Financial Controller

Description:

Are you ready to take the reins in a pivotal role within the Education division? We're seeking a dynamic Financial Controller to join our team and lead the charge in redefining our financial management and control processes. If you're an ACA or ACCA qualified finance professional with an eye for excellence a consistent track record, we want to hear from you!

Operating school and sports group travel across the world from the UK and Australia source markets, we’re passionate about enriching young people’s lives through travel and delivering experiences that create lifelong memories.

The Experience Education (EE) division is part of the Travelopia Group, a KKR owned company, and is a market leading provider of educational travel – working primarily with schools, colleges and universities, we deliver a wide range of experiences for their students: from ski and adventure breaks to international travel supporting core curriculum topics, Sports Tours and Expeditions to places near and far.

We operate under two business divisions: our Brighton based business, which offer ski, residential activity centres, sports and curriculum tours and is focused on UK educational establishments and sports clubs; and World Challenge (WCE) which offers Expedition travel for UK and Australian schools (as well as expanding into curriculum and sports for the Australian market).

It’s an exciting time to join the business. School and many sports groups have been unable to travel for the last two years, demand for school trip is greater than ever. Post COVID, we have transited previously 3+ business divisions all with separate and siloed structures and systems into one business operation. As part of that transition, we have transformed our finance operating model, moving to one finance system (SAP) and ensuring our processes and structure are both efficient and effective.

About the Role:

As our Financial Controller, you will be the driving force behind the management accounts, control environment, year-end audit delivery, and regulatory reporting. You'll work closely with our FP&A team and play a key role in ensuring the timely and accurate management of our general ledger and balance sheet. Your mission? Deliver operational effectiveness and drive financial excellence across our business!

What You'll Be Doing:

As the Financial Controller, you'll be responsible for a wide range of exciting and ambitious tasks, including:
 

• Leading and developing the financial control and processing team to foster a culture of excellence.
• Managing the month-end process to ensure the preparation of comprehensive management accounts, including P&L, balance sheet, and cashflow.
• Ensuring the completeness of GL posting and the integrity of the balance sheet and related controls.
• Owning monthly balance sheet reconciliations and proactively managing risks.
• Being responsible for the annual audit process, tax, and regulatory reporting. Producing cashflow forecasts and monitoring the cash position.
• Managing local statutory and regulatory reporting requirements, such as VAT, Tax, Travel regulatory reports.
   

What We're Looking For:

To excel in this role, you should have:
 

• ACA or ACCA qualification with strong technical knowledge and industry or advisory experience.
• Proficiency in SAP with strong modelling and Excel skills.
• A positive approach to continuous improvement and driving change.
• The ability to form relationships across all levels of the organisation and lead a team.
• A problem-solving mentality and a motivation to dive into the details when needed.
• Multitasking and prioritisation skills