Global Process Owner (GPO)-Record to Report

Key Responsibilities

Leadership and People Management

• Provide strategic leadership and effective people management, role-modelling British Council values and a strong commitment to Equality, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI).
• Promote high standards of professionalism, customer-centric working, and a culture of continuous learning and improvement across the team and wider organisation.

Process Governance, Standardisation & Performance

• Design and implement efficient, well-controlled financial processes to enable timely and accurate reporting.
• Resolve segregation of duty risks, define and monitor KPIs, and continuously identify opportunities for improvement.
• Establish and communicate policies and minimum control standards. Define master data standards and ensure clear governance.
• Own and maintain comprehensive process documentation (process maps, SOPs, training material), and ensure stakeholders are trained and compliant.
• Define and manage SLAs and KPIs for outsourced/shared services, monitor performance, and address any underperformance.
• Develop reports and monitoring systems to track compliance, address non-compliance, and ensure properly governed process changes.
• Review and sign off process change requests, tracking the realised benefits of any system or process improvements.

Strategy and Planning

• Align finance processes with the corporate strategy and business objectives, delivering clear, timely management information.
• Monitor cross-functional changes that may impact processes and ensure proactive assessment and adaptation to maintain control and relevance.

Stakeholder & Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with internal stakeholders (global and regional) and external service providers.
• Champion global R2R processes, communicate their value, and ensure understanding and compliance across all levels of the organisation.

Finance Subject Expertise

• Serve as a subject matter expert in R2R, advising on IFRS, local GAAP, and global finance processes.
• Stay current with industry best practices and technological advancements, evaluating applicability to British Council operations.

Service Improvement & Technology Enablement

• • Lead continuous improvement initiatives, focusing on standardisation, automation, and adoption of best practices.
  • Drive improvement projects—prepare business cases, secure resources, and oversee successful implementation and embedding of changes.
  • Collaborate with the Transformation team to migrate activities to a Shared Services Centre (SSC) and support global finance transformation efforts.

Partner with Corporate Treasury to assess centralised banking solutions and implement a Treasury Management System where appropriate.

Qualification & Requirements

Role specific skills

• Strong Financial Reporting, Accounting, Closing and Compliance skills.
• Well-developed process design skills.
• Strong communication and influencing skills, able to relay complex financial information in an easy-to-understand way.
• Highly organised and deadline oriented.
• Building relationships at all levels of the organisation.
• Flexibility, independence, and initiative to perform successfully in a rapidly changing environment.

Role specific knowledge and experience

Minimum/essential

• Strong Financial Control experience and knowledge of Professional Accounting Standards.
• Experience of working with a large-scale ERP system.
• Knowledge of accounting standards and relevant regulatory compliance
• Experience of working with diverse stakeholders in a global organisation.
• Experience of implementing process change. Experience of designing and utilising metrics and reports to monitor compliance and performance.
• Managing and developing teams.

Desirable

• Experience of working with Shared Service Centres and/or outsourced service providers.
• Experience of SAP.
• Knowledge of UK GAAP, IFRS or another local GAAP.
• Experience of implementing new and emerging technologies.
•  Six sigma green belt or above.

Education and Professional Qualification

• Higher Education – Degree Level.
•  Recognised International Accounting or Finance qualification or equivalent such as a relevant degree.

Language Requirements

• The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required.

Benefits

British Council employee benefits can include attractive salaries above industry standards, professional development opportunities, and flexible working arrangements. Other benefits may include health and well-being support, generous leave entitlements, and access to pension schemes.