Statutory Reporting & Compliance Manager

Reports to: Head of Finance Location: United Kingdom Direct reports: None Entities covered: All legal entities across all portfolios of the group Frameworks: Local GAAP per jurisdiction, IFRS for group purposes External parties: Statutory and group auditors, local accounting and filing providers, company secretarial providers Role overview The Statutory Reporting & Compliance Manager owns timely, accurate and audit-ready statutory reporting for every legal entity in the group, across all portfolios. The role separates statutory compliance from the portfolio finance teams. They can focus on business performance, cash and portfolio priorities, while statutory deadlines and accounting judgements have a dedicated owner. The role holder is the single point of accountability for statutory accounts, statutory audits, local GAAP to IFRS conversion and the group's compliance calendar. Reporting line The role reports directly to the Head of Finance and sits outside the portfolio reporting lines. This protects statutory deadlines and accounting judgements from competing business priorities. Key responsibilities Statutory accounts • Prepare, or oversee preparation of, statutory financial statements for all legal entities under local GAAP. • Own the group statutory and filing calendar, and make sure every filing deadline is met. • Manage local accounting and filing providers where entities are serviced externally. Statutory and group audits • Plan and lead statutory audits end to end: timetable, PBC lists, audit files and closing meetings. • Act as primary contact for statutory auditors, and coordinate support to the group auditor. • Resolve audit findings and track management letter points to closure. IFRS and technical accounting • Deliver local GAAP to IFRS conversions and respond to IFRS reporting requests. • Set group accounting policies and position papers, for example IFRS 15 revenue recognition, IFRS 16 leases, capitalised development costs and intercompany in close cooperation with the headquarter • Support acquisition accounting for new deals, including opening balance sheets, purchase price allocation and alignment of acquired entities to group policies. Compliance and controls • Maintain the legal entity register from a finance perspective: filing status, auditors, year-ends and local requirements. • Define minimum statutory standards that the portfolio teams' month-end must meet, for example balance sheet reconciliations and documentation. • Coordinate responses to internal audit findings that relate to statutory reporting. • Support entity rationalization, such as mergers and liquidations of dormant entities. Tax interface • Work with the Tax Manager on tax provisions, deferred tax and tax notes in the statutory accounts. • Provide the financial data needed for transfer pricing documentation and local tax filings. Interfaces and decision rights The portfolio teams keep running the books. This role owns what turns those books into compliant statutory output. • Portfolio Finance Directors: They own portfolio results, priorities and staffing of entity teams. This role owns the statutory calendar, deliverable requirements and sign-off of statutory accounts. • Entity teams: They own the monthly close, ledgers, reconciliations and audit support data. This role owns statutory adjustments, audit files and auditor communication. • Finance business partners: They own management reporting, forecasts and KPIs. There is no overlap; this role informs them of audit adjustments affecting reported numbers. • Tax Manager: They own tax computations, filings and transfer pricing policy. This role owns tax notes and balances in the statutory accounts. • Treasury: They own cash, banking and financing. This role owns disclosures on cash, debt and covenants (if applicable). • External auditors: They own the audit opinion. This role owns audit-ready files, the timetable and resolution of findings. Qualifications and experience Required • Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CPA, CA or equivalent). • 7+ years in statutory reporting, including 3+ years in audit at a Big Four or mid-tier firm. • Strong IFRS knowledge, especially IFRS 15 and IFRS 16 • Experience with statutory accounts and audits across several jurisdictions, including the US, Europe and APAC. • Track record of running multiple statutory audits in parallel against fixed deadlines. Preferred • Experience in a multi-entity software, SaaS or buy-and-build group. • Acquisition accounting and post-deal integration of acquired entities. • NetSuite or a comparable multi-entity ERP. • Experience managing outsourced accounting and filing providers. Skills and personal attributes • Calendar discipline: plans months ahead and treats filing deadlines as fixed. • Independence: holds a technical position under business pressure and escalates early. • Influence without authority: gets entity teams in other reporting lines to deliver on time. • Hands-on: prepares accounts and audit files personally where needed; this is not a pure oversight role. • Clear communicator: explains technical accounting to non-accountants, including investment partners and other senior management. • Builder: creates templates, checklists and standards that make the next year's cycle faster. Leverages tools to automate tasks • Languages: fluent English; additional European languages are a plus. Success measures • First 3 months: Complete statutory and filing calendar for all entities, with owners and current status. • First 3 months: Overdue filings and open audits identified, with 50% resolved. • First 6 months: All statutory filings submitted on time, with no late-filing penalties. • First 12 months: Statutory audits closed within agreed timetables; prior-year management letter points resolved. • First 12 months: Portfolio finance teams’ time spent on statutory work cut by at least 50%. • First 14 months: Automate at least 40% of the recurring preparation work for statutory audits. • Ongoing: Newly acquired entities aligned to group policies and the calendar within 6 months of closing. #AspireSoftware