Senior Finance Manager

at  Taylor Wimpey

Date: 5 Aug 2024
Location: Wakefield, GB, WF2 7UA
Company: Taylor Wimpey
Department Function
Central Finance help to drive the organisation forward by providing insightful analysis and robust challenge to support strategic and operational decision-making, whilst also promoting strong governance and control. They provide Group financial results and business information to both internal stakeholders such as the Board and senior management, and our external stakeholders including auditors, banks, HMRC, corporate advisors and the investment community. Our Finance team promote strong governance by maintaining relevant Group policies and assessing, interpreting and implementing new standards and regulatory requirements. They support the business in their application of the policies, whilst facilitating improvements in the financial systems and control environment.
Job summary/Purpose
The Senior Finance Manager is a pivotal role in the regional finance function. The role is to manage the region’s finance personnel and function, running controlled finance processes and delivering accurate outputs in a timely manner. The Senior Finance Manager is accountable for all aspects of the business unit’s (BU) finance processes, including the preparation of consolidated monthly management accounts, modelling of financial forecasts and plans for the BU, reporting of data and information to Division/Group, and management of the accounts payable and staff expenses processes.
The Senior Finance Manager will engage as a business partner with colleagues from other disciplines and JVs, being able to review and challenge with the aim of enhancing financial and business performance. The role will deputise for the BU’s Finance Director (FD) at business unit management team (BUMT) Board/ other meetings. The individual will have a process improvement mindset / approach.

Primary Responsibilities

• Line manager of 5 finance staff within the team. Manage the team members through a positive, engaging approach, ensuring that processes are robust and controlled, and outputs delivered correctly and in a timely manner.
• Develop team members through on the job training and external training programmes, including finance and soft skills courses (as necessary), objective setting, performance management and succession planning.
• Manage the consolidated monthly close process, ensuring a clean close of all sub-ledgers, interfaces, and accounting judgements, with the general ledger closed by WD3.
• Submission of actuals and forecast data to Division and Group (via OneStream) on WD4, confirming the accuracy of all data in the P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and other submitted operational data.
• Preparation of monthly management reporting for the BU. Include commentary which explains both YTD and full-year forecast variances from budget (or forecast), for review by the FD and incorporation in the monthly BUMT Board Report. The analysis will reflect operational understanding.
• Review balance sheet reconciliations, including entries and accounts managed by central teams (e.g. payroll accounting), ensuring that items are correctly analysed and any accounting anomalies are cleared on a timely basis. Highlight issues to the FD during review and gain overall FD sign off.
• Account and forecast for the complex areas of notional interest (IAS) on land acquisitions, land overage payables and closed sites.
• Review WIP and land recoverability reports, to ensure that all planned balance sheet amounts will be recovered by end of phase/ site. Liaise with the commercial and land departments to resolve any over/ under-recovery issues.
• Monthly review of WIP commitment and spend commitment carried out in conjunction with the Commercial Manager. Forecasts and Budgets
• Preparation of forecasts and projections sourced from the COINs environment, for approval by the FD, and submission to Division/ Group. These presently consist of a 2 Year Profit and Cashflow Forecast as well as a Forward land bank profit projection
• Preparation of the biannual detailed business plan/forecast, with support from the FD and with key decisions taken by the business and members of the BUMT. Interaction on plan creation with JVs where applicable.

Experience, Qualifications, Technical Requirements

• Qualified Accountant – ACA, ACCA, CIMA, with prior experience of working as a financial accountant (or external auditor) and management accountant.
• Staff management (required) with development of staff (preferred)
• Good working knowledge of MS Office and Excel in particular
• Previous industry experience

Inclusivity Statement
As a proud Disability Confident Employer, Taylor Wimpey is committed to creating a diverse and inclusive workforce. We actively collaborate with individuals who have disabilities and long-term health conditions which have an effect on their ability to do normal daily activities, ensuring that barriers are eliminated when it comes to employment opportunities. In line with our commitment, we guarantee an interview to applicants who declare to us during the application process that they have a disability and meet the minimum requirements for the role. Join us in building a truly diverse and empowered team.

• Line manager of 5 finance staff within the team. Manage the team members through a positive, engaging approach, ensuring that processes are robust and controlled, and outputs delivered correctly and in a timely manner.
• Develop team members through on the job training and external training programmes, including finance and soft skills courses (as necessary), objective setting, performance management and succession planning.
• Manage the consolidated monthly close process, ensuring a clean close of all sub-ledgers, interfaces, and accounting judgements, with the general ledger closed by WD3.
• Submission of actuals and forecast data to Division and Group (via OneStream) on WD4, confirming the accuracy of all data in the P&L, balance sheet, cash flow and other submitted operational data.
• Preparation of monthly management reporting for the BU. Include commentary which explains both YTD and full-year forecast variances from budget (or forecast), for review by the FD and incorporation in the monthly BUMT Board Report. The analysis will reflect operational understanding.
• Review balance sheet reconciliations, including entries and accounts managed by central teams (e.g. payroll accounting), ensuring that items are correctly analysed and any accounting anomalies are cleared on a timely basis. Highlight issues to the FD during review and gain overall FD sign off.
• Account and forecast for the complex areas of notional interest (IAS) on land acquisitions, land overage payables and closed sites.
• Review WIP and land recoverability reports, to ensure that all planned balance sheet amounts will be recovered by end of phase/ site. Liaise with the commercial and land departments to resolve any over/ under-recovery issues.
• Monthly review of WIP commitment and spend commitment carried out in conjunction with the Commercial Manager. Forecasts and Budgets
• Preparation of forecasts and projections sourced from the COINs environment, for approval by the FD, and submission to Division/ Group. These presently consist of a 2 Year Profit and Cashflow Forecast as well as a Forward land bank profit projection
• Preparation of the biannual detailed business plan/forecast, with support from the FD and with key decisions taken by the business and members of the BUMT. Interaction on plan creation with JVs where applicable