders to facilitate their management of the same.

• Work with Group Finance, Treasury, Tax, and Shared Service teams to enhance delivery with project teams

• Review project finances and challenge Project Principals and Divisional Managers on notable deviation from the forecast of project performance. Where necessary support corrective actions, identify claims for additional fees and changes to staff requirements. A particular focus should be on early identification and management of profit deterioration, rising working capital and billing.

• The UFM may wish to attend or provide support from the Finance to engage with Monthly Project Control Meetings. “Attend monthly project control meetings to support major and sensitive projects”

• “Lead the finance team and project teams in positively challenging the status quo”

• Manage working capital; optimising prompt invoicing and collections, cashflow and remittances

• Able to develop and implement FOREX risk mitigation and management approaches for projects

Reporting and Compliance

• Interpret monthly management accounts for the Unit, controlling financial performance, improving profitability, utilisation, overhead control and working capital.

• Prepare the monthly accounts and the finance-related Board paper and Business Plan sections providing a narrative on Unit performance, forecasts and recommendations for improvements.

• Supervise preparation of annual budgets and forecasts, aligned in delivery of Business Plans

• Work with Territory Managers to ensure local compliance.

• Monitor financial control environment and effective completion of an annual Controls Matrix

Resourcing, Training and Development

• Manage and prioritise the resources available to the finance function in line with the requirements of the Unit and prevailing risk, including the use of digital/automation, the FSC and the GDS where possible.

• The UFM will maintain membership to their professional institution and undertake continuous professional development to ensure their understanding of the latest legislation and guidance remains current;

• Provide leadership and role model the highest standards as a finance professional. Support the continuing professional development of the finance staff at HQ and in the field, ensuring a consistently high standard throughout.

• Through Connected Conversations and trend analysis identify training needs for the team and work with L&D to source or create the necessary training interventions to achieve the developments needs.

• Actively praise and celebrate good performance and where necessary address poor or under performance.

• Lead Unit staff in maintaining the project control system, providing finance training to control accurate project budgets and revenue recognition

• Sponsor improvement initiatives to strengthen relationships with the business and deliver projects successfully

• The supervision, co-ordination and management of project accountants with an active role in appointments, training and Connected Conversations

QUALIFICATIONS:

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field.

• Professional certification (e.g., ACA,CIMA, ACCA)

• Significant experience in a senior finance role, with experience in managing geographically dispersed teams.

• Strong leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.

• Understanding FAR regulations.

We can offer (subject to Company’s policy):

- Agile and safe working environment

- Competitive annual leave and sick leaves

- Group incentive scheme

- Group term life insurance, Workmen’s compensation and Group medical insurance coverage

- Short and Long-term Global employment opportunities

- Global collaboration and knowledge sharing

- Digital Innovation and Transformation

Equality, diversity and inclusion

We put equality, diversity and inclusion at the heart of our business, seeking to promote fair employment procedures and practices to ensure equal opportunities for all. We encourage individual expression in our workplace and are committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone feels they have the opportunity to contribute.

Agile working

At Mott MacDonald, we believe it makes business sense for you and your manager to choose how you can work most effectively to meet your client, team and personal commitments. We embrace agility, flexibility and trust.