Global Process Owner

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.**

**British Council**Pay Band 9

**Department**:Finance
**Location**:Noida, India

**Contract**:Indefinite Contract Local
**Interview window**:01st week of September

**Role purpose**

This is a leadership role accountable for the Record to Report (R2R) processes at the British Council. The Global Process Owner (GPO) ensures efficient, compliant, and fit-for-purpose processes across GL reconciliations, month-end close, local audits, and statutory reporting.

The GPO aligns global finance processes with the British Council’s strategy and drives continuous improvement through technology and best practices. They champion compliance, monitor performance, and address non-compliance proactively.

Working cross-functionally, the GPO sets high standards for global processes and collaborates closely with Shared Services and the Managed Service Provider (MSP) to ensure accountability, resolve deviations, and enhance operations.

They play a key role in change management, ensuring that process changes are relevant, well-planned, and properly implemented, with senior stakeholder buy-in and adequate training in place.

**Role Context**

The British Council follows the ‘three lines of defence’ model. The GPO is part of the second line of defence providing the policies, frameworks, tools, techniques, and support to enable risk and compliance to be managed in the first line (staff and management) and monitoring the effectiveness of processes and controls. They play a key role in increasing awareness of the importance of global finance processes and embedding a culture of compliance.

The role will bring together the teams, ensuring consistent standards of performance and accuracy across the business whilst maintaining strong and efficient interaction between their team and finance operations and the Managed Service Provider.

The British Council is implementing a finance transformation programme, and the GPO will play a key role in designing and implementing efficient processes and aligning global finance processes with the new Target Operating Model. The GPO will have to work effectively with the Managed Service Provider.

Managing diverse stakeholder relationships and keeping abreast of wider corporate developments and new initiatives is key to the success of the role.

Key relationships include:

- Regional Finance Controllers
- Treasury
- Business Operations
- Other Global Process owners
- Managed Service Provider
- Controllers and Compliance Managers
- Financial Governance and Policy
- Financial ReportingGIS SAP Team and other GIS managers

**Other essential aspects**:

- Operates in a highly matrixed and complex global environment
- Requires proactive communication, adaptability, and influencing skillsMust maintain a forward-looking approach to process improvement and technology adoption

**Main 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.
- Champio