Accountant - Fixed Assets - 6 month FTC

At Aberdeen, our ambition is to be the UK’s leading Wealth & Investments group. Strengthening talent and culture is one of our strategic priorities. We strive to make Aberdeen a great place to work so that we can attract and retain the industry’s best talent. Our people put our stakeholders at the heart of everything they do by helping us to make a positive difference to the lives of our clients, customers, colleagues, shareholders, and society. We are focused on growing our direct and advised wealth platforms and repositioning our specialist asset management business to meet client demand. We are committed to providing excellent client service, supported by leading technology and talent.

Aberdeen comprises three businesses, interactive investor (ii), Investments, and Adviser, each of which focuses on meeting and adapting to our clients’ evolving needs:

• interactive investor, the UK’s second largest direct-to-consumer investment platform, enables individuals in the UK to plan, save, and invest in the way that works for them.
• Our Adviser business provides financial planning solutions and technology for UK financial advisers, enabling them to create value for their customers.
• Our Investments business is a specialist asset manager that focuses on areas where we have both strength and scale to capitalise on the key themes shaping the market, through either public markets or alternative asset classes.

The Finance function, led by the Chief Financial Officer, is structured into four specialist teams and three commercially focused business units. The Group Financial Control (GFC) Pillar plays a critical role in providing accurate financial outputs, operating strong controls, and delivering value‐adding insight across the organisation. Finance Operations teams are predominantly based in Edinburgh, supported by a third‐party provider in Chennai (WNS), over whom strong governance and oversight are exercised.

The Group Financial Control (GFC) Pillar is one of those specialist teams, led by the Group Financial Controller, playing a critical role in this shift by providing accurate and timely financial outputs and reporting, operating strong controls and delivering valuable output. The GFC Pillar currently comprises Finance Operations, Financial Control and Reporting (UK & EMEA), Finance Systems and Change, the Financial Controls Office, and key strategic project delivery. Teams within the GFC Pillar are located predominantly in Edinburgh, supported by a third-party process outsourcer in Chennai, India (WNS), over whom GFC teams exercise oversight and control.

Finance Operations is a critical enabler of the Finance division and a core function within Aberdeen, ensuring the organisation can operate with confidence, control, and transparency. The team delivers end‐to‐end operational finance services across Record to Report, Billing, Banking, Accounts Payable, and Supplier Relationship Management.

The Record to Report Accountant – Fixed Assets Specialist is a technical leadership role within Finance Operations, providing expertise in Fixed Assets accounting and supporting the integrity of the balance sheet. The role holder will act as a subject‐matter expert, leading on Fixed Assets matters, maintaining high accounting and control standards, and influencing best practice across Record to Report. While the role provides cover and support across wider Record to Report (e.g. costs, revenue, transfer pricing) where required, its primary focus is Fixed Assets, asset accounting quality, and governance. Direct line management responsibility, requiring strong judgement, influence, and the ability to deliver results through collaboration.

Key Responsibilities:

• Fixed Assets Technical Leadership: Act as the technical lead for Fixed Assets accounting, including capitalisation, depreciation, disposals, impairments, asset transfers, asset register governance and leases. Ensure Fixed Assets balances are complete, accurate, well‐controlled, and aligned to accounting policy and standards.
• Record to Report Delivery & Control: Deliver high‐quality Fixed Assets outputs as part of the month‐end and year‐end close, ensuring deadlines and quality standards are met. Maintain and enhance balance sheet substantiation, reconciliations, and supporting documentation. Support internal and external audit activity, providing clear explanations and robust evidence.
• Risk, Governance & Continuous Improvement: Proactively identify risks, control gaps, and process weaknesses within Fixed Assets and related processes. Drive continuous improvement and innovation, including simplification, automation, and improved data quality.
• Collaboration & Wider Record to Report Support: Work closely with other Record to Report team members, Finance Systems, and stakeholder teams to resolve issues and deliver outcomes. Provide ad‐hoc support or cover across broader Record to Report areas (such as operating costs or revenue) when required, without detracting from Fixed Assets ownership.
• Decision‐Making & Communication: Communicate clearly and authentically with stakeholders, adapting style for technical and non‐technical audiences. Escalate issues appropriately to ensure risks do not crystallise.

About the Candidate:

• Must be CIMA, ACCA or possess equivalent accounting accreditation.
• Technical expertise in Fixed Assets accounting within a Record to Report or General Ledger environment.
• Proven experience operating in a well‐controlled, audit‐focused finance function.
• Deep understanding of balance sheet accounting, reconciliations, and financial controls.
• Ability to influence, challenge, and lead through expertise rather than hierarchy.
• Strong analytical skills with a pragmatic, delivery‐focused mindset.
• Confident and clear communicator with high professional standards.
• Some experience supporting wider Record to Report activities such as operating costs, revenue or transfer pricing.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Committed employer. If you have a disability and would like to apply to one of our UK roles under the Disability Confident Scheme, please notify us by completing the relevant section in our candidate questionnaire. One of our team will reach out to support you through your application process.

Our benefits: There's more to working life than coming home with a good salary. We have an environment where you can learn, get involved and be supported. When you join us, your reward will be one of the best around. This includes 40 days’ annual leave, a 16% employer pension contribution, a discretionary performance-based bonus (where applicable), private healthcare and a range of flexible benefits – including gym discounts, season ticket loans and access to an employee discount portal.

Our business: Enabling our clients to be better investors drives everything we do. Our business is structured around three distinct areas – our vectors of growth – focused on our clients’ changing needs.

An inclusive way of working: Whatever way you like to work, if you have the talent and commitment to join our team, we’d like to hear from you. At Aberdeen we’ve adopted a ‘blended working’ approach. This approach combines the benefits of face-to-face collaboration, coaching and connecting in our offices with the flexibility of working from home. It enables colleagues to find a balance that works for their roles.