SENIOR FINANCIAL ANALYST – GALWAY – HYBRID
This Senior Financial Analyst role has been created to support a Finance Manager across a broad remit encompassing tax credits, grant funding, claims and month-end accounting within an established organisation with significant operational and financial complexity. The position will provide high-quality financial analysis and insight across large and often complex data sets, with SAP playing a central role in extracting, analysing and validating financial information. A key element of the role will be supporting internal and external claims audits, including engagement with the IDA, while ensuring financial information is accurate, robust and fully supported. The role also offers exposure to wider finance activity as the existing position transitions into a significant SAP implementation programme in 2027.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Support the Finance Manager across tax credit, grant funding, claims and month-end accounting activities, ensuring accurate and timely financial delivery.
- Analyse large and complex data sets using SAP and Excel to identify trends, variances, anomalies and opportunities requiring further investigation.
- Coordinate month-end accounting activities for the relevant business areas, providing robust analysis of actual performance against forecast and plan.
- Prepare detailed financial information and supporting documentation for tax credit and grant claims, ensuring accuracy, consistency and audit readiness.
- Manage the financial elements of claims processes, maintaining a clear evidence trail to support both internal and external review.
- Support internal claims audits by validating financial data, investigating discrepancies and ensuring appropriate supporting documentation is available.
- Coordinate responses to external claims audits, including information and documentation requirements associated with IDA reviews.
- Partner with the Finance Manager and relevant business stakeholders to ensure grant and tax credit activity is appropriately captured, monitored and reported.
- Evaluate financial information critically, challenging inconsistencies and using analytical insight to identify potential risks or control weaknesses.
- Strengthen financial processes and reporting through improved use of SAP, data analysis and disciplined financial controls.
- Identify opportunities to improve the efficiency, accuracy and reliability of finance processes, particularly where large volumes of data are involved.
- Contribute to wider finance projects and priorities, including preparation for future systems and process change associated with the organisation's SAP landscape.
REQUIREMENTS
- Qualified Accountant with ACA, ACCA, CIMA or CPA qualification.
- Strong post-qualification finance experience, with substantial exposure to financial analysis, accounting and business-facing finance activity.
- Advanced analytical capability, with demonstrable confidence working with large, complex data sets and extracting meaningful insight from financial information.
- Strong SAP capability, with practical experience using SAP to analyse, reconcile and validate significant volumes of financial data.
- Proven experience with month-end accounting, including analysis of actual performance, variances and financial reporting.
- Practical experience supporting tax credits, grants or externally funded activities, with an understanding of the importance of accurate financial evidence and supporting documentation.
- Experience with claims audits, including internal audit activity and, preferably, external reviews involving the IDA or similar funding bodies.
- Strong understanding of financial controls and audit requirements, with the ability to ensure financial information can withstand detailed internal and external scrutiny.
- Advanced Excel capability, with the ability to manipulate, interrogate and interpret large data sets efficiently.
- Strong stakeholder management skills, with the ability to work effectively with Finance, operational teams and external parties during audit and claims processes.
- Experience in a Big Four environment would be preferable, particularly where this has developed strong analytical, audit, controls or financial reporting disciplines.
- Demonstrated ability to identify discrepancies, challenge financial information and improve processes, rather than simply reporting the numbers.
For more information, please contact pcasey@sigmar.ie
