The Pets at Home Vet Group has undergone significant growth over the course of the last few years and is now one of the largest vet groups in the UK. This is a hugely exciting time to join the business with continuing growth and opportunities.
You will join an incredibly friendly and supportive finance team and have the chance to be recognised for leading and developing your individual area and making a mark in the business. You must share our passion for pets as we are driven by providing the best in both customer service and pet care throughout the Group and our 450+ vet practices over the UK.
The Compliance team works alongside the other finance teams to deliver statutory reporting for a growing group of joint venture businesses and a smaller subset of group managed practices.
The successful candidate will lead and manage all statutory and regulatory financial reporting for vet practices, maintain key audit relationships and lead on technical accounting projects.
Reporting to the Head of, the role will be responsible for:
1. Managing and developing a team of 3 assistant accountants
2. Overseeing the preparation of FRS102 small company accounts for over 400 joint venture companies and FRS 101 accounts for group managed practices and support office companies.
3. Reviewing draft financial statements for accuracy and compliance with relevant accounting standards.
4. Preparing financial statements for the trading Vet Group subsidiary companies and managing their external audit.
5. Alongside the Head of, lead the process of implementing IFRS 16 accounting for practices reporting under FRS 102.
6. Alongside the Head of, implement a process to manage the accounting for closed companies and ensure legal documentation is in order so that they can be dissolved.
7. Acting as a key point of contact for external auditors carrying out a limited assurance engagement for Joint Venture practices.
8. Assisting the Head of in co-ordinating the external audit for the Vet Group component of the Pets at Home Group results.
9. Maintaining the Vet Group accounting manual, including defining best practice for documentation and monitoring.
10. Overseeing the completion of ONS surveys for joint venture companies and group managed practices.
11. Assisting the Head of, and the Accounting Services team with ad-hoc work as required.
Requirements for the Role
Education
12. Qualified Accountant (ACA or ACCA)
13. Experience in producing and reporting financial statements
14. Practice background is desirable, or a similar experience gained in other organisations
Skills & Knowledge
15. Strong financial reporting technical knowledge including UK GAAP and IFRS
16. Knowledge of small company reporting under UK GAAP
17. Good knowledge of IFRS9, IFRS 15 and IFRS 16
18. Strong Excel skills are essential with knowledge of other MS Office applications.
19. Ability to work at pace, be able to delegate appropriately and have a high level of organisational skills
20. A self-starter who can work both independently and as part of a wider team
21. Ability to influence, build consensus and challenge across teams, both within and outside of Finance to drive improvements.
Personal Attributes
22. Proven leadership ability
23. Team player, able to build strong networks and communicate and work effectively across disciplines
24. Passion for accuracy and drive for improvement
25. The ability to own problems to a conclusion and manage the expectations of the business in terms of the objectives and outcomes
We take our inspiration from pets in embracing people from all walks of life, and we value, respect and celebrate difference. We encourage our people to be their best selves so that we can create a better world for Pets, our Planet, and People. Our ambition is to reflect the diversity of the communities we operate in, and we are intentional in addressing and removing barriers to create opportunities for the exceptional talent and potential in our communities. Even if your skills and experience don’t perfectly align, if you think you can make a unique contribution through your values and behaviours, we want to hear from you.