Management Accountant - Finance Operations in Cheltenham

Come and join one of the world’s leading luxury travel brands. A&K Travel Group is a dynamic collection of travel and cruise companies, including Abercrombie & Kent, Crystal, and the world’s oldest travel agency, Cox & Kings. We create unique, immersive travel experiences worldwide. Our people make us a great place to work, fostering a supportive environment with ongoing training and global career opportunities. We also make a difference: Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy has supported communities for 40 years, and we were recognised by Which? for exceptional client care during the pandemic.

Role Overview

Join us as Management Accountant - Finance Operations and lead a dedicated team of five within our core finance department. In this pivotal role, you will take full ownership of Accounts Payable, Bank, Credit Cards (physical & virtual), Prepaid Cash Cards, Intercompany reconciliations, and maintain robust financial controls across the A&K, C&K and Crystal brands. Reporting directly to the Finance Manager, you will act as the bridge between day-to-day transactional processing and month-end management accounting.

Key Responsibilities

• Team Leadership & Management
  • Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing transactional finance team of five, conducting regular 1:1s, annual appraisals, and weekly workload planning meetings.
  • Act as the escalation point for complex internal and external queries, supporting the team in overcoming operational bottlenecks.
• Financial Operations & Control
  • Oversee and execute core reconciliations, including daily/monthly bank accounts, credit card expenses, Equal prepaid cash cards and intercompany ledgers to ensure absolute control within the accounting systems.
  • Oversee the end-to-end processing of direct cost invoices, ensuring accurate validation against travel booking systems before authorising payments.
  • Manage the weekly payment run, distributing approved runs to the team and managing final banking approvals for supplier payments and customer refunds.
  • Maintain a clean creditor ledger by monitoring supplier statement reconciliations, allocation of accounts, and resolving debit or historic balances.
  • Supervise incoming request pipelines, including the purchase ledger inbox and service desk ticketing system.
• Month-End, Systems & Intercompany Reconciliation
  • Deliver timely intercompany reconciliations between the A&K entity and MSBC system, uploading monthly reports to the Group Prophix database.
  • Validate and upload daily integration exports from two product databases into the MSBC accounting system.
  • Ensure all direct cost invoices are posted on time, allowing the wider Management Accounting team to run accurate monthly accruals.
  • Own month-end balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger account revaluations.
  • Provide key support during peak month-end periods, year-end external audits, and finance transformation projects.

What we are looking for

• Proven experience managing or supervising a transactional finance or Accounts Payable team.
• Strong system literacy, with experience utilising ERP systems (like MSBC / Microsoft Business Central) and reporting tools (like Prophix) highly advantageous.
• Excellent reconciliation skills, with exposure to intercompany accounting and multi-currency transactions.
• Prior industry experience within travel or tourism is beneficial but not essential.
• Qualified or Part-Qualified Accountant – working towards CIMA, ACCA, ACA or similar accountancy qualification.

What we offer

• Competitive salary plus annual bonus plan.
• Company pension salary exchange plan from start of employment, with employer contributions increasing after 5 and 10 years of service.
• 25 days annual leave – in addition to bank holidays, plus the ability to buy an additional 5 days or sell 5 days.
• Discounted trips through A&K Travel Group Travel Benefit Program (includes friends and family).
• Discounted Gym Membership – we offer a contribution of up to £35 a month at either Virgin Active Gym (London) or to other gyms through GymFlex.
• Private Healthcare through BUPA – individual and family cover, at your own cost.
• Life Assurance (4x base salary paid out as a tax-free sum).
• Hybrid working – we value collaboration and ask employees to come to the office for a minimum of 4 days per week.
• Enhanced Paid Parental Leave.
• Employee Assistance Program – includes access to wellbeing resources and counselling.
• £1,000 Recruitment Referral Bonus.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Season Ticket Loans.
• Regular Social Events.

Abercrombie & Kent is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.