Financial Accountant

About the role

The Financial Accountant reports into the Senior Finance Manager and is responsible for the preparation of the monthly P&L, balance sheet and cash flow for the UK entities. The role will develop and manage a strong financial control environment across the team, to maintain the accuracy and completeness of financial statements for the UK business, across the income statement, balance sheet and cash flow. The role delivers financial business information in support of the Group and solus entity statutory accounts.

The Financial Accountant works closely with the Management Accountant and the Group Reporting Manager, to ensure accuracy of the monthly accounts and delivers financial information to the Senior Commercial & Investor Relations Manager and the Senior Leadership Team (SLT).
 

Further, working with the Management Accountant, the Financial Accountant is key to delivery of structurally sound forecasts and plans, with a focus on aspects of the P&L, and the balance sheet and cashflow statements and aspects of the P&L.
 

Principle Accountabilities

• Preparation of the monthly financial accounts for all UK entities, working with the
• Group Reporting Manager to incorporate all technical accounting aspects
• Develop and maintain a financial control environment, to include a delivery of:
• A complete set of well-supported and clean balance sheet reconciliations for the UK business 
• reconciliation of the intercompany matrix
• Controls to ensure the correct use of general ledger account codes, which are used to create quarterly external reporting to investors and annual statutory accounts
• Provide robust review and challenge of accounting treatments adopted by the UK team in the context of Group accounting policies and procedures
• Ownership monthly reporting and planning of the UK balance sheet and cash flow statements. Reporting of actuals and plans for all UK entities, up to and including Board level.
• Preparation of regulatory returns (e.g. ONS) and other ad hoc reporting as may be required
• Ownership of UK revenue earned under the UK’s long-term rental contracts, including deferred/accrued income reconciliations, credit note calculations and reporting to the SLT.
• Ownership of UK financing and interest accounting and planning, together with delivery of associated reconciliations and creation of schedules
• Preparation of papers for inclusion in the reports to the SLT and Board.
• Delivery of ad hoc financial analysis in support of corporate restructuring, financing activities, the annual audit and the budgeting & forecasting processes.

Nature and Scope

The Financial Accountant has good knowledge of financial statements and, therefore, a strong understanding of correct general ledger usage. The role has the accountability to advise their finance colleagues about accurate monthly accounting, reporting and controls. This same capability will also be used by the role-holder in delivering robust planning data. The Financial Accountant will also meet with business contacts to gain knowledge to support accuracy of data, and to partner these contacts to understand the monthly results and plan data.

The role will use knowledge, gained through attaining professional qualifications, to identify and highlight aspects to be dealt with across the broader finance department. As a member of the core finance team, the Financial Accountant with work with colleagues across all finance disciplines and with external audit.
 

Skills and Experience

Essential

• Degree level education or equivalent
• ACA/ ACCA or equivalent
• Professional experience
• Experience of working within a high-volume workload Finance function
• Preparation of statutory accounts
• Strong across all MS Office applications, with at least intermediate Excel skills.
• Exposure to Financial systems
• Proven ability of working to tight deadlines
• Strong attention to detail and analytical mindset
• Good communication skills
• Experience in working with colleagues across business teams

Desirable

• Working within external audit
• Worked with Microsoft Dynamics for F&O