Accounting & Reporting Analyst

Job description

  Salary
Competitive plus benefits
·  Role area
Finance
·  Contract type
Permanent
·  Job reference
HRGRO387472
·  Location
Milton Keynes
MK9 2NW
· 
At Sainsbury's Argos, the great digital transformation is under way. It's our aim to become the digital market leader in choice, value and convenience, so our Finance teams are more important to us now than ever before. They're the people who provide support across the business and help make the crucial decisions that will allow us to develop into a leading digital retailer.

Sainsbury's Argos is at the heart of the Group's growth strategy. Since joining Sainsbury's, Argos has revolutionised the way we do business, bringing expertise, technological innovation and hugely talented people to the team. We have outperformed the market in a number of our key business areas by presenting customers with convenience, choice and value. As well as opening c.280 Argos stores in Sainsbury's supermarkets, customers can also pick up their Argos and Tu clothing orders from 320 collection points in our supermarkets and Convenience Stores, where customers can also collect eBay and DPD parcels. Our own delivery network is also breaking new ground. We are the only retailer in the UK who can deliver to 92% of UK postcodes within four hours.

The Role:

The Reporting & Forecasting team provides a key link between the various business partnering and FP&A teams across the business to create budgets, forecasts and strategic plans as well as delivering corporate performance reporting e.g. weekly trading packs, periodic management accounts and investor relations analysis.

As Accounting & Reporting Analyst, you will execute standard period-end transactions, working together with the business to drive completion of accurate and representative financial statements. The role will involve developing standardised reporting & insight for Business Partnering teams to drive productive action / improved business performance in collaboration with the business.

As Accounting & Reporting Analyst, your main responsibilities will include:

Execute standard period-end transactions and journals in the core finance system, working together with the business to drive completion of accurate and representative financial statements, submitting outputs to the Accounting & Reporting Manager for review.
Develop standardised reporting & insight for Business Partnering teams to drive productive action / improved business performance in collaboration with the business. This includes:

Provision of period-end results to the agreed deadlines and standards.
Production of agreed standardised reporting to Business Partnering teams across weekly and period reporting timelines. This should be timely and accurate and provide insight to the teams using the information.

Support the delivery of Finance improvement initiatives and implementation of internal & external best practices to enhance process efficiency and quality of outputs including:

Data quality improvements.
Elimination, simplification and/or automation of transactional activities (e.g. period end, stock accounting, reconciliations etc.)
Reporting improvements e.g. report rationalisation, design and implementation.

Support external audit preparation.
Identify where financial controls are not operating as required and drive remediation.
Responsible for managing and developing team members.
Responsible for managing relationships with relevant internal and external (third party) stakeholders.

Your skills & experience will include:

Qualified Accountant with ideally 2-3 years post-qualification experience.
Ability to present complex information in a simplified manner.
Ability to identify process issues, understand & fix root causes.
Strong analytical skills, Excel & Access skills and attention to detail.
Ability to work fluidly with data and across systems e.g. reporting tools.
Experience in leading and developing a small team with a wide variation in experience levels would be desirable.
Strong engagement, presentation and communication skills.

What you'll get in return:

If being part of a hugely influential Finance team wasn't enough, you'll also receive a host of great benefits. As well as a competitive salary and bonus scheme you will receive a huge range of learning and development opportunities, holiday allowance, a save-as-you-earn scheme, pension and staff discounts at Argos, Sainsbury's and Habitat.