Job title: SME – Order to Cash
Company: British Council
Job description: We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide.
We work directly with individuals to help them gain the skills, confidence and connections to transform their lives and shape a better world in partnership with the UK. We support them to build networks and explore creative ideas, to learn English, to get a high-quality education and to gain internationally recognised qualifications.
Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. In 2021-22 we reached 650 million people.
Process Subject Matter Expert (SME), Order to Cash (O2C)
Pay Band: 8
Salary: Starting £38,820 (+ £3,300 market allowance if based in London)
Contract Type: 2 year fixed term contract
Location: UK; London, Manchester, Cardiff, Edinburgh, Belfast.
Requirements: Candidates must have the pre-existing (permanent) right to work in location.
Mobility / relocation / visa sponsoring support will not be provided.
Benefits include, but are not limited to:
- 32 days annual leave, in addition to public holidays
- 3 days volunteering leave
- Career average defined benefit pension scheme
- An unrivalled opportunity for you to get to use all the experience you’ve built up working in and / or leading global organisations to support us in building trust across the world!
Closing date: Tuesday 5th December, 11:59pm UK time.
Role purpose
This role works closely with the Global Process Owner (GPO) for Order to Cash (O2C) on the design and delivery of changes to global finance processes as part of business-as-usual activity and Finance Transformation.
They contribute to the delivery of process improvements that form a significant part of the work to consolidate and standardise finance processes across the Global Finance team. Their work will enable the achievement of important benefits and improvements to the effectiveness and efficiency of the global finance team.
This includes the effective management of the deliverables from design through consultation, sign off approval, delivery, implementation, and transition to BAU. The role holder must have well developed communication and influencing skills as they will be required to work with the wider finance and operational communities across the globe to ensure that outputs are fit for purpose, meet the requirements of the wider organisation, and are delivered to time, quality, and cost.
They will develop constructive relationships with Shared Service providers and Financial Control staff across the globe, working with them to drive improvements.
They are expected to proactively engage with groups carrying out change, ensuring that related financial control activity remains fit for purpose.
The role will represent/deputise for the GPO O2C as required.
Context
The British Council Finance team support a global business and therefore operate in the UK and overseas. This role sits within the Global Process Owner teams which is part of the Finance Control part of the organisation, supporting both business-as-usual process changes and work undertaken as part of Finance and Professional Services Transformation.
The role will be advising, designing, and implementing beneficial changes to processes to improve transactional and financial procedures, ensuring cost benefits, compliance with tax and legal status to British Council entities.
The financial accounting team in the Shared Service Centre (SSC) in India produces a significant amount of the data and information used for the global reporting. Therefore, the relationships with SSC colleagues are very important to establish and maintain. Some of the work will involve the SBUs or regional teams, so the role will also need to build and maintain relationships with these staff as well as Corporate Finance teams.
The role holder will need to quickly gain in-depth knowledge of each issue/project, to be able to analyse risks/issues and effectively contribute to the successful outcome of the improvement project. They must be comfortable in challenging senior stakeholders to ensure they are complying with financial accounting processes, accounting practices and corporate policies. They will be able to effectively time manage and complete the work, managing conflicting priorities and pressure of work.
The main opportunity and challenge for the team is to simplify, streamline, standardise, and automate global finance processes and controls that help to achieve the benefits for British Council. This is both an opportunity and challenge to standardise and reduce the excessive number of processes currently being operated.
The roles will need to develop fit for purpose, lean processes and gain buy in from numerous stakeholders and process users, ensuring end to end improvements are achieved.
Stakeholders that the role interacts with regularly include:
- UK and Regional Controllers and their teams
- Shared Service Centre
- Corporate Finance
- Global Process Owners and their teams
- Legal, Risk, Audit and Compliance Leads
- Business Operations Stakeholders
- Global Finance community
Key external business partners/external suppliers.
Main accountabilities
Consultancy, analysis, and problem solving
- Document current processes, identify detailed business requirements, undertake critical review and analysis, and design/develop future improved end-to-end global standardised finance processes.
- Provide analysis of what RACI (Responsibility, Accountability, Consulted and Informed) element is applicable and what Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) are required for each process (manual or automated).
- Identify process improvement opportunities and implement regular beneficial changes to processes to improve transactional and financial procedures. Develop and propose solutions and document to improve/standardise/consolidate/automate global processes.
- Deliver process change deliverables to the agreed design to time and quality. This includes the development of all the relevant and necessary training materials, communications, and documentation for end-users.
- Lead/support the sign off approval process for finance process change as part of the governance arrangements before and after the transition to BAU. Manage change control including the identification of the ‘knock-on’ impacts of any changes to the design or implementation timing and ensuring that all changes go through the required governance and approval processes. Complete all documentation of the ‘to be’ process.
- Manage and support the transition of the ‘to be’ process to BAU, ensure changes are communicated and training given to the right target audience / user base.
Relationship and Stakeholder management
- Develop and maintain relationships with SSC and colleagues around the world to deliver on project work.
- Involve all relevant stakeholders in the development of the ‘to be’ design and getting sign-off of that design through the change control governance process.
Subject Expertise
- Provide guidance and advice on compliance with professional accounting standards, technical accounting issues and other external reporting requirements in British Council. Liaise with other specialist finance functions such as Tax, Treasury, Finance Policy, and Global Process Owners as needed.
Role specific knowledge and experience
Minimum/essential
- Experience of financial process improvement, process mapping, developing RACI charts and KPIs, controls & risks.
- Good knowledge of the O2C process area and a good understanding of external best-practice benchmarks.
- Excellent analytical skills/experience.
- Excellent communication skills – experience of conveying complex financial information in an easy-to-understand way.
- Proven experience in project work and successfully delivering results/meeting deadlines.
- Experience of working in an international and multi-cultural organisation, including a shared service operation/managing a diverse group of stakeholders in multiple locations.
- Experience of working with senior managers and stakeholder engagement.
- Flexibility, independence, and initiative to perform successfully in a rapidly changing environment.
- Experience of Microsoft tools including MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Visio, MS Project and SharePoint.
Desirable
- Experience of SAP financial control system.
- Use of lean six sigma methodology.
- Experience in data management and integrity.
- Project Management or Change Management qualification.
Certification and Professional Qualifications
Qualified accountant – CIMA, ACCA, ACA, or similar accountancy qualification, with some experience post-qualification or equivalent.
Closing date: Tuesday 5th December, 11:59pm UK time.
A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world.
Equality , Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Statement
The British Council is committed to policies and practices of equality, diversity and inclusion across everything we do. We support all staff to make sure their behaviour is consistent with this commitment. We want to address under representation and encourage applicants from under-represented groups, in particular, but not exclusively, on grounds of ethnicity and disability. All disabled applicants who meet the essential criteria are guaranteed an interview and we have Disability Confident Employer Status. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities.
The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with.
We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989.
Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed; these will include qualification checks, reference checks, identity & criminal record checks in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children.
If you have any problems with your application please email
Please note: Applications to this role can only be considered when made through the Apply section of our careers website. Our ‘ASK HR’ email is only to be used in case of a technical issue encountered when applying through the careers website. Emails with supporting statements and CV/Resumes sent to this email address will not be reviewed and will be deleted.
Expected salary:
Location: London
Job date: Thu, 16 Nov 2023 03:58:58 GMT
