General Ledger Team Lead

The General Ledger (GL) Team Lead will be responsible for coordinating and managing the day-to-day operations and activities of the GL accounting team. This includes managing a team who execute GL accounting activities for multiple entities, delivering services in EMEA and NASA. You should be able to work and understand Record-to-Report (R2R) ERP systems.

In this role you will report to the Global R2R Delivery Lead and ensure accurate and timely delivery of GL accounting activities. You will support the GL accounting team, share feedback on and develop team’s performance, provide guidance and expertise on GL accounting escalations and make decisions on behalf of the GL accounting team where required.

About Group Finance

In joining RWS’s Finance team you will be a critical part of supporting a listed world-leading provider of technology-enabled language, content, and intellectual property services. RWS has growing revenues of over £750m through a combination of value accretive acquisitions and organic growth. Group finance, led by our Group CFO; Candy Davies, includes diverse teams across the globe operating in functions including business partnering, operational finance, specialist, and group functions. We cover a footprint of over 100 legal entities in 43 different countries worldwide.  

It’s a very exciting time to join RWS Finance for an individual who enjoys change and making an impact! As part of the overall RWS business strategy we are making a significant investment in upgrading our financial systems and processes to deliver enhanced reporting and control, more efficient processing enabling great value through enhanced business partnering and decision support. 

Key Responsibilities

• Review and provide input to GL accounting team activities

• Provide input and guidance for exception-based journal entries and GL postings
• Provide approval of manual adjustments required for each period
• Approve balance sheet and bank reconciliations
• Receive and manage escalations or issues in relation to accounts
• Manage region-specific reporting or other ad hoc requests

• Supervise GL accounting functional team across multiple levels

• Establish strong working relationships with direct reports to ensure satisfaction and talent retention
• Mentor and guide direct reports, sharing expertise and knowledge to support growth and development
• Conduct and prepare performance reviews of direct reports in a timely manner and identify areas of development
• Ensure GL accounting team are meeting performance targets and investigate when not achieved
• Ensure direct reports maintain Key Performance Indicator (KPI) results within management expectations where necessary
• Foster adoption of the company culture and values and mindset shift to one SSC team
• Monitor GL accounting team’s required training to ensure adherence to company compliance policies and procedures

• Direct GL period close and consolidation

• Ensure period end closes are completed in a timely and accurate manner in line with the agreed period end timeline
• Review and provide additional guidance on consolidation where required
• Resolve period close issues or queries that requires judgement and expertise
• Review financial and regulatory reporting and audit materials

• Support continuous improvement of the R2R processes in the SSC

• Work with the Global R2R Delivery Lead to action and execute R2R process strategy
• Raise feedback for potential opportunities to optimise and standardise methods and processes
• Ensure in-scope GL accounting processes are documented and stored on the assigned shared location
• Monitor and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) for measuring performance of GL processes against agreed SLAs

• Ensure GL accounting team compliance

• Ensure policies and procedures are followed by GL accounting team performing tasks during and outside period end close
• Ensuring all R2R controls are adhered to and documented appropriately
• Support implementation of risk management process and associated controls in line with company policies
• Respond to requests from regulatory authorities and auditors

• Collaborate with other teams

• Liaise with stakeholders across the business to ensure requirements are met, for example, to oversee that requests from Business Partners are actioned by the GL accounting team in a timely and accurate manner
• Collaborate with Master Data team for required data points, best practices and standards and data issues
• Collaborate with other SSC process delivery teams to exchange information, as required, and support process improvement where dependencies may exist

Skills & Experience

• 3-5 years management service delivery experience in R2R GL accounting SSC operations, with a track record of managing teams
• 1-2 years of people management experience with the ability to effectively direct and prioritise work of others
• Strong English language skills
• Qualified accountant (AAT/CIMA/ACCA/ACA or global equivalent) or qualified by experience
• Advanced MS Excel skills with a proven aptitude to interpret financial data
• Working knowledge of core finance systems, ERP and related specialty functional systems, frameworks, and functionality
• Deep understanding and enforcement of finance business processes, accounting policies, and statutory accounting principles to ensure compliant SSC operations
• Appropriately applies concepts, methods, and terminology associated with generally accepted accounting practices/operations to new or ambiguous situations
• Experience performing and/or leading teams performing GL accounting tasks/procedures at a moderately difficult to considerably difficult level
• Examines issues and makes informed recommendations related to closing cycles
• Demonstrate logical thought process to simplify complex issues and technical concepts, and to facilitate issue resolution
• Ability to interact with company stakeholders to ensure a high quality of service, while balancing expectations and realisations
• Ability to work in a fast-moving environment with a proactive approach, accustomed to working towards tight deadlines whilst maintaining quality of work

Our purpose is to unlock global understanding. This means our work fundamentally recognizes the value of every language and culture. So, we celebrate difference, we are inclusive and believe that diversity makes us strong. We want every employee to grow as an individual and excel in their career. 

In return, we expect all our people to live by the values that unite us: to partner, putting clients fist and winning together, to pioneer, innovating fearlessly and leading with vision and courage, to progress, aiming high and growing through actions and to deliver, owning the outcome and building trust with our colleagues and clients.

RWS embraces DEI and promotes equal opportunity, we are an Equal Opportunity Employer and prohibit discrimination and harassment of any kind. RWS is committed to the principle of equal employment opportunity for all employees and to providing employees with a work environment free of discrimination and harassment. All employment decisions at RWS are based on business needs, job requirements and individual qualifications, without regard to race, religion, nationality, ethnicity, sex, age, disability, or sexual orientation. RWS will not tolerate discrimination based on any of these characteristics. 

RWS Values 

Get the 3Ps right – Partner, Pioneer, Progress – and we´ll Deliver together as RWS.

Recruitment Agencies: RWS Holdings PLC does not accept agency resumes.  Please do not forward any unsolicited resumes to any RWS employees.  Any unsolicited resume received will be treated as the property of RWS and Terms & Conditions associated with the use of such resume will be considered null and void.