Finance and Accounting

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Finance and Accounting As part of the price review, we will need to examine company accounts and forecasts, as well as the prevailing market conditions, in order to understand business plans and set price controls which allow companies to finance their functions. This will include understanding financing, tax, and how to assess financial stability - particularly of monopoly infrastructure companies. We are looking for accountants and corporate finance specialists in order to help us do this. This will include reading and interpreting financial data, and using financial indicators to monitor the performance and financial stability of companies. It will also mean interpreting the results of complex financial models, and successful candidates will need to be highly numerate and experienced with Excel. We will need to understand financing, tax, and the cost of capital in particular. Any skills and experience in these areas would be beneficial, though not essential for candidates at Senior Associate level. We would expect a principal to be capable of much stronger intellectual leadership, and to have a track record of leading teams and engaging with senior managers and stakeholders. We would also expect them to understand financing and the cost of capital, and to have greater understanding – and ideally some experience – of price reviews.

Professional requirements – Senior Associate As a Senior Associate, you would play a key role in our price review, perhaps leading a workstream or managing a project. In playing a key role in our programmes or projects, you’ll ensure that we’re delivering on our strategic objectives to time and to budget, and also contribute to the effective identification and management of strategic risk and opportunities. As a senior associate you would have autonomy, responsibility and leadership opportunities, and you would have ample opportunities to develop and consolidate your skill set. You will definitely be a self-starter and to that end will require minimal supervision and oversight from senior colleagues. You will continue to hone your judgement and be expected to exercise it responsibly in line with our strategy and ways of working. You will also be developing and using your ability to persuasively communicate and engage with stakeholders, both internally and externally. You would be expected to provide support to colleagues across the office, proactively

Information for applicants

sharing skills and knowledge, and equally will be supported by coaching and mentoring.

Critical Qualifications

Desirable

Educated to degree or post-

Qualification or part-qualification in

graduate level in a relevant

corporate finance or accountancy

discipline

(e.g. ACA, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA)

Experience of developing and

Experience with economic

applying an analytical framework to

regulation, particularly in the water

assess complex information

sector or price reviews in other

Experience

regulated sectors Experience of working under pressure to produce high quality

Experience of leading work streams

analysis to tight timescales while

or projects within a complex

managing competing priorities

programme, including planning, tracking and reporting progress, and

Experience of building effective

prioritisation

relationships and networks with relevant internal staff and external

Understanding of the factors which

peers

influence the cost of capital which companies face

Developing and using financial indicators to monitor the

Experience of working in a project

performance and financial stability

and programme environment,

of companies

including managing and escalating risks

Reading and interpreting financial data Skills Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex analysis and issues to nontechnical audiences

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Information for applicants

Critical

Desirable

Ability to take ownership and accountability for delivery of tasks and projects. Ability to collect and assess evidence to make robust decisions. Knowledge Highly numerate with strong

Understanding of economic

analytical skills

regulation, particularly price reviews

Experienced with financial and/or

Understanding of company and

economic analysis using Excel

group structures, how companies raise finance and the types of finance that are available to them. Understanding of tax arrangements that large infrastructure companies and group structures use.

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Information for applicants

Professional requirements – Principal You would play a key role on our price review, and you are likely to be leading a key workstream, or managing a project. In leading our programmes or projects, you’ll ensure that we’re delivering on our strategic objectives to time and to budget, and in line with our ways of working. You will make an important contribution to understanding and managing strategic risk and opportunities. Internally, our Principals will have a seat at the leadership table, forming part of our wider leadership team, and will take responsibility for cracking our toughest problems to deliver our objectives. You will have a broad portfolio of work, and will take ownership of a range of specific policies and procedures, taking responsibility and accountability for their success. You will be expected to have good judgement and to exercise it across complex issues responsibly in line with our strategy and ways of working. You will be expected to provide support to colleagues across the office, proactively sharing skills and knowledge, and equally will be supported by coaching and mentoring. You may have line management responsibility. Effective stakeholder engagement will be important for your success, as you nurture existing relationships whilst developing new ones.

Critical Qualifications

Desirable

Educated to degree or post-

Qualification or part-qualification in

graduate level in a relevant

corporate finance or accountancy

discipline

(e.g. ACA, CIMA, ACCA, CIPFA)

Experience of developing and

Experience with economic

applying an analytical framework to

regulation, particularly in the water

assess complex information

sector or price reviews in other

Experience

regulated sectors Experience of providing strong intellectual leadership under

Experience of leading work streams

pressure to produce high quality

or projects within a complex programme, including planning,

4

Information for applicants

Critical

Desirable

analysis to tight timescales, while

tracking and reporting progress, and

managing competing priorities

prioritisation

Experience of leading a team to deliver complex tasks and projects, including managing multidisciplinary teams and consultants Experience of building effective relationships with senior staff and external stakeholders, and identifying and facilitating linkages between projects and work streams Developing and using financial indicators to monitor the performance and financial stability of companies Reading and interpreting financial data Understanding of the factors which influence the cost of capital which companies face Skills Excellent oral and written communication skills, including the ability to communicate complex analysis and issues to nontechnical audiences Excellent analytical and decision making skills, including understanding legal, financial and economic implications of decisions

5

Information for applicants

Critical

Desirable

Knowledge Highly numerate with strong

Understanding of the economic

analytical skills

regulation of the water sector in particular

Experienced with financial and/or economic analysis using Excel

Understanding of tax arrangements that large infrastructure companies

Understanding of economic regulation, particularly price reviews Understanding of company and group structures, how companies raise finance and the types of finance that are available to them

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and group structures use.