Hodge: Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Senior Lead

Do you want to be part of a force for good, helping to make life better for customers and society in the moments that matter? At Hodge, we put people at the heart of our business, and that means our customers, colleagues, and communities. Hodge is a Welsh financial services provider focused on real estate finance and specialist residential mortgage markets.

About the Role

The Financial Reporting & Technical Accounting Senior Lead is accountable for the integrity, governance, and delivery of the Group's external financial reporting. The role acts as the organisation's lead technical accounting authority, providing independent accounting advice, leading external audit relationships, and ensuring compliance with IFRS, FRS 101, and regulatory requirements.

The postholder will exercise significant professional judgment and operate with a high degree of autonomy, providing technical leadership and challenge to senior management, the Executive Team, and Board Committees. While reporting to the Financial Controller, the role is expected to operate with a high degree of autonomy and serve as the Group's principal technical accounting specialist.

Essential Experience

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or equivalent).
• Extensive experience post-qualification significant experience within banking, financial services, listed entities, or complex regulated organizations.
• Demonstrable experience providing independent technical accounting advice to Executive.
• Proven experience leading statutory reporting processes and external audit relationships.
• Strong track record of managing complex accounting judgments and policy decisions.
• Experience implementing accounting standard changes and assessing business impacts.
• Strong written communication skills, with experience producing Board-level papers.

Key Responsibilities

• Own the preparation of annual statutory financial statements for Julian Hodge Bank and the consolidated Group in accordance with FRS 101, ensuring full compliance with applicable IFRS standards and regulatory requirements.
• Oversight of the preparation of annual statutory financial statements for The Carlyle Trust and consolidated Group, including a number of the investment Subsidiaries.
• Ensure accurate accounting and disclosure of lending and investment portfolios, including impairment, interest income recognition, and effective interest rate calculations.
• Maintain robust supporting documentation and audit trails for all financial disclosures and manage all audit activities, including planning, fieldwork, issue resolution, and completion.
• Own the relationship with external auditors and be accountable for the successful delivery of the annual external audit and challenge external auditors where appropriate.
• Proactively identify and resolve accounting or reporting issues arising during the audit process.
• Act as the Group’s recognized authority on technical accounting matters, providing definitive accounting conclusions and recommendations.
• Interpret and lead implementation of new accounting standards and disclosure requirements.
• Prepare technical accounting papers and policy documentation for senior stakeholders.
• Provide advice on accounting for lending products, financial instruments, and related transactions.
• Own and maintain the Group Accounting Policy Framework.
• Establish governance over significant accounting judgments and estimates.
• Lead accounting assessments for significant transactions, new products, business initiatives, and strategic projects.
• Influence decision-making through clear recommendations on accounting, reporting, and financial control implications.
• Identify emerging accounting and regulatory developments and assess implications for the Group.
• Represent Finance on strategic change programmes where accounting expertise is required.
• Prepare high-quality Board papers and financial reports, clearly articulating key issues, risks, and judgements.
• Present complex financial and technical information in a concise and accessible manner for non-technical audiences.
• Support senior management with insight and analysis to inform strategic decision-making.
• Provide Tax Advisors information for completion of the annual corporation tax returns.
• Operate independently in resolving complex technical accounting matters.
• Determine appropriate accounting treatments within approved governance frameworks.
• Provide technical leadership and coaching across the wider Finance function and develop technical accounting capability within the team.
• Ensure strong financial reporting controls are in place and operating effectively.
• Support the development and enhancement of accounting policies and procedures.
• Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across financial reporting and control processes.