VP Legal Entity Control Lead Financial Accountant

About this role:

Wells Fargo is seeking a Legal Entity Control Lead Financial Accountant to join the Legal Entity Control (LEC) team, with key responsibility for the integrity of the books and records, financial reporting and control environment for WFSIL and other assigned EMEA legal entities. The role provides broad exposure across financial control, accounting and governance, partnering with senior stakeholders to address complex accounting matters, manage financial and operational risks, and support effective legal entity oversight.

In this role, you will:

• Act as financial controller for WFSIL and other assigned EMEA legal entities, with accountability for the completeness, accuracy and integrity of their books and records.
• Maintain a comprehensive understanding of the entities’ businesses, products, legal structures, intercompany relationships and financial performance.
• Oversee monthly and quarterly close processes, ensuring financial results are complete, appropriately supported and delivered within reporting deadlines.
• Perform thorough balance sheet, income statement and financial variance reviews, challenging unusual movements and driving issues through to resolution.
• Review legal entity results and provide clear, decision-useful commentary to senior management, entity boards and relevant governance forums.
• Ensure transactions and business activities are accounted for appropriately under applicable accounting frameworks, including UK accounting requirements and US GAAP.
• Interpret accounting policy and prepare clear, well-supported conclusions for complex or judgemental accounting matters.
• Engage Enterprise Accounting Policy and other subject-matter experts where authoritative guidance or formal policy interpretation is required.
• Lead the assessment of accounting and financial reporting implications arising from new products, business initiatives, legal entity changes and organisational transformation.
• Monitor developments in accounting standards and assess their impact on assigned entities.

Statutory reporting and audit

• Lead the preparation and review of annual statutory financial statements in accordance with the reporting framework applicable to each entity.
• Coordinate with the Statutory Reporting team and other contributors to ensure the accurate and timely completion of statutory reporting deliverables.
• Manage the external audit process as the principal Legal Entity Control contact, coordinating audit requests, resolving issues and reviewing financial statements and audit findings.
• Maintain clear ownership of audit matters and ensure agreed actions are implemented within required deadlines.

Control and governance

• Maintain and enhance the legal entity control framework, ensuring material financial and operational risks are identified, assessed, controlled and appropriately documented.
• Evaluate control effectiveness, identify gaps or weaknesses and lead remediation and process-improvement activity.
• Prepare and present financial, accounting and control matters to legal entity boards, board committees, management committees and senior leadership forums.
• Ensure significant financial, accounting, audit and control matters are escalated clearly, accurately and promptly.
• Support regulatory and internal reviews and provide evidence of the operation and effectiveness of the legal entity control environment.

Partnership and leadership

• Partner with Regulatory Reporting to promote consistency between financial and regulatory reporting and investigate material reporting differences or issues.
• Build effective relationships with business leaders and develop a robust understanding of business performance, products and financial drivers.
• Coordinate across US and international Controller teams to ensure consistent accounting treatment and the effective resolution of cross-entity matters.
• Provide technical guidance, review and coaching to other team members.
• Lead or contribute to finance transformation, process simplification, system implementation and control-enhancement initiatives.
• Represent the Legal Entity Control team with key stakeholders and provide cover or delegated support for the LEC Manager where required.

Required qualifications:

• Qualified professional accountant, such as ACA, ACCA, CIMA or an equivalent internationally recognised qualification.
• Significant post-qualification experience in legal entity control, financial control, statutory reporting or a related controllership discipline.
• Strong experience in financial reporting under applicable UK accounting requirements and US GAAP. IFRS experience is desirable where relevant to the assigned entity portfolio.
• Strong understanding of legal entity controllership, general ledger integrity, financial close processes and financial control frameworks.
• Experience in a regulated banking, broker-dealer, investment banking or financial services environment.
• Good knowledge of capital markets, treasury, financing or investment banking products and their associated accounting.
• Experience preparing or reviewing statutory financial statements and managing external audit relationships.
• Experience communicating complex financial, accounting and control matters to senior management and governance forums.
• Demonstrated ability to assess new products and business changes from an accounting, financial reporting and control perspective.
• Bachelor’s degree or equivalent professional experience.

Skills and capabilities:

• Strong analytical judgement and the ability to identify the underlying causes of accounting and control issues.
• Ability to translate complex technical matters into clear conclusions and practical actions.
• Confident and credible communication skills, including the ability to challenge constructively and influence senior stakeholders.
• Strong organisational and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage competing deadlines across multiple entities and deliverables.
• Ability to work independently, exercise sound judgement and drive matters through to resolution.
• Strong collaboration skills across geographically dispersed and cross-functional teams.
• Commitment to strengthening controls, improving processes and maintaining high standards of financial integrity.
• French-language capability would be advantageous where relevant to the assigned entity portfolio.

Posting End Date:

*Job posting may come down early due to volume of applicants.

We Value Equal Opportunity

Wells Fargo is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, status as a protected veteran, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Employees support our focus on building strong customer relationships balanced with a strong risk mitigating and compliance-driven culture which firmly establishes those disciplines as critical to the success of our customers and company. They are accountable for execution of all applicable risk programs (Credit, Market, Financial Crimes, Operational, Regulatory Compliance), which includes effectively following and adhering to applicable Wells Fargo policies and procedures, appropriately fulfilling risk and compliance obligations, timely and effective escalation and remediation of issues, and making sound risk decisions. There is emphasis on proactive monitoring, governance, risk identification and escalation, as well as making sound risk decisions commensurate with the business unit’s risk appetite and all risk and compliance program requirements.

Candidates applying to job openings posted in Canada: Applications for employment are encouraged from all qualified candidates, including women, persons with disabilities, aboriginal peoples and visible minorities. Accommodation for applicants with disabilities is available upon request in connection with the recruitment process.

Applicants with Disabilities

To request a medical accommodation during the application or interview process, visit Disability Inclusion at Wells Fargo.

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Wells Fargo maintains a drug free workplace. Please see our Drug and Alcohol Policy to learn more.

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