Internal Control Specialist

We are a premium chocolate manufacturer established in 1845 operating in over 86 countries around the World. Guided by our Global purpose to Enchant the World with Chocolate and UK vision of Creating Moments to Make Everyone Feel Special, we have around 400 team members in the UK across our Head Office, Retail, and Field Sales divisions. We are a Top 20 Great Place to Work and are proud of our incredible people, our unique values-led culture and our iconic market leading brands such as LINDOR & GOLD BUNNY.

We’re also proud of being one of the few bean-to-bar chocolate makers in the world, where we control every step of our chocolate production.

The Controls & Compliance Analyst is responsible for delivering accurate, timely, and compliant internal and external reporting across financial and sustainability domains. The role ensures robust internal controls, supports statutory and regulatory submissions, and acts as a key liaison between internal teams and external consultants/auditors. This position is specifically designed for a fully qualified accountant with a strong audit background from practice, bringing technical expertise and assurance best practice to the team.

This role is based in Richmond Upon Thames, London (Hybrid Working: in the office 60% and WFH 40%).

Beyond the specific responsibilities outlined, this role carries an overarching commitment to bring the Lindt values of Excellence, Innovation, Entrepreneurship, Responsibility, and Collaboration to life every day—leading by example and embedding these principles in how we work, how we partner, and how we deliver impact.

• Lead the operation and continuous improvement of Lindt’s internal control environment (LICS), including sample testing, remediation, and evidence quality, drawing on audit and assurance experience
• Apply group-defined standard controls locally, maintaining and enforcing approval matrices, and participating in controls and compliance forums
• Stay abreast of developments in financial regulations and local legislation, proactively assessing and communicating their impact on reporting and compliance
• Take ownership of statutory and regulatory reporting, including technical accounting areas: IFRS 16 lease accounting, and revenue recognition, ensuring full compliance and audit readiness
• Act as the primary point of contact for external auditors, coordinating deliverables, supporting year-end audits, and following up on audit recommendations
• Drive process improvement and controls enhancement, leveraging best practice from audit and assurance
• Safeguard data integrity and submission deadlines for all reporting processes
• Participate in annual review meetings and update calls for changes to group manuals

• Support and coordinate sustainability reporting processes at subsidiary level, including data collection and verification for SECR, ESOS, EPR, and Plastic Tax submissions
• Act as the primary point of contact for external auditors, coordinating deliverables, supporting sustainability audits, and following up on audit recommendations
• Safeguard data integrity and submission deadlines for all reporting processes
• Participate in annual review meetings and update calls for changes to group manuals
• Stay updated on the latest developments in sustainability standards, regulations, and local legislation, assessing impact on reporting

• Own the end‑to‑end retail control framework, ensuring all store cash, inventory and compliance controls are clearly defined, documented and aligned with Group requirements and local retail operations
• Ensure strong compliance with retail control and operating procedures, regularly perform spot‑checks and thematic reviews to identify gaps. Ensuring control exceptions are investigated and required remediation is timely
• Monitor and analyse control performance across the store estate, using exception reporting, audit findings and operational KPIs to highlight emerging risks and drive continuous improvement

• Work…