Rutherford Cross is delighted to be partnering with AGS Airports once again to appoint a Financial Controller.

The Company

AGS Airports Limited is the United Kingdom-based owner of Aberdeen, Glasgow, and Southampton Airports. The company was formed in September 2014 and is jointly held by Ferrovial (via Faero UK Limited) and AGS Ventures Airports Limited, an entity managed by Macquarie Infrastructure and Real Assets (Europe) Limited. Macquarie and Ferrovial have a long and successful history of partnering with each other across a number of infrastructure projects, with partnerships in airports including Bristol Airport and Sydney Airport. Both partners have developed extensive knowledge of aviation and have excellent contacts globally.

AGS Airports Limited’s total revenue for the year ending December 2019 was £217m, however the landscape has changed significantly since then. The strict travel restrictions put in place by governments in response to the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic have resulted in a widespread grounding of flights.

The directors have instituted measures to preserve cash and secure additional finance. AGS Airports was recently named sector leader by the leading global sustainability organisation Global Real Estate Sustainability Benchmark (GRESB).

For the financial year ending December 2019 AGS Airports Limited posted a healthy EBITDA of £92m. In the period since then the aviation industry has faced unprecedented challenges due to outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. The roll out of the vaccine throughout 2021 and the gradual lifting of restrictions should indicate the resurge of demand in travel and as such the 5-year plan is to return to pre pandemic financial results. This will be a challenging yet exciting period for one of Scotland’s most high-profile businesses.

For more information on AGS Airports Limited please visit: AGS Airports

The Opportunity

Job Title:                      Financial Controller

Reports to:                  Chief Financial Officer

Line Manager to:      Head of Accounting, Reporting and Risk & Controls Manager,

Location:                      Glasgow Airport (An element of flexibility)

The Financial Controller will lead the Accounting & Reporting and Transactional Finance functions reporting to the CFO.

The overall aim of this role is to ensure that the company has the necessary Financial Accounting Procedures and Controls in place to ensure that the financial results are produced timeously and accurately to enable the company to monitor its actual performance adequately.  This role will deputise for the Chief Financial Officer as required.

The role will ensure that all the necessary reporting is provided to the group, the Executive, The Audit Committee, The Board and significantly the Shareholder Analysts.

This position is a key contributor to the AGS Group Finance function and trusted to produce accurate a timely management and statutory accounts and the supplementary reporting. It requires a clear understanding of the business strategy, competitive pressures and the necessary financial arrangements required to achieve its goals.

Key stakeholder relationships will include:

• Chief Financial Officer
• Shareholder Analysts
• Head of Treasury & Tax
• Head of Business Planning & Analysis
• Executive
• Board & Audit Committee
• Finance Department
• Business Unit Managers
• Head of Risk and Assurance

Essential Duties & Responsibilities:

