Scib Control del Gasto Associate

SCIB Control del Gasto Associate

Country: Spain

**WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING**

**SCIB is looking for a Cost Control Associate, based in our Madrid office.**

**WHY YOU SHOULD CONSIDER THIS OPPORTUNITY**

**Santander Corporate & Investment Banking (SCIB) **is Santander's global division that supports some of the world's most complex and sophisticated corporate and institutional clients, offering customized services and value-added wholesale products to best meet their needs.

Santander is proud of being an organization where there are equal opportunities regardless of gender identity, culture and disability. Our mission is to contribute to help more people and business prosper.

We embrace a strong risk culture and all of our professionals at all levels are expected to take a proactive and responsible approach toward risk management.

**WHAT YOU WILL BE DOING**

As a Cost Control Associate **, **you will reinforce the Cost Control function in SCIB, while also supporting the planning and cost execution functions. This resource will be embedded in the Costs & Organization One Europe CIB structure. For this reason, English proficiency is required as well as some flexibility for travel to embed our Continental Europe model.

We need someone like you to help us to implement a proactive cost control function with the objective of being below budget at year end by:

- Becoming a Subject Matter Expert (SME) regarding the SCIB cost structure, with the aim of identifying any inefficiencies or duplicities.
- Proposing different scenarios to facilitate strategic decision-making (e.g. forecast savings, use of BAU contractors, real estate strategies, etc.).
- Approving Purchase Requests (acting as second level approver), as part of the standard procurement process, ensuring that there is sufficient budget and reporting and escalating any excesses.
- Embedding further the end-to-end methodology through engagement with relevant stakeholders to reinforce the importance of raising Purchase Requests at the start of every service received from an external provider.
- Ensuring budget is uploaded in Looking Ahead and keep participating on implementing further enhancements in the platform to allow to move to Looking ahead progressively.
- Engaging with the Financial Control team to provide information for the accruals which would impact SCIB P&L in order to show the actual costs and consumption.
- Reviewing and analysing end of month cost actuals, identifying potential deviations.
- Supporting Financial Control in the preparation of the budget, challenging and providing an independent view, based on expected headcounts and trends identified through the Purchase Requests raised by the business areas.
- Performing an annual review of the Expenses Policy and related procedures.
- Acting as approver of business expenses outside of policy on behalf of the Head of Cost & Organisation, checking the receipts and engaging with staff, asking for clarification or further information, when required.
- Acting as the “go to person” for cost centres, expenditure approvers, corporate cards, Christmas dinners, Purchase Requests, availability of funds in Purchase Orders, etc.
- Generating ad-hoc reports for business areas when requested, based on the information from the SR Platform and the reports on travel and cash/corporate card expenses.

**EXPERIENCE**
- Minimum 5 years of experience in a Cost or Finance department.

**EDUCATION**
- Degree level in Engineering, Business Management, Economics or Mathematics.
- MBA or equivalent would be valued.

**SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE**
- Fluent in English. Cost & Organisation team meetings held in English.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills and attention to detail.
- Strong influencing skills and ability to provide constructive challenge and advice.
- Experience in reporting to senior management.
- Good communication and presentation skills, being creative to make presentations from scratch.
- Good organisational skills, ability to prioritise and deliver to tight deadlines.
- Independent, flexible and dynamic. Ability to work autonomously using their own initiative and adapting to changing circumstances / context.
- Experience in the Financial Services industry, preferably in banking activities.
- Computer literacy and good knowledge of relevant software.

**OTHER INFORMATION**
- Experience in the use of SAP would be valued.
- Flexibility to travel internationally.