Head of Financial Reporting

Overview"This job is brought to you by Jobs/Redefined, the UK's leading over-50s age inclusive jobs board." Company Description

Every minute of every day, Smiths Detection's threat detection and security screening technology helps to protect people and infrastructure, making the world a safer place.

Smiths Detection, a global leader in the development, manufacture and management of security and detection solutions designed to make the world a safer place. Our technology provides threat detection and screening solutions for customers in our key markets: aviation, ports and borders, defence, and urban security.

Our expertise spans 21 global offices, seven manufacturing sites and five R&D centres, with a global network of 3,000 dedicated colleagues contributing towards over 40 years at the frontline of advances in safety and security.

This results in careers built on variety and the opportunity to work on a range of state-of-the-art solutions, where you can develop your knowledge and experience every day.

Job Purpose:

This will be Smiths Detection's first Corporate and Financial Reporting expert. The successful candidate will be the internal financial reporting specialist with crucial responsibilities in preparing the Detection business for independent financial reporting outside of Smiths Group plc, following the recent announcement that the Detection business will be sold to CVC during the second half of this calendar year.

Smiths Detection will be the size of a FTSE 250 listed business, may have listed debt and we require someone with an excellent technical understanding of the reporting requirements that will be needed. Under PE ownership, clear, accurate and purposeful financial reporting will be required from the outset. Additionally we are looking for a leader with skills and experience of change, able to design for an evolving finance organisation looking to the future.

The role is to manage the end to end review, reporting and audit process, beginning by prepare internally though creating new processes and policies, in readiness for external reporting and requires someone with a strong understanding of the corporate reporting environment and audit requirements, who is able to research technical questions and work in a matrix organisation to augment the existing team.

The Smiths Detection Finance Team, of circa 150 people, operates through a matrix structure. This role will not have direct line management responsibility over the preparers of the accounting and financial reporting information but will have ultimate financial reporting responsibility for the entire business.

The role is based at the Smiths Detection headquarters in London, subject to hybrid working arrangements.

• Setting the timetable, framework and reporting responsibilities. This role will not have direct line management responsibility over the preparers of the accounting and financial reporting information but will need to design the framework to ensure accurate, complete and balanced financial reporting for the Group.
• Managing the Group's end to end external review, reporting and audit processes for consolidated historic financial information.
• Managing the process for the preparation of financial statements and notes to the accounts including disclosures.
• Creating a new fit-for-purpose corporate reporting process, leveraging existing people and processes where possible, and building and documenting that required with all our compliance obligations in relation to financial reporting.
• Substantive analysis and investigation on complex financial reporting areas, such as the SOCIE, cashflow statement, pensions, share-based accounting, EPS, financial risk management etc with the focus on areas that require corporate reporting expertise. A good understanding of IFRS and UK public listed company reporting is essential.
• Responding to and advising on technical and commercial accounting queries.

In addition, this role will also be responsible for:

• Developing and maintaining a new Group Accounting Manual, including ensuring that the Group's policies are appropriate, relevant, robust and consistently applied. Shaping new…