Financial Accountant

Job description

£50,000-£60,000 or Day Rate Equivalent

Central London | Hybrid - 3 days office / 2 days home

12-Month Assignment | Potential to Become Permanent

October Start

We are partnering with a highly recognised consumer brand to recruit a Financial Accountant for an initial 12-month assignment, with the potential for the position to become permanent.

There is flexibility around how the successful candidate is engaged. They can either join the client directly on a 12-month fixed-term contract from day one, or work on a day-rate basis through an umbrella company for the duration of the assignment.

Reporting into and working closely with the Senior Financial Accountant, this is a hands-on position within a busy finance function. There is plenty to get involved with from day one, particularly across financial accounting, balance sheet work, audit, lease accounting and the resolution of historic and legacy issues.

The business is looking for someone who enjoys getting into the detail, identifying problems and taking ownership of resolving them.

The Role

Key responsibilities will include:

• Working closely with the Senior Financial Accountant across the financial accounting function.
• Preparing and reviewing balance sheet reconciliations.
• Investigating and resolving historic and legacy accounting issues.
• Supporting month-end and year-end financial accounting activities.
• Supporting the year-end audit, including preparing schedules and responding to auditor queries.
• Supporting lease accounting and associated reconciliations.
• Identifying and resolving discrepancies across the balance sheet.
• Reviewing existing accounting processes and helping improve controls and ways of working.
• Improving the accuracy, quality and integrity of financial information.
• Taking ownership of accounting issues and ensuring they are followed through to resolution.
• Supporting the wider finance team with ad hoc financial accounting projects.

This is not simply a role focused on maintaining existing processes. There will be an opportunity to investigate issues, improve processes and help strengthen the financial accounting function.

The Candidate

The business is flexible on qualification status and will consider Qualified, Part-Qualified and Qualified by Experience (QBE) candidates.

You will ideally have:

• Strong hands-on financial accounting experience.
• Experience preparing and reviewing balance sheet reconciliations.
• Previous exposure to year-end audit and working with external auditors.
• Experience with lease accounting.
• Experience investigating and resolving historic accounting issues.
• A good understanding of financial controls and accounting processes.
• Strong Excel skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• A proactive and solutions-focused approach.
• The confidence to identify issues, investigate them and take ownership through to resolution.
• The ability to work closely with senior members of the finance team while managing your own workload.

Experience joining a finance function where there has been legacy work, process improvement or accounting clean-up required would be particularly beneficial.

Package & Benefits

For candidates joining the client directly:

• £50,000-£60,000 salary
• 12-month fixed-term contract
• Hybrid working - 3 days in the office / 2 days from home
• Flexible working hours, with core office hours between 10:00am and 4:00pm
• 22 days' annual leave, increasing to 25 days with length of service, plus bank holidays
• Company pension scheme
• Complimentary services
• Generous employee discount on products

Alternatively, candidates can be engaged on a day-rate equivalent through an umbrella company for the 12-month assignment.

There is also the potential for the position to become permanent longer term.

The business is ideally looking for someone who can start during October, making this particularly suitable for candidates who are immediately available or working on a short notice period.