Job Description
At Aberdeen, our ambition is to be the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments group.
Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent. Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders and society.
We are focused on growing our direct and advised wealth platforms and repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand. We are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent.
Aberdeen comprises three businesses, interactive investor (ii), Investments and Adviser, each of which focuses on meeting and adapting to our clients’ evolving needs:
- interactive investor, the UK’s second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform, enables individuals in the UK to plan, save and invest in the way that works for them.
- Our Adviser business provides financial planning solutions and technology for UK financial advisers, enabling them to create value for their customers.
- Our investments business is a specialist asset manager that focuses on areas where we have both strength and scale to capitalise on the key themes shaping the market, through either public markets or alternative asset classes.
About The Role
This is a senior and key role within Aberdeen Finance, which will report directly to the Head of Finance EMEA. The role holder is responsible for the leadership of the Germany Financial Reporting and Control team who are responsible for the financial management of Aberdeen Investments Deutschland AG, leveraging the output of the wider Finance team (principally, Finance Operations), while providing control, oversight and challenge.
The role holder will be a strong people leader able to effectively engage with a diverse team, drive change and deliver improvements in individual performance. This includes ensuring that the team continues to improve the quality of its output and commercial insights. The role holder will be considered a potential successor to Head of Finance EMEA, with exposure to and stakeholder management at senior level (including local Boards).
The incumbent of this role will oversee the day-to-day management of the Finance department of Aberdeen Investments Deutschland AG, providing leadership and direction with responsibility for setting and implementing the Aberdeen group policies and guidelines and ensuring that operations are organised in a controlled and efficient manner.
The role holder will have direct line management responsibility for the Germany Financial Reporting and Control team and will be part of the broader leadership population of the EMEA Finance function.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership:
- Lead a team of experienced finance team members locally.
- Ensure the team is well positioned to deliver against its priorities and that the team’s activities are well planned out throughout the year.
- Inspire and motivate the team to achieve their best, supporting in personal and technical development.
- Foster an environment in which people feel they can be themselves, are empowered to challenge and deliver change.
Legal Entity Reporting and Board Level Stakeholder Management:
- Ensure timely coordination and supervision of preparation of annual financial statements for the entities of Aberdeen Group in Germany
- Oversee the team’s production and review of local entity board packs, ensuring these are complete, accurate, on time, and provide valuable insight in support of decision-making and control, leading discussions on financial matters at the entity board level, as required.
Legal Entity Control and Financial Integrity:
- Timely coordination and supervising of periodical period-end activities (monthly, quarterly, annual) pursuant to local GAAP (HGB) and IFRS
- Oversee the balance sheet attestation process for Germany.
- Ensure that a robust suite of financial controls is designed and implemented, working closely with the Finance Controls Office and other stakeholder groups, as required.
- Support on the preparation of outsourcing agreements and Service Level Agreements to ensure oversight and control of outsourced Finance services and compliance with outsourcing agreements.
Regulatory/ Statutory Reporting and Audit:
- Oversee legal entity audits, coordinating between auditors and internal teams to ensure smooth execution and swift, effective resolution of any issues.
- Timely coordination and supervising of regulatory reporting to external recipients (e.g. BaFin, Deutsche Bundesbank)
Legal Entity Planning and Collaboration:
- Oversee the legal entity planning process for Germany, ensuring productive working together with the Performance and Planning teams.
Projects:
- Coordination and supervising of ad-hoc analysis and periodical and ad-hoc consulting and reporting processes in coordination with local Management Board and wider group Finance
About the Candidate
- Qualified Accountant with extensive experience in a similar financial control or commercial finance leadership role within investment management or a financial services environment.
- Strong track record of leading and motivating teams and bringing the most out of people.
- Demonstrable expertise in relevant accounting principles, practices and processes, including financial reporting standards (IFRS or GAAP).
- Strong written and verbal communication and presentation skills including proficiency in PowerPoint.
- Proficiency in financial systems and ERPs (e.g. Oracle).
- Advanced Excel skills, with the ability to handle large datasets and complex models.
- Self-driven, ambitious, willing to challenge the status quo and wants to make a real difference.
Our business
Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs.
Applications in English are preferred
We’re committed to providing an inclusive workplace where all forms of difference are valued and which is free from any form of unfair or unlawful treatment. We define diversity in its broadest sense – this includes but is not limited to our diversity of educational and professional backgrounds, experience, cognitive and neurodiversity, age, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability, religion or belief and ethnicity and geographical provenance. We support a culture that values meritocracy, fairness and transparency and welcomes enquiries from everyone.
If you need assistance or an adjustment due to a disability please let us know as part of your application and we will assist.