Cost and Reporting Controller

Cost and Reporting Controller

Location: Bristol (Hybrid, 3 days office working)

Salary: Competitive + excellent benefits

SmartStream is a global software and managed services provider to the world’s leading banks, asset managers, custodians and broker dealers with offices in the UK, Europe, Middle East, Asia Pacific and the US.  We are looking for a talented and motivated qualified accountant to join our Group Finance team.

This role, supported by a direct report, will provide the accounting, analysis, and reporting for several key areas of the Group’s costs along with producing monthly analysis and reporting to budget holders and executive management to assist with performance monitoring and key decision making.

The Group has recently migrated to the NetSuite accounting platform, and uses Anaplan for reporting, forecasting and budgeting.

Headcount        

·     Working with the HR team to ensure that open vacancies and headcount changes accurately reflect the group’s reporting structure.

·     Ensuring headcount changes are accurately reflected in Anaplan.

·     Monthly reporting of headcount and open vacancies to the CFO from Anaplan, including detailed analysis by role, with commentary on monthly changes by department and product, and variances to budget and forecast.

Monthly accounting and analysis

·     Posting journals in NetSuite to reflect appropriate accruals, prepayments and cost reclassifications so that the P&L reflects the appropriate charge, maintaining balance sheet reconciliations, and providing appropriate analysis and commentary for the following cost categories: 

·       3rd party costs of sales

·       Discretionary Marketing

·       Contractors

·     Providing commentary at the monthly P&L review meeting for the above areas and taking ownership of follow up actions.

·     Assisting in the monthly review of other selected cost categories e.g. IT costs, identifying potential issues such as missed accruals or the miscoding of costs, and also to understand monthly trends. 

·     Calculating allocations of shared facilities and infrastructure costs across cost centres for posting in NetSuite by the Finance Operations team.

·     Calculating and posting allocations of central corporate costs across cost centres.

·     Using data from the product and development teams to calculate the amount of development costs to be capitalised, maintaining the asset register and balance sheet reconciliations.

·     Improving the analysis of IT & Communications spend, notably by vendor and cost centre.

Reporting

·     Preparing monthly reports for exec management, together with commentary on performance, including slides for the monthly presentation pack, on: 

·     Product profitability

·     Headcount

·     Business lines and departments

·     Compilation of the monthly Group Financial results pack and Revenue Trends, which is distributed to the Board and shareholder. 

·     Regularly briefing budget holders on the content of their reports, answering follow on queries and gaining knowledge of business developments to enhance future commentary and forecasts.  

·     Producing the metrics and charts for selected areas of the business for the Quarterly Strategic Business Review.

·     Provide commentary on the Group Balance sheet at the quarterly Balance Sheet reconciliation meeting.

Forecasting and Budgeting

·      Preparing projections for headcount and contractor costs in Anaplan, based on existing headcount, open vacancy fill, planned starters and leavers.

·      Preparing projections for selected areas of costs, notably, 3rd party costs of sales, IT & Communications, Contractors and Discretionary Marketing.

·      Preparing appropriate analysis and commentary     

Team

·      Manage, motivate, and develop the direct report

Essential Skills

•          Strong Microsoft Excel skills and exposure to reporting systems

•          Excellent attention to detail and accuracy

•          Self-motivated and able to self-manage

•          Excellent communication skills, both written and oral

•          Ability to meet scheduled deadlines and be confident in dealing with a high-volume workload

•          A positive attitude and willingness to be involved in tasks that are needed to ensure success

•            Ability to build strong working relationships

Experience

•            Studying towards a recognised accounting qualification, such as CIMA or ACCA

•            Good written and spoken English - essential

•            Competitive salary

•            Full study support package (course/exam fees plus time off to study)

•            The opportunity to work in a growing and market leading organisation

•            25 days annual leave (increasing with service to 28 days)

•            Company pension scheme – contributions matched up to 5%

•            Group life assurance