Group Finance Accountant

Overview

We are looking for a curious, driven and hands-on qualified accountant to join the Group Finance team. This is an ideal opportunity for someone looking to take their first step from practice into industry, or for a qualified accountant seeking broader exposure than a traditional month-end reporting role.
The role offers exposure across financial reporting, acquisitions, ESG reporting, business restructuring, process improvement and strategic projects. The successful candidate will be comfortable getting into the detail, working through manual files, challenging inconsistent data and getting to the bottom of historical issues where the answer is not immediately obvious.
This role would suit someone technically minded, inquisitive and resilient who enjoys solving complex problems and building robust, evidence-based conclusions from imperfect information.

Job Duties

• Support the preparation of monthly and annual group financial reporting.
• Assist with statutory accounts preparation across multiple legal entities.
• Prepare balance sheet reconciliations and investigate unusual variances.
• Support the year-end audit process, including preparation of audit schedules and responses to auditor queries.
• Assist with intercompany reconciliations and group consolidation adjustments.
• Support the annual budget process, including preparation of budget schedules, consolidation of inputs and review of supporting assumptions.
• Provide monthly variance analysis against budget and forecast, investigating key movements and supporting clear commentary for management reporting.
• Help maintain accurate and consistent application of IFRS and group accounting policies.
• Support the preparation of technical accounting papers and underlying evidence packs.
• Assist with accounting for acquisitions, disposals, corporate restructurings and group reorganisations.
• Support integration activities following acquisitions, including alignment of reporting processes and controls.
• Participate in finance transformation, process improvement and systems enhancement initiatives.
• Support the implementation of new accounting standards, reporting requirements and internal policy changes.
• Support the collection, validation and reporting of ESG data across the Group.
• Assist with sustainability reporting and emerging disclosure requirements.
• Work with operational teams to improve data quality, consistency and supporting documentation.
• Investigate historical accounting issues where records may be incomplete, inconsistent, manual or difficult to interpret.
• Analyse large datasets, legacy reconciliations and manual files to identify root causes of discrepancies.
• Reconstruct financial information where source data is fragmented or incongruous.
• Work closely with stakeholders across the business to understand and resolve complex issues.
• Develop practical, evidence-based recommendations and clear documentation to support conclusions.
• Challenge existing processes and identify opportunities for automation, standardisation and stronger controls.
• Improve reporting accuracy, documentation quality and audit readiness.
• Support improvements to finance systems, reporting processes and underlying data structures.

Requirements

• Qualified accountant: ACA, ACCA or CIMA.
• Experience in audit, accounting, finance or a related analytical role.
• Strong Excel skills and confidence working with large datasets and manual files.
• Interest in technical accounting, IFRS and financial reporting.
• Strong organisation and prioritisation skills.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• A willingness to roll up your sleeves and get involved at all levels.
• A proactive, resilient approach when faced with incomplete or conflicting information.
• Excellent attention to detail and a commitment to high-quality documentation.
• Strong communication skills and confidence working with stakeholders across the business.
• A desire to learn and develop in a fast-paced, multi-entity environment.
• Exposure to IFRS or UK GAAP.(Desirable)
• Experience within a multi-site or multi-entity business.(Desirable)
• Experience supporting acquisitions, restructuring activities, group reorganisations or integration projects.(Desirable)
• Awareness of ESG reporting requirements.(Desirable)
• Experience using ERP, consolidation or reporting systems.(Desirable)
• Experience investigating complex reconciliations, legacy balances or historic accounting issues.(Desirable)