Internal
Role Profile
Job Title Corporate Governance – Finance Controls Advisor
Responsible to Corporate Governance Manager
Location Office Based (Hybrid 3:2)
Department Central Finance, Profit Protection, Risk & Control & Governance
Hay Grade D
This role profile is a guide to the work you will initially be required to undertake. It may be changed from time to time to incorporate
changing circumstances. It does not form part of your contract of employment.
Overall Purpose of the Role: To support the Corporate Governance Manager in strengthening and overseeing the finance control environment across UK & Ireland. The role will support the design, embedding, monitoring and assessment of the effectiveness of material financial controls aligned to Principal Risks disclosed in the Annual Report and Accounts, including those supporting key financial reporting processes (for example, order to cash, procure to pay, payroll, treasury and record to report).
Working in partnership with Finance leadership, process owners and shared service teams, the role will ensure controls are cl early owned, consistently operated, appropriately evidenced and subject to robust escalation where deficiencies arise. Governance standards will align with UK Corporate Governance Code Provision 29 and the broader SOX readiness roadmap.
The role reports into Corporate Governance. Ultimate control ownership remains with Finance leadership and relevant process owners.
Key Accountabilities Compliance - Finance Controls Governance
KPIs/Measures
• Ensure governance activity supports accurate, complete and timely financial reporting.
• Promote adherence to finance policies, controls standards and key regulatory obligations impacting financial reporting.
• Monthly finance control submissions completed within
agreed timetable • Actions tracked with clear ownership and due dates
• No overdue remediation beyond agreed tolerance
• Material finance control issues escalated in a timely
manner • Reduction in repeat control deficiencies
Relationship Management KPIs/Measures
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with Finance
leadership, process owners and shared service teams. • Provide constructive challenge where finance control standards
are not achieved. • Support education and awareness of finance control and SOX
readiness requirements across the business.
• Active participation in cross domain governance
forums • Positive feedback from Finance and Corporate
Governance stakeholders • Change actions implemented within agreed timelines
• Consistent documentation standards across domains
Internal
Finance Controls Programme
KPIs/Measures
• Design and maintain a documented framework of key finance controls across material financial reporting processes and key systems (including manual and automated controls).
• Develop and formalise finance control standards, minimum evidence requirements and documentation expectations to
support Provision 29 compliance and future SOX readiness. • Ensure controls are clearly owned, consistently operated and
appropriately evidenced across key processes including revenue, accounts receivable, accounts payable, payroll, fixed assets, inventory, treasury and financial close.
• Document control narratives, process flows and Risk and
Control Matrices to enhance clarity of design, accountability and audit readiness.
• Support implementation and governance of key preventative controls such as approvals, segregation of duties, reconciliations, management reviews and monitoring controls.
• Review periodic finance control submissions, assess compliance against agreed standards and track remediation actions to
completion.
• 100 percent of material finance controls formally documented and assigned to accountable owners
• Core finance policies and control documentation
maintained and subject to periodic review • Control execution and evidence submission completed
within agreed timetable • Key reconciliations completed and reviewed in line with
policy and close timetable
• Reduction in repeat control deficiencies across audit cycles
• Clear audit trail maintained for all material finance controls
Governance Monitoring & Reporting KPIs/Measures
• Develop and maintain monthly finance controls dashboards for review with Finance stakeholders.
• Lead structured monthly finance control review meetings with documented actions.
• Identify recurring themes and emerging finance risks, escalating
where appropriate.
• Finance controls dashboard submitted in line with agreed timetable and reporting standards set by the Corporate Governance Manager
• All actions logged with owner and due date • No action overdue beyond tolerance without escalation
• Accurate and complete input into Corporate Governance dashboard
• Thematic trends identified and escalated appropriately
Control Assurance and Effectiveness KPIs/Measures • Assess control effectiveness across finance control domains,
including manual and automated controls supporting financial reporting.
• Escalate material finance control deficiencies to the Corporate Governance Manager, with appropriate visibility to Finance leadership.
• Support Internal Audit and external assurance activity where required.
• Drive continuous improvement through automation, analytics and improved reporting.
• Material deficiencies escalated within agreed timeframe
• Root cause analysis completed for significant failures
• Remediation plans agreed within defined timeframe • Demonstrable improvement in finance control maturity
year on year
Audit & Assurance Oversight KPIs/Measures • Support the Corporate Governance Manager in acting as
primary governance liaison for Internal Audit reviews relating to
finance controls and ICFR / SOX readiness. • Coordinate control walkthroughs, evidence collation and
management responses as delegated, ensuring adherence to agreed timelines
• Review draft audit findings and management responses to
ensure root cause analysis is robust and remediation actions are proportionate
• Work with finance control owners and process owners to agree remediation actions, clear accountability and target dates
• Monitor progress of audit actions and escalate overdue or high-
risk items to the Corporate Governance Manager in accordance with governance framework
• Maintain an accurate central log of audit recommendations and status updates for reporting
• Support preparation for external audit or Provision 29 and
future SOX assurance reviews as required • Identify recurring themes from audit findings and propose
preventative improvements to strengthen control maturity
• 100 percent of Internal Audit actions tracked with no overdue items beyond agreed tolerance
• Audit evidence coordinated and provided within agreed timetable and meeting quality standards
• All significant findings supported by documented root
cause analysis and agreed remediation plan within defined timeframe
• Reduction in repeat findings across consecutive audit cycles through preventative action
• Clear monthly audit status reporting provided to Corporate Governance Manager
Internal
Person Specification
Leadership behaviours:
Can Do - Demonstrates resilience, sound judgement and the confidence to challenge appropriately.
Share Success – Supports stakeholders to understand control expectations and builds capability.
Passion for Quality - Maintains high standards of governance and follows through on actions.
Win through Teamwork – Builds collaborative relationships across Legal, Finance and Operations.
Embrace Diversity – Acts with integrity and promotes an inclusive compliance culture.
Essential • Professional qualification (e.g., ACA/ACCA/CIMA) or equivalent experience in finance controls, financial risk, audit or governance
• Knowledge of ERP environments (e.g., SAP) and the interaction between finance processes and systems • Experience within internal control frameworks such as SOX, ICFR or UK Corporate Governance Code Provision 29
• Experience documenting processes and controls (process narratives, flowcharts, Risk and Control Matrices) and assessing desig n and operating effectiveness
• Experience embedding and operating controls within operational or decentralised environments
• Strong stakeholder management and communication skills with the ability to provide constructive challenge • Ability to assess materiality and exercise balanced escalation judgement
• Strong analytical capability with attention to detail
• Proficient IT skills including Excel and reporting tools, with the ability to leverage automation and AI tools to improve eff iciency
Desirable • Experience working with AI Tools in particular. Copilot / ChatGPT
• Flowcharting - Visio
Key Contacts and Working Relationships • Corporate Governance Manager
• Finance Director / CFO and Finance Leadership Team
• Financial Reporting teams • Shared Services (e.g., Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Payroll)
• Business process owners across Operations, Commercial and Supply Chain (for in-scope financial processes)
• ERP and Finance Systems teams (for controls enabled by systems and automation) • Corporate Governance peers across IT, Compliance and ESG
• Group Internal Audit
• External Audit and other assurance providers as required
• Risk and Compliance functions
Dimensions • Finance and financial reporting Principal Risks (including risk of material misstatement) • UK & Ireland operations
• Revenue £5+ billion
• Multi-site operational environment
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