Assistant Financial Accountant

JOB TITLE – Assistant Financial Accountant

DEPARTMENT – Finance

LOCATION – Brunel Way, Fareham

WORKING HOURS – Mon-Fri, 37.5 hours per week

A brighter future awaits you

At CooperVision, we create brighter futures for our customers and employees alike, striving to make a difference and go further.

You’ll be welcomed into a growing global business with a presence in over 40 countries. This establishes an incredible opportunity for you to get involved in international collaborations across Europe, as well as the chance to report into experienced industry leaders, furthering your expertise and creating a positive impact on both our business and your career.

What is important to us

Recruiting, retaining, and promoting a diverse mix of employees is core to our success. It helps bring different perspectives, diverse conversations, and new ideas to the table, all of which are incredibly valuable.

At CooperVision we celebrate, not only our company success, but we celebrate who we all are individually, and we embrace diversity. We support and we encourage you to bring your full self and not just part of you. We are committed to each individual and we look forward to a Brighter Future together.

What will you be doing:

You’ll be part of a team that are responsible for the bank and cash management for all entities supported by the Shared Service Centre and the financial reporting for 8 of these entities. This role engages with stakeholders across the business, both within and beyond finance, in the US and EMEA, as well as engaging with third party service organizations and financial institutions.

Essential Functions & Accountabilities:

Cash Management

• Maintain cash books for UK, ACE, CEE and Benelux market entities, reconciling to the bank account daily and posting to accounting systems (BaaN and Oracle) as required
• Report cash flow for CEE and Benelux
• Liaise with outsourced service providers and CooperVision colleagues within SSC (e.g. Accounts Receivable/Payable) and in local operating locations (e.g. Country Managers)
• Process and authorise payments, ensuring they are signed in accordance with bank mandates / ‘Payment Authorisation Schedule’ (PAS) and liaising with Corporate Treasury as required
• Assist with the completion of month end reporting (in accordance with US GAAP) to include balance sheet reconciliations, providing commentary on variances and assisting the Financial Accounting Supervisor as required
• Prepare journal entries including intercompany netting
• Liaise with bank and credit card companies, dealing with any queries as they arise
• Complete ad-hoc requests and other duties as requested by the Financial Accounting Supervisor

Credit Card Administration

• Processing new card applications and managing cardholder setup/initiation activities
• Handling cardholder queries from business users and processing changes to card limits
• Monitoring user certifications against Company T&E and P-Card Policy

Process Optimisation / Continuous Improvement

• Contribute as necessary towards the continuous improvement of existing Financial Reporting processes, structures, and systems
• Support the implementation of enabling technologies and initiatives where necessary

Finance Policy and Controls

• Ensure compliance with Cooper Companies’ accounting policies
• Ensure compliance with Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) and the established internal control framework
• Assist with Internal and External (currently KPMG) audit requirements

What skills and experience should you have?

To be successful in this position, you must be able to operate in a dynamic and changing environment, manage multiple deadlines, display a high level of professionalism and organisational skills, maintain confidentiality as necessary and have strong verbal and written communication skills whilst supporting the principles of a Shared Service Centre by understanding the needs of the customer, constantly aiming to exceed customer expectations as well as adopting a continuous improvement approach.

We’re looking for someone who is AAT qualified (or by experience) and has ideally has 2-3 years’ experience in an accounts assistant or equivalent role with responsibility for cash management and account reconciliations

Other skills/abilities include:

• Self-starter with high level of accuracy and attention to detail
• Good analytical and problem-solving skills with ability to think creatively and independently
• Fluency in oral and written English (or the required language for the market / country supported) essential.
• Strong numeracy and verbal / written communication skills
• Able to participate in a multi-cultural, multi-linguist operating environment
• Strong team player who can effectively support their colleagues and stakeholders
• Able to work in a high-pressure, high-volume environment
• Proven experience in prioritising workload and delivering to tight deadlines, particularly around month-end
• Intermediate knowledge of MS Office including but not limited to pivot tables and lookup functionality in Excel
• Knowledge of Oracle ERP and BlackLine systems desirable but not essential

CooperVision values

Our four values define and underpin our unique culture; we are dedicated, we are inventive, we are friendly, and we are partners. Becoming part of the CooperVision family means joining a friendly team that’s open, flexible, and respectful of each other’s differences, working together to achieve something great!

What we offer

You’ll receive competitive compensation and a fantastic benefits package including 25 days holiday, pension scheme, healthcare cover, life assurance, access to our Wellness Platform to support you in mental health and wellbeing, a discounted contact lens scheme and much more!

If you like what you see, take the first step towards your brighter future and apply today. All suitably qualified applicants will receive equal consideration and opportunities from CooperVision.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Benefits:

• Canteen
• Company pension
• Cycle to work scheme
• Employee discount
• Employee stock purchase plan
• Flexitime
• Free parking
• Gym membership
• Life insurance
• On-site parking
• Referral programme
• Sick pay
• Wellness programme
• Work from home

Schedule:

• Flexitime
• Monday to Friday

Ability to commute/relocate:

• Fareham: reliably commute or plan to relocate before starting work (preferred)

Experience:

• accounting: 2 years (preferred)

Work Location: In person

Reference ID: HAM2082