IFS - Controls and Communications Manager, Finance

Job description / Role

Line of Service
Internal Firm Services

Specialism
IFS - Finance

Management Level
Manager

Job Description & Summary

The Shared Service Centre Controls and Communications Manager ensures SSC adherence to PwC policies, procedures and controls whilst reporting and resolving any issues arising therefrom.

The SSC is required to operate at optimized levels of efficiency and quality of deliverables, and therefore the Controls and Communications Manager needs to have skills in the following critical areas:

- Accounting principles and controls
- General people and team management
- Coaching, motivation and personal development
- Business processes design and engineering
- Continuous improvement and quality methodologies
- Problem solving
- Risk management
- Relationship management
- Project management

The SSC works to a set of Service Level Agreements agreed with its customers and sponsors-

The SSC Controls and Communications Manager supports the SSC leader in managing cluster relationships by proactively communicating with Lines of Service, IFS leaders, and Cluster leaders on a routine basis to ensure a consistent and acceptable level of service to the ME business as a whole.

The job holder constructs and issues reports and communications to stakeholders in the ME region to keep them informed of performance, changes, needs and requirements, issues, opportunities and risks.

Financial Controls

- Custodian (on behalf of SSC Leader) of all SSC financial controls, policies and procedures
- Ensure controls are maintained up to date and enforced
- Confirms controls measures to central finance, and to clusters monthly.
- Internal oversight of functional/ process controls
- Controls systems accesses
- Manages SSC data integrity and security
- Manages PwC office policies including security, clean desk policy, laptops, master files)
- Monitors budgets and purchases for the SSC gaining sign-off from the SSC leader monthly
- Manages SSC- customer SLAs and contract terms
- Works closely with financial control to agree on realistic and achievable targets for ad hoc requirements
- Works closely with internal audit team (and external as required) to ensure compliance, and follows up on previous open items
- Manages all SSC risks continuously and the SSC Business Continuity Plan

Relationship and communication

- Maintain organization chart and headcount list up to date
- Support the SSC leader with managing cluster relationships, central finance, LoS
- Support the SSC leader in the proactive communication of performance, change, opportunities which affects or impacts other parties
- Proactive approach to ensure minimal challenges on business, particularly those which could impact client relationships
- Works with LoS and IFS leaders to ensure satisfaction with services and that any issues are addressed
- Support the transformation strategy to achieve the best finance operations delivering high quality and timely outputs.
- Manages the service level contracts between the Shared Service Centre and the countries/ S&.

People

- Provides regular updates and information to all staff about SSC initiatives, business results, opportunities, and briefs important changes direct to all.
- Maintains people managers list and manages SSC people directly as a PM
- Maintains an environment of constructive teamwork within the finance team

Analysis and reporting

- Reports and takes action on all failures to meet requirements laid down in regulations, policies, formal procedures and any events that place the integrity and reputation of the firm at potential risk.
- Routine management reporting of:
- Performance based on SLAs, OLAs and KPIs
- Statistical data (Volume, values, and exceptions)
- Financial modeling (Scenarios to optimize cost and headcount)

From the above, construct and issue a monthly performance report to Finance Management, Country/ Cluster Managers, and others as agreed showing actual performance against agreed service levels.

- Problem solving
- Monthly reporting for all functions and for all audience (achievements and issues)
- Statistics and analysis of performance, number of invoices/emails/journals per head. Streamline, work measure, composite factor.

Requirements

Education/Training

- Bachelor's or Master's Degree in Business Administration, Accounting or Finance or equivalent

Language

- Fluency in spoken and written English, Arabic and French
- Very strong verbal and written communication skills

Overall Experience

- 5+ years of experience in a Finance function of which at least 3 years should be at a management grade
- Management of a team of at least 5 people directly
- The jobholder uses appropriate styles and techniques to optimize team performance and maintain a stable and positive working environment.

Specific Experience

- Demonstrated experience of financial accounting/management accounting and financial controls
- Change management within a medium/large organization
- Relationship management
- Process/business analysis and process design/re-engineering
- Extensive problem solving
- Experience of working in a shared service center environment/ centralized accounting unit at management level would be an advantage but not essential

Technical Skills

- Strong financial, analytical and accounting skills
- Excellent level of accuracy to a high level of detail
- Good calculation and analytical skills
- Proficiency in MS Office and Google office applications
- In depth knowledge of finance operations and processes, including accounting, reporting and financial control activities

Soft Skills

- Influencing and negotiating skills at all levels and across boundaries
- Great organization and office management
- Skilled in maintaining client relationships
- Advanced problem solving skills
- Very strong people management skills
- Anticipation, planning and decision making
- Customer service skills
- Strong work ethic
- Risk averse/risk management skills
- Ethical conduct
- Strong communication skills
- Active listener

About the Company

At PwC Middle East, we've set out an ambitious purpose and strive to live it everyday: to solve important problems and build trust in society.

We're a community of solvers that come together in unexpected ways to build trust and create sustained outcomes. We solve important problems, support one another as we grow, develop and build fulfilling careers.

PwC provides industry-focused services for public and private clients across Assurance and Audit, Deals, Consulting, Tax and Legal. We draw on our development legacy that brings together the collective experience of over 7,000 people in our region with offices across 12 countries to solve for tomorrow.

We're striving to consistently deliver innovative work that builds trust and delivers sustained outcomes. And we're proud of the strength that comes from all our different backgrounds and experiences and we value everyone's uniqueness. We thrive in uncertainty, operate with integrity and leverage the diverse perspectives of our teams.

If you're looking for a place that fuels your ambition to make a difference, that matches your curiosity with continuous learning opportunities and reimagines ways of working to enable you to lead a more balanced life, then you're a future PwCer.