Financial Controller at Standard Chartered Bank Kenya

Job Summary

A senior member of the Finance team supporting the business in Kenya, the primary focus of the role will be to provide leadership and direction on all financial controllership activities covering strategy, budgeting, performance management, financial accounting, financial and regulatory reporting, capital planning, financial control, local implementation of major programmes e.g. Aspire, people management and talent development.

Strategy

Financial Management

• Contribute to the communication of the Group's overall strategy and the development of the Kenya overall and business strategies.
• Lead the flawless delivery of external events such as full year results release and analysts' briefings and contribute to the delivery of the AGM.
• Act as the trusted source of information and insights for Regional and Country Management Teams on the Kenya banking sector and competitive positioning.
• Maintain the highest professional financial management standards in the Bank.

Business

Performance and Balance Sheet Management

• Oversee preparation of the corporate plan and forecasts and presentation to the stakeholders.
• Coordinate the preparation of internal reports ensuring they are relevant and focused.
• Work with business finance to ensure that drivers behind significant variations are understood.
• Management of the balance sheet and liquidity and interest rate risk through the ALCO process ensuring compliance with all Group and regulatory ratios and reporting requirements.
• Management of capital through the ICAAP process.

Processes

Financial Control

• Ensure that an effective system of internal financial controls is established and always maintained in compliance with FCRS policy and risk management framework.
• Ensure all financial / fiduciary reporting obligations, including subsidiary reporting, are met on time and to a high quality.
• Apply Group accounting policies, standards, procedures and internal control practices across all activities in the country.
• Maintain an appropriate governance structure for the Kenya legal entities in coordination with Group Tax, Company Secretariat and Country Risk.
• Work closely with Tax division to ensure that the taxation affairs of the Bank are planned and managed to optimise the Group's position.
• Manage relationship with External Auditors including the negotiation of the scope of the audit, general liaison, the clearance of audit work and responding to and following up management letters.
• Manage internal and external statutory audit requirements including rationale for accounting positions and analytical and risk reviews. Forge a close and effective working relationship with the external auditors.

Change Management

• Keep up to date with local and international accounting developments through membership of professional bodies and contact with other members of the profession.
• Ensure the systems are subject to controls that ensure the completeness and accuracy of the financial information they contain.
• Drive change for all initiatives which are driven from a bank wide perspective, aligning with the Aspire agenda.
• Drive the standardisation of processes and constantly look for ways to improve the way we work.

Outsourced Activities, GFS

• Oversee the activities outsourced to GFS and establish adequate controls to highlight exceptions and follow up on actions to satisfactory resolution.
• Identify and drive the migration of operational activities that can be offshored whilst complying with Central Bank of Kenya requirements.

People and Talent

• Lead through example and build the appropriate culture. Set appropriate expectations of the team and work cross functionally collaboratively.
• Provide strong leadership to the Country Finance team, managing and developing the skills and careers of Finance professionals and building staff engagement through appropriate learning and development plans.
• Ensure that Finance staff comply with applicable Group Control Standards and Local Regulatory Standards.

Risk Management

• Operate 1st line responsibilities of process owners as outlined under the Risk Management Framework and associated policies and standards.
• Manage Financial Control risk across the Bank and within the Finance function through application of Financial Controls Reconciliation and Substantiation (FCRS) Policy and the Risk Management Framework.
• Maintain a record of all risk and assessments and risk acceptance decisions in the operational risk system.
• Identify, assess and monitor key financial risks and oversee prompt closure of remediation actions.

Regulatory and Business Conduct

• Take personal responsibility for embedding the highest standards of ethics, including regulatory and business conduct, across Standard Chartered Bank. This includes understanding and ensuring compliance with, in letter and spirit, all applicable laws, regulations, guidelines and the Group Code of Conduct.
• Effectively and collaboratively identify, escalate, mitigate and resolve risk, conduct and compliance matters.
• Lead the Kenya Finance team to achieve the outcomes set out in the Bank's Conduct Principles.
• Display exemplary conduct and live by the Group's Values and Code of Conduct.

Key Stakeholders

• CFO Kenya and East Africa; Kenya ExCo; Kenya ALCO; Business Finance; Head, Treasury Markets; AME Finance; AME Treasurer; Group Treasury; Group Finance; GPO/GPMs

Our Ideal Candidate

A mature leader with recognised financial accounting and management experience, recognised professional accounting qualification(s) and a member of the Institute of Certified Public Accountants of Kenya (ICPAK) in good standing.

• Strategic perspective, commercial awareness and inter-personal skills that are sufficiently well developed to take a lead role in managing the unit which is prominent in the organisation.
• Sound understanding of banking practice and reporting requirements, risk management and business analysis techniques.
• A high degree of integrity and the ability to challenge the views and actions of others in a constructive manner.
• Ability to lead a diverse team in a matrix environment, determine staff capabilities and succession planning.
• Technically accomplished in IFRS, Generally Accepted Accounting Principles and taxation.
• Ability to drive change and simplification of processes.
• Good communication, interpersonal and leadership skills.

Role Specific Technical Competencies

• Operational Risk Framework Compliance for Finance
• Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP)
• Effective Communication
• Financial Reporting
• Business Analytics