• Responsible for Accounting & Reporting for the whole AGS Group which includes AGS Airports Holdings Ltd, AGS Airports Investments Ltd, AGS Airports Ltd, Airport Holdings NDH1 Ltd, Glasgow Airport Ltd, Aberdeen International Airport Ltd, Southampton International Airport Ltd and BAA Lynton Ltd.
• Support the CFO in ensuring that all business information is provided as requested to all Stakeholders
• Ensure that the company’s cash position is always maximised by operating excellent Credit Control and Accounts Payable processes
• Ensure that all income is accurately invoiced and accounted for each month. This will require that contracts are reviewed to ensure that they are all accurately accounted for ensuring completeness of income
• Support the treasury function in managing the accounting for the significant loans and swaps that the AGS group has
• Lead the Head of Accounting & Reporting and their team to ensure that the Monthly Management Accounts and subsidiary reports are completed accurately and in line with the timetable of 3 to 6 working days
• Ensure that the Annual Statutory Accounts are completed accurately and within the deadlines for the group
• Ensure that the annual external audit is completed without any adjustments
• Ensure that all the formal papers are completed for the Executive, Board and Audit Committee Meetings
• Complete all necessary risk assessments routinely and ensure that all mitigating controls are implemented and are operating accurately
• Ensure all processes are accurately documented
• Ensure that all accounting and reporting is compliant with current Corporation Tax, VAT and Employee Tax regulations.
• Organise all the necessary accounting requirements for the company DB and DC pension schemes and the IAS19 reporting requirements
• Prepare the Annual Impairment Review, IFRS9 Paper and Going Concern review for the annual audit
• Assist in providing all projects and business cases with accurate historical information and financial advice as required
• Assist the group achieve its, annual budget, long term business plan and annual strategic intents
• Provide all necessary financial approvals as outlined in the delegated financial authorities
• Provide the necessary financial accounting advice to the Colleagues to ensure that IFRS accounting standards are always adhered to
• Work with the Head of Accounting & Reporting to ensure that all the financial areas within the group are properly controlled and the controls are operating correctly
• Review and approve the monthly payroll for onward transmission to the CFO and CBS for final approval
• Lead the annual Insurance renewal process along with the Group Head of Assurance
• Lead and assist the Head of Reporting & Accounting organise and develop the team of accountants and administrators to ensure that all the financial. transactions are accounted for accurately each month and throughout the year
• Ensure that the Monthly management accounts and supplementary reports are accurately prepared, reviewed and published by working day 6 each month
• Ensure that the balance sheet reconciliations are completed and reviewed each month
• Support the business and financial and planning analysts in providing historical financial information when required or to show the requestor where, in the system, the information can be found

The Individual

The Financial Controller will lead the Accounting & Reporting and Transactional Finance functions reporting to the CFO. The post holder must have the excellent and proven Accounting & Reporting skills and people management skills. The post holder will also be able to develop strong relationships with other the other Finance and Business functions to work collaboratively across all business functions to enable efficient and accurate management account preparation and reporting.  The candidate must possess proven excellent UK and International technical accounting skills, detailed analytical skills and the ability to problem solve. Finally, the candidate must be able to demonstrate strong written and verbal communication skills.

A summary of the key candidate requirements are as follows:

• Significant previous experience heading up an accounting function with proven abilities in producing accurate management accounts and statutory accounts
• Qualified accountant ideally a UK Chartered Accountant
• Significant previous experience of working within international organisations
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to effectively problem solve and follow through to resolution
• Significant accounting skills to be able to provide the technical leadership required to produce company and group management and statutory accounts and perform consolidations and other group accounting tasks in accordance with IFRS and Group Accounting Policies
• Have proven experience of dealing successfully with Internal and External Auditors
• Have proven experience of managing a finance team through major financial transactions for example a purchase or a sale or a refinancing activity
• Have proven experience of managing a finance team successfully through a significant change programme
• Have experience in building strong effective finance teams which have been successful in delivering strong financial controls efficiently and effectively throughout an organisation
• Have experience of working in groups with multiple locations
• Have had some experience of working with Boards, Audit Committees and with strong shareholder teams
• Have had experience in the preparation of budgets and forecasts and supporting model building
• Have experience of accounting for pensions, impairment
• Commercially astute with a proven record in leading successful businesses
• Ability to build strong, open and communicative working relationships across all areas of the business is essential
• High level of working knowledge of MS Office applications, Excel
• Skilled in model building
• Excellent communication skills – written and oral and able to create PowerPoint presentations
• Experience of effectively communicating to and interacting with colleagues at all levels, including senior managers

Remuneration

Salary:                         £Competitive

Car Allowance:            £Competitive

Pension:                      2% Employee / 7% Employer

3% Employee / 8% Employer

5% Employee / 10% Employer

8% Employer / 12% Employer

Holidays:                      25 days plus 8 statutory days

Bonus:                         Up to 25% of salary based on EBITDA and individual performance

Healthcare:                 Private Medical for self and family

Professional Fees:       Paid for one professional subscription

Additional Benefits:     Duty free shopping at all times, free parking at all times

Working Hours:           40 hours per week

The Recruitment Process

Initial interviews are with our exclusive advisors Rutherford Cross.

Format of second stage interviews TBC

Format of third stage interviews TBC

Applications should be sent to [email protected]