Finance overview

Look where things go wrong and help stop them. Look where things can go right, and help start them.

Finance associates help the business maintain its integrity, and ensure that it has the control environment needed to protect our assets. But this is only half of the role. Finance also plays a proactive role in helping to guide the strategic development of the business.

Requiring a high level of technical proficiency, at Mars, we require finance associates who act with honor and character, have sound judgement, the courage to act on their beliefs, and can inspire others to act with them.

Roles within finance

The finance function has defined 13 competencies that encapsulate all finance roles within Mars. These competencies are:

• Financial control
• Statutory accounting
• Business planning
• Risk management
• Commodity & currency reporting & control
• Cost accounting & budget management
• Analysis & evaluation of business activities
• Business process & information technology effectiveness
• Investment management
• Workplace effectiveness
• Tax management
• Treasury management
• Benefits management

Ideal candidate profile

Tertiary qualifications are key when applying for a finance role in Mars. Preference is for degrees relating to finance, such as Accounting and Economics. Certain appointments in Finance also require professional accreditation from recognized accounting bodies, but such accreditation is not mandatory for all roles.

In many ways Finance associates must act as the financial conscience of the business.

Ideal characteristics can be grouped into 4 categories:

• Judgement and strategic skills. Capable of high-quality decision making, problem solving, data collection and problem identification. Quality decisions often must be made with less than complete information, in little time, with few or no precedents to rely on.
• Courage in the face of controversy. Conflict is a natural outcome of complex organizations so conflict management is required. Managerial courage must also be employed to say what needs to be said at the right time, to the right person, in the right manner.
• Inspiring people to achieve. Finance associates build effective teams by working together to accomplish more than they could as individuals. It is also essential that Finance associates develop timely information for those who need it.
• Acting with honor and character. Finance associates have a responsibility to deliver results based on ethics and values consistent with The Five Principles. Further, a key element of team building is integrity and trust.