Head of Financial Control, Centre of Excellence

We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. For 90 years we have shaped brighter futures through education, arts, culture, language, and creativity. Working with people in over 200 countries and territories, we are on the ground in more than 100 countries. We connect. We inspire. The Role This newly created leadership role, established as part of the Professional Services and global finance transformation, oversees retained financial accounting processes within the Centre of Excellence (CoE) for Financial Control and selected in-country operations, following the transition of transactional finance to an external Managed Service Provider (MSP). The postholder provides high-level technical accounting advice and leads specialist retained services across P2P, O2C, R2R, and CLM, ensuring accurate, timely reporting and robust risk and control management in line with corporate policies and accounting standards. Responsibilities span statutory reporting, tax review and filing, cashflow oversight, audit support, and driving continuous improvement in partnership with Group Controllership and the MSP. The role is central to embedding consistent standards, strengthening governance, and leading behavioural and process change across transactional finance and monthly close activities. The CoE Controllership team delivers specialised oversight: P2P manages payment approvals, non-automated payments, tax validation, and procurement cards; O2C oversees doubtful debt provisions and debt management; R2R reviews journals, reconciliations, month-end controls, intercompany matters, and tax investigations; and CLM supports cashflow forecasting, treasury, banking, and trapped cash repatriation. Working alongside in-country controllership teams that retain high-risk, complex statutory and tax responsibilities, the role ensures effective coordination of escalations routed through Business Partners and BDS into the Process CoE, with resolution managed in collaboration with RED teams or directly from the MSP. The postholder engages regularly with senior stakeholders across Finance Operations, Group, CoE, in-country finance, SLT, Treasury, audit and tax authorities, and must confidently challenge and influence leaders to safeguard financial integrity, compliance, and operational excellence. Accountabilities This role provides strategic leadership and people management to the Controllership team, modelling British Council values and EDI principles while fostering professionalism, accountability, and a client-focused mindset. The postholder champions financial discipline and insight, embedding a culture of continuous learning and performance improvement. Accountable for retained financial processes across P2P, O2C, R2R, and CLM, the role works closely with the MSP to ensure accurate, timely financial reporting and strong control management. Responsibilities include statutory reporting, tax review and filing, cashflow oversight, audit coordination, KPI development for compliance and controls, and active participation in Cash Committee processes, including payment runs, debt management, and cashflow forecasting in collaboration with Treasury. The role leads senior stakeholder engagement and business partnering across the global finance network, ensuring compliance with professional accounting standards and external reporting requirements. It provides technical accounting guidance, liaising with specialist functions such as Tax, Treasury, Finance Policy, and Global Process Owners, and proactively addresses complex or unusual transactions with appropriate accounting treatment. In addition, the postholder drives service improvement by implementing new accounting and reporting standards, strengthening policies and systems, supporting audit recommendations, and working closely with transformation teams to centralise activities within the MSP model while ensuring robust global financial governance. Role specific skills * Flexibility, independence, and initiative to perform successfully in a rapidly changing environment. * A pro-active self-starter with the ability to think strategically while keeping an eye on the detail. * Strong Financial Reporting, Accounting, Closing and Compliance skills. * Leadership skills – able to inspire others, change behaviours and create the right working culture. * Good at building relationships at all levels of the organisation able to relay complex financial information in an easy-to-understand way. Role specific knowledge and experience Minimum/essential * Good understanding of commercial finance. * A significant number of active years of financial controllership and related experience * Strong influencing and negotiating experience. * Experience managing and developing teams. * Strong Financial Control experience and knowledge of Professional Accounting Standards. Desirable * Shared Services Operations. * Experience of working in international and multi-cultural organisations. * Leadership of change projects/initiatives. * SAP/ERP experience. Education Higher Education Professional Qualification and Certification Qualified accountant with considerable experience post-qualification. Language Requirement The British Council systems and global processes operate in English. Written and verbal proficiency in English is required. Important Information Department: Finance Contract type: Indefinite Contract Pay band: 9 Location: Noida, India Applicants must already have the legal right to work in India Visa sponsorship or relocation support is not available. Flexible and hybrid working is supported, subject to operational requirements and line manager approval. Closing Date Applications will close by Sunday, 05th July 2026 (11:59 PM local time) Interviews are expected to take place in the following weeks. A connected and trusted UK in a more connected and trusted world. Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Statement We are committed to equality, diversity and inclusion and welcome applications from all sections of the community as we believe that a diverse workforce gives added depth to our work. The British Council is a Disability Confident Employer. The Disability Confident scheme helps challenge attitudes, increase understanding of disability and ensure staff are drawn from the widest possible pool of talent. We guarantee an interview for disabled applicants who meet the minimum role requirements. We welcome discussions about specific requirements or adjustments to enable participation and engagement in our work and activities. Safeguarding Statement The British Council is committed to safeguarding children, young people and adults who we work with. We believe that all children and adults everywhere in the world deserve to live in safe environments and have the right to be protected from all forms of abuse, maltreatment and exploitation as set out in article 19, UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) 1989. Appointment to positions where there is direct involvement with vulnerable groups will be dependent on thorough checks being completed in line with legal requirements and with the British Council’s Safeguarding policies for Adults and Children. If you experience any difficulties with submitting your application, please email askhr@britishcouncil.org