Financial Controls Project Lead

We are looking for an experienced, commercially minded finance professional to take on a 12-month secondment as Financial Controls Project Lead for Schroders' Wealth Management business. This is a project-led role focused on assessing, standardising and strengthening the financial control environment across legal entities and jurisdictions, rather than managing day-to-day team delivery. The role will examine current financial controls, documentation, ownership, evidencing standards and remediation activity, and will establish a consistent, proportionate framework that supports stronger governance, clearer accountability and more efficient ways of working.

The successful candidate will lead a structured review of the Wealth financial control landscape, identifying inconsistency in control design, ownership, documentation and execution. They will work with Financial Controllers, process owners and stakeholders to standardise controls, align SOP documentation and RCA outputs, optimise processes, and drive practical remediation to completion.

This role will report directly to the Head of Wealth Finance and will work closely with Financial Controllers, Financial Planning & Analysis, Wealth Operations, Risk, Treasury, Tax, Regulatory Reporting, Group Reporting, Internal Audit, external auditors and Finance Transformation stakeholders.

About Schroders

Schroders is a global investment manager which provides active asset management, wealth management and investment solutions. We aim to provide excellent investment performance to clients through active management. We serve a diverse client base that includes pension schemes, insurance companies, sovereign wealth funds, endowments, foundations, high net worth individuals, family offices, as well as end clients through partnerships with distributors, financial advisers, and online platforms.

Established in 1804, we have around 5,500 people across 36 global locations. Schroders' success can be attributed to its diversified business model, spanning different asset classes, client types and geographies.

The base

This role will be London-based, with flexibility to work with colleagues across Schroders' wider office network as required.

The team

The Wealth Management Financial Control team manages the external reporting and financial control requirements for the Wealth Management operating subsidiaries across the UK, Channel Islands, Switzerland and Singapore.

The team is responsible for high-quality entity financial records, balance sheet control, statutory reporting, board reporting support, financial risk identification and remediation, and financial input into regulatory and tax requirements. The team works closely with Wealth Operations, Group Reporting, Revenue Accounting, Cost Accounting, Financial Planning, Tax and Regulatory teams to ensure financial results are accurate, controlled and fit for use.

What you’ll do

• Lead a 12-month financial controls project to assess the current Wealth Management financial control environment across entities and jurisdictions
• Map key financial controls, process ownership, control evidence, dependencies, gaps and known remediation activity
• Establish a consistent, proportionate financial control framework, aligned to SOP documentation, RCA outputs, risk appetite and governance expectations
• Identify inconsistencies, duplication, manual workarounds and control weaknesses, and develop practical recommendations to simplify, standardise and optimise processes
• Drive remediation plans through existing control owners, ensuring actions are clearly defined, prioritised, tracked and evidenced through to completion
• Work with Financial Controllers, Wealth Operations, Finance teams, Risk, Internal Audit and external auditors to strengthen controls at source and improve evidencing standards
• Support Finance Transformation and Operating Model initiatives by embedding sustainable financial control standards, governance and reporting disciplines

The knowledge, experience and qualifications you need

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent professional qualification
• Significant post-qualified experience in financial control, legal entity accounting, audit or financial reporting
• Strong IFRS technical accounting knowledge, with ability to apply accounting judgement to practical issues
• Demonstrable experience assessing, designing and improving financial control frameworks, ideally across complex legal entity or multi-jurisdictional environments
• Strong understanding of risk identification, control…