JOB DESCRIPTION

Job Title:

Group Financial Accountant

Department:

Finance – Financial Reporting and Control

Primary job location:

VIRTUS Head Office

Reporting to:

Group Financial Reporting Manager

About VIRTUS

VIRTUS Data Centres is the UK’s fastest-growing data centre provider. We own, design, build, and operate some of the most energy-efficient, flexible, and secure data centres in Europe.

In 2023, we announced our expansion into continental Europe, starting with Berlin and growing across the region. At VIRTUS, we aim to be a positive force in the fourth industrial revolution—delivering innovative solutions while staying rooted in our values: Care, Helpful, Pride, Reliability and Dedication.

Job Summary

We are seeking a Group Financial Accountant to support our team in delivering monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting requirements. This role involves preparing consolidations, maintaining and reviewing calculations that support key entries in the accounts, and preparing group reporting packs and statutory accounts.

Additionally, the role involves partnering with colleagues across the Finance team and the wider business to ensure significant transactions are identified and assessed in an accurate and timely manner, and providing technical accounting advice in line with Group accounting policies. Increasingly, this will require an understanding of VIRTUS’s rapidly growing business in continental Europe.

You will also work with our internal and external auditors on our year-round audit programmes (interims and year-end) to ensure timely preparation, review and filing of statutory accounts (IFRS, FRS101 and FRS102), and reporting to other key stakeholders.

Main Duties

The role includes but is not limited to the following:

Group Reporting Responsibilities

• Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual consolidations for a group of approximately 30 companies across the UK and EMEA.
• Maintenance and review of consolidation schedules and records
• Prepare quarterly group reporting packs and monthly/quarterly KPI reporting.
• Assist in the preparation of Audit Committee Packs.
• Prepare annual statutory accounts under IFRS and UK GAAP (FRS 101).
• Assist the management accounting team in aspects of the month-end close (balance sheet reconciliations, month-end journal entries such as interest, depreciation, etc.).
• Support and align with the Financial Planning & Analysis and Tax processes and teams (e.g., consolidated budgets, forecasts, and other reports).

Technical Accounting

• Maintain awareness of developments in accounting technical matters and understanding of relevant IFRS and accounting pronouncements for the Group.
• Business partnering with internal stakeholders to identify and support on transactions with accounting and finance considerations.
• Provide in-house technical accounting advice on both IFRS and UK GAAP (FRS 101).

Process, Controls and Systems

• Support Group-wide initiatives to improve the efficiency of using SAP (S/4 HANA and Group Reporting Modules) and implement SAC (SAP Analytics Cloud).
• Periodic review of accounting policies and procedures including internal controls.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency and accuracy in financial reporting.
• In due course support the business in readiness activities for compliance with a full SOX controls environment.

Other Responsibilities

• Work with internal and external auditors on year-round audit programmes.

What success looks like in 12 months:

• Demonstrate a sound understanding of the consolidation process, contributing to monthly consolidations and interpretation of results, and streamlining the process.
• Demonstrate strong technical knowledge on key accounting standards to assist the team in assessing technical accounting issues as they arise.
• Develop strong working relationships within the wider Finance team (Management Accounting, Cost Management, FP&A, Tax and Treasury) as well as operational teams within the business.
• Demonstrate mastery of the SAP S4 HANA and Group Reporting (GR) Consolidation module, and in due course the SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) reporting application.

Person Specification

Qualifications:

Essential:

• Qualified Accountant – preferably ACA or ACCA.

Experience:

Essential:

• Sound technical knowledge – of IFRS both in theory and practical application.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills
• Familiarity with a major ERP application such as SAP or Oracle/Hyperion.
• Comfortable with regular exposure to senior management.

Desirable:

• Familiarity with data centre sector or other technology/capital intensive businesses advantageous.
• Awareness of practical implications of SOX reporting on consolidation accounting processes, leases and fixed assets within the control environment.
• Experience with SAP Group Reporting (GR) consolidation and/or SAP Analytics Cloud (SAC) consolidated reporting and planning modules.

Skills:

Essential:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Strong attention to detail and ownership of tasks.
• Proficiency in MS Office (Excel, PowerPoint, Word).
• Strong data analysis and interpretation skills.
• Ability to think out of the box and work well under pressure and to demanding timelines.