Gross Margin Manager - Financial Controls

We are a global provider of specialised energy solutions. We're also an important trader in global commodities, working hard to make the best deals possible for our worldwide business and, ultimately, our customers.

As the Gross Margin Manager in our Financial Controlling and Information department, you'll lead the production of the Supply business management accounts, including the delivery of timely and accurate results to our Financial Leadership Team (FLT), the Board and the wider Group.

You're going to have two main remits.

- You'll have financial control responsibility within our energy Supply business; signing off month-end journals, providing insights around controls and communicating those insights to Senior Stakeholders, this includes the provision of regulated reporting to Ofgem and the Department of Energy & Climate Change.

- You'll also handle our main industry agreements. This will see you being responsible for authorising some significant payments as well as controlling the processes for industry payments and monitoring credit requirements.

A key focus for you will be the application of judgments that have a significant impact on accounting estimates for onward communication to our Accounting Centre and external auditors. Failure to substantiate these could affect our credit rating along with our shareholder and reputational value - potentially, it could lead to substantial fines from regulators. Put simply, this is a crucial, highly visible role.

On a day-to-day level, you'll provide:

- Timely balance sheet reconciliations; validate, authorise and pay industry costs;

- Manage the development of financial models to ensure the timely reporting of actuals, variances to forecasts and trend analysis. You can expect to manage the effective resolution of any gross margin variations, determining the drivers and managing the message to stakeholders.

- You'll present the most senior stakeholders with recommendations that will enhance our business performance.

As well as this, you'll need to devise a strategy for - and manage - a team of analysts and an Assistant Manager, as well as engaging colleagues across the business to provide advice and guidance on industry change proposals from a gross margin and settlements perspective. This means we're looking for someone with real gravitas, a collaborative approach and excellent team leadership skills. In particular, you'll need to be adept at coaching, developing and upskilling others. We'll also want to see experience of auditing and financial analysis as well as a proven ability to deliver data analysis and reports on time - project management skills would therefore be an advantage and ideally you'll have SQL skills.

An energy background will stand you in good stead but no matter where you are now, this role will give you a sound understanding of energy and controls, and there will be real scope for you to move either into our Finance team or a more senior level role.