Simon B. Email & Phone Number

Thetford, Gb

Main roles and responsibilities• Responsibility for Finance team, all financial systems, processing and reporting including management and statutory accounts • Budgeting, financial planning and forecasting• Specific housing reporting, including the Value for Money report and organisational stress testing • Monitoring and evaluating performance / business effectiveness throughout the organisation, implementing improvements where necessary• Significant business partnering role, working with Business Development on pricing and strategy of contract tendering, and with Operations to improve performance on under performing contracts • Relationships with auditors, bankers, lawyers, and insurers • Chair of the Smaller Providers Bench Marking (SPBM), Supported Housing group• Senior Manager on Advance’s Environmental Action Group, which leads on development of the organisation’s sustainability strategy

Witney

Main roles and responsibilities• Responsibility for Finance, IT/Data, Head Office/facilities and Business Assurance teams (with approx. 27 staff members). • Company Secretary and Data Protection Officer.• Strategic lead for Finance and IT/Data systems• Secretary to the Audit and Risk Committee• Responsible for systems development, implementation and integration. Also, for collecting and reporting on KPI information for both financial and wider non-financial measuresKey achievements and projects undertaken • Lead on developing Advance’s Value for Money (VfM) Strategy and Reporting. This included; leading a “Task and Finish” group on VfM project, producing a three-year VfM savings plan with input from Operational colleagues; developing the organisation’s understanding of unit cost drivers and embedding VfM across the organisation.• Successfully managed financial risk mitigation and developed stress-testing. “golden rules” and mitigation plans• Effectively partnered with Operations to address financially under-performing contracts, including exit strategies where turnaround was not possible• Secured a £10m revolving credit facility on a rolling 5-year basis

Witney

Witney

Preparation and control of all annual budgetary requirements. Liaising with directors and budget-holders in budget setting. Presentation of Budget to Finance Committee and Board.Preparation and presentation of bi-annual re-forecasts to Finance Committee and Board.Preparation of monthly management accounts and Balanced Scorecard KPIs.Leading regular Finance Liaison Meetings with budget holders. Supporting budget holders to improve scheme financial performance and where appropriate, challenging them on financial performance.Finance representative on Operational Management Team.Financial modelling of schemes to ensure viability, appropriate pricing and value for money.Preparation of Benchmarking data for annual exercise with comparable organisations.Production of training plans and training of non-financial staff in finance policy, budget monitoring, reporting and procedures.Providing financial support to operations at review meetings with local authorities.Management of a team of four Management Accountants at varying levels of qualifications. Including recruiting, performing appraisals, recommending training needs and mentoring ACCA trainees.Direct liaison with external and internal auditors

Witney

Temporarily stepped up to role whilst post was vacant

Culham

Preparation of monthly management accounts for 3 reporting divisions in UK and Republic of Ireland (combined turnover c£80m) to a strict deadline.Developing the management accounts packs to provide information that reflects changes in the business and our markets (e.g. ebook reporting). Budgeting and bi-annual reforecasting for divisions. Submission of budgetary information and three-year plans to Group.Analytical review of financial data and advising divisional directors on what actions may be required to improve performance. Preparation of title profitability reviews and presentation to non-financial staff.Collaborating on appraisal of future projects from single books to entire lists and new formats.Liasing with accountants in other divisions to provide benchmarking information to Terms Committee, which is directly used in negotiations with customers. Strategy presentations to non-financial staff.Liaison with directors on all aspects of the business on many adhoc projects - e.g. supplying figures to OFT, customer profitability, save limits on returned stock.Main point of liaison for publishers with other finance departments such as bought ledger, royalties, and payroll for non-financial staff.Responsible for seven staff, both qualified and unqualified. Including recruiting, performing appraisals, recommending training needs and mentoring ACCA trainees.Direct liaison with external auditors and tax advisors.

Didcot

Preparation and development of monthly group management accounts.Review and development of group weekly and monthly sales reports.Assisting in production of interim and year-end statutory accounts.Supervision of Accounts Clerk and responsibility for their development.Preparation of Corporation Tax Returns and computations for the Group and dealing with follow up correspondence from the Inland Revenue. Responsibility for controlling and reconciling intercompany accounts with other members of the Group.Involvement in ad hoc tasks such as review of group pension fund accounts, Publishers Association return of statistics.

Preparation of corporation tax returns and computations for medium sized/large companies including multi-nationals, foreign owned subsidiaries and branches, and large groups.Preparation and audit of tax and deferred tax figures for inclusion in the financial statements of the above. Responsibility for clients at controller level.

Accounts preparation from primary records to balance sheet.Statutory company audits.Operating several small payrolls for clients.Assisting managers in advising clients on a wide range of commercial decisions such as incorporation of business, tax implications of partnership changes and lease versus buy decisions.

Preparation and reconciliation of treaty accounts.

Economics

A Level, Geography; Economics; German