Shared Service Centre Hub Accountant – MMC – Witham (Essex)

What can you expect?

• As a SSC Hub Accountant you will be a pro-active, results led individual who is able to balance multiple deliverables whilst satisfying a strict control environment by retaining the highest standards of governance. Ideally you will have experience in working within a busy shared services function of a similar organisation.

• The MMC EMEA accounting operations team supports 18 countries across Europe and forms part of the controllership function that are responsible for ensuring accounting is in adherence to organisation policies, procedures and SOX requirements. The department is supported by an offshore transactional processing team of approximately 100 employees with onshore headcount at around 40. The teams are functionally aligned as follows: People Costs, Fixed Assets and Facilities, Asset and Liabilities, Revenue & Foreign Exchange, Intercompany, Bank reconciliation, Procure to Pay and Cash Control.

• In addition to this, the department has involvement in acquisitions and global projects. It supports initiatives for individual career progression and skill expansion.

• This role sits within the People Costs team who are responsible for all activities in relation to accounting for Compensation and Benefits related expenses for the UK/Ireland and Continental Europe entities. Specific responsibilities include preparation of accruals/prepayments, P&L and balance sheet review and analysis, balance sheet reconciliation review/approval, journal creation and approval, payroll interface validations.

What's in it for you?

• A competitive starting salary to plus a comprehensive benefits package to include; generous pension scheme, employee assistance programme, career mobility, employee network groups, volunteer opportunities, and a number of other programmes.

• MMC also offers a flexible benefit scheme to allow you to select benefits that are most appropriate for your lifestyle and personal circumstances. For example, these include options to buy additional days’ holiday, dental, travel and personal accident insurance, together with a number of staff discounts available in the retail and leisure sectors, such as discounted gym membership.

We will count on you to:

• Production & control review of all balance sheet reconciliations within functional team remit

• Exception reporting and perform checks prior to issuing

• Ensure timely investigation and resolution of any exception items

• Ensure all month-end and quarter-end deliverables are met

• Communicate regularly with offshore counterpart

• To play a lead role in the continuous improvement of business processes

• Record and monitor new tasks through change control process

• Mailbox management

• Attend meetings with managers, colleagues and clients as required.

• Assist with other ad-hoc tasks, projects and initiatives as required.

What you will be rewarded with?

• Competitive Benefits Package including: 27 days annual leave, up to 4 days flexible bank holidays, excellent pension contributions, private medical cover, life assurance, income protection, employee assistance program, plus a range of flexible benefits including the option to buy or sell up to 5 days holiday per year, cycle to work, dental insurance, health assessments plus many more.

• Generous Family Leave including: 6 months paid maternity leave, 4 months paid paternity leave, 6 months paid adoption leave plus shared parental leave options. To help ease the transition when you return to work you will be able to work 8 weeks at 80% of your normal work pattern and receive 100% of your normal salary.

What you need to have:

• Part/Qualified ACCA/CIMA (or QBE).

• Advanced skills in Excel – V lookups, pivots

• Flexible and team player – develops close partnerships with onshore and offshore colleagues

• Ability to work under pressure to tight deadlines and deliver results to short timescales.

• Previous proven ability to identify areas to improve efficiency, accuracy and analysis and suggest and implement process improvements.

• Exposure to General Ledger Accounting

What makes you stand out:

• Prior experience of Oracle and HFM (preferred but not essential)

• Insurance industry experience would be advantageous but not essential.

Lean/Six Sigma knowledge