Financial Controller

🌍 London, Hybrid

⭐️ Our Perks

Values-driven culture – we’re really proud of our culture. 

🙌 Drive your own experience

• Personalised Learning and Development Budget
• Hybrid working hours – Each team has their own Smart Working Charter that empowers you to do your work in the best way you can
• Technology – Your choice of Mac or Windows

✨ Empowering you to be your most authentic self

• 25 Holiday Days + your local bank holidays
• 1 Birthday day – it only happens once a year!
• 3 So Giving Days - spend these days giving back to your chosen cause
• Religious Celebrations Leave
• Mental Healthcare – Sessions with Unmind
• Enhanced Family Leave

So Energy

Who we are

So Energy was created in 2015 because we knew energy suppliers could be better. Since then, we’ve grown rapidly but sustainably, with 350,000 customers and over 450 Energists (what we call our people). But we’re not done. We’re on the road to a net zero future, and thanks to our partnership with ESB, we’re well on the way. We’re customer-centric, tech-led, and passionate about sustainability.

We want to do the best we can for our customers, each other, and our planet, so we’ve created a workplace that's encouraging, supportive, and offers the opportunity for growth. As a company, we live by six core values that guide everything we do:

• Clear
• Honest
• Ambitious
• Inquisitive
• Caring
• Sustainable

The Role

Financial Controller at SO ENERGY

Reporting into our CFO Mark Eldridge, we are looking for a Financial Controller to join the team. 

At So Energy the Financial Controller plays a key role in shaping the business strategy The role is responsible for the accounting and reporting for the entire business along with ensuring that the company has a strong governance framework / culture. Supporting leads from across the business to understand the financial performance of their departments in order to continuously enhance the performance of the business and deliver their strategic objectives. Support building of a more engaging and sustainable So Energists group by linking their day to day activities to the strategic and financial outcomes (ie making the financials of the company easy to understand for everyone). The ideal person will be able to look beyond the numbers to see the bigger picture, understand the trends and communicate their vision for enhancing company performance to stakeholders from across a wide variety of disciplines.

What you’ll be getting up to:

• Oversee and support the preparation of monthly Management Accounts and reporting pack ensuring accurate and timely information, including trend analysis suitable for Business Managers, the Senior Management team, the Board and Shareholders.

• Continually enhance the month-end financial accounting and reporting process to improve efficiency and visibility.

• Own and manage the financial performance of the business, ensuring that appropriate KPI’s are developed and monitored. Continuously work with the business to deliver, supporting and challenging them to improve performance and support mitigation measures where KPI’s are going off track.

• Work closely with the management team to upskill them with respect to the financial and commercial performance and how their areas link to driving the performance of the business – enhance the management reporting structure to support better decision making and increased knowledge.

• Support and challenge the business to continue to deliver a low cost operating model while achieving the growth targets

• Work closely with our CFO and the trading and sales team to develop clear commercial strategies – driving the growth in the energy and non energy sectors while managing within the risk metrics.

• Optimise the performance of the business and effectively manage cashflows to minimise the peak funding requirements.

• Maintain a strong governance framework including an appropriate control framework to give Shareholder comfort as to the risk management of So Energy while preserving agility.

• Maintain a strong Governance function and maintain a fit for purpose governance model for So Energy with managers aware of their roles and responsibilities in the first and second line of defence, developing a strong governance ethos in the business.

• Work closely with the majority Shareholder to ensure information is shared in the appropriate manner and on a timely basis and that group policies and processes are adhered to where required.

• Ensure the timely and accurate preparation of statutory accounts and lead the external audit process 

• Lead the audit process with the external audit and report to the Board as appropriate on any findings.

This role will be a great fit if:

• Accountant with 10-15 year experience with a a minimum of 5 years as Financial Controller, or similar, experience.

• Experience leading financial strategies.

• Optimising the impact of the three-way model (Accounting and reporting, Financial Planning and Business Partnering) to enhance the overall performance of the business.

• Excellent Accounting and reporting knowledge.

• Knowledge of Financial Planning and Analytics practices.

• Ability of manage external stakeholders including external auditors.

• Strong governance knowledge including the development of governance frameworks.

• Experience delivering change projects and reporting outcomes to Board level.

• Proficient in Excel.

• Experience within UK domestic energy industry is advantageous.

Research shows that some people are less likely to apply for a role unless they are 100% qualified. Your experience, skills and passion will set you apart so tell us about your achievements, irrespective of whether they are personal or work-related, tell us about your journey, and about what you learnt.

So, if this role excites you, don’t let our role description hold you back, get applying!

Want to tailor your application?

Hiring Process

1. Behavioural and Cognitive test via AssessFirst
2. Talent Screen - Senior Talent Partner
3. Second Stage - Mark Eldridge CFO & Lucy Webb Head of People Partnering
4. Final Interview - Simon Oscroft - CEO

Support – If you have a medical condition or an individual need for an adjustment to our process, and you believe this may affect your ability to be at your best – please let us know so we can talk about how we can best support you and make any adjustments that may be needed.

Our Values

We look for people who share our values and can add to our culture. Values are shared beliefs that guide our decision-making, culture is how we function as a group and how we live our values as individuals.

Clear - The energy industry can be pretty complex so we strive to provide clear communication to our customers and colleagues

Honest - Transparency is key, Whether that's providing clear bills to our customers or trusting our staff to do the right thing.

Ambitious - All of us are ambitious about the future of So Energy and what we can contribute to it.

Inquisitive - We are also questioning the Status Quo to see if there is a better way to do things for our customers

Caring - We care about the work we are doing, our customers and our colleagues
Sustainable - As a renewable energy company we are providing sustainable products but we also care about sustainable careers. That's why learning and continuous development is so important to us.

Diversity, Equity, Inclusion & Belonging

At So Energy, we’re committed to cultivating an environment that promotes diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging. We are a global community and we believe our unique qualities should be celebrated as they are critical to our innovation. It’s essential to us that you bring your authentic self to work every single day, no matter your age, ethnicity, religion, citizenship, gender identity, sexual orientation, disability status, caring responsibilities, neurodiversity, or otherwise. Inclusion isn’t just an initiative at So Energy. We strive to embed it not just into our values but throughout our entire culture.