Senior Management Accountant in Cheadle Hulme

Beauty Works retails luxury hair solutions, including ready to wear clip-ins, semi-permanent professional extensions and exclusive collaborations. Our hair extensions, aftercare products and electrical stylers have earned recognition amongst the beauty press and up and down the red carpet. Beauty Works operates internationally to both salon professionals and directly to consumers and is owned by a Beauty Industry Group based in Salt Lake City and has the largest share of the hair extensions market in the world.

An exciting opportunity has opened up for a highly skilled and proactive Senior Management Accountant to become a key part of a dynamic finance team within a thriving retail business operating across the UK and Europe. This role plays a vital part in driving financial excellence - responsible for delivering accurate financial reporting, managing payroll submissions, VAT returns, and overseeing month-end processes. It also offers the chance to work closely with senior management, providing critical financial analysis and insights that shape strategic decisions and support continued business growth.

This is more than just a numbers role - it’s a chance to make a real impact in a fast-paced, evolving environment where financial integrity and innovation go hand in hand.

• Management Reporting: Prepare and deliver accurate and timely management accounts and financial reports for UK and European operations. Provide analysis and commentary on variances to support decision-making processes for senior management.
• Payroll Management: Oversee the payroll process across multiple jurisdictions, ensuring compliance with local tax laws and regulations. Ensure that payroll records submitted to our external processors are accurate and processed on time, and review payroll reconciliations to ensure accuracy.
• VAT Returns: Ensure VAT returns for all UK and European entities are prepared and submitted in a timely manner. Maintain up-to-date knowledge of local VAT regulations across the UK and Europe and ensure compliance with all relevant tax laws.
• Month-End Close: Lead the month-end close process for UK and European operations, ensuring that all financial transactions are recorded accurately and in compliance with internal controls. Prepare and review month-end reconciliations, accruals, and journals.
• Budgeting and Forecasting: Assist in the preparation of the annual budget and rolling forecasts, ensuring alignment with business objectives. Monitor performance against budget and provide analysis on key variances.
• Internal Controls and Compliance: Support the implementation and maintenance of robust financial controls across the UK and European operations. Ensure compliance with company policies, accounting standards, and regulatory requirements.
• Team Collaboration and Support: Provide guidance and mentorship to junior members of the finance team. Work closely with other departments (e.g., HR, Marketing, Sales) to ensure financial data is accurate and supports business objectives.
• Ad-Hoc Projects: Assist in ad-hoc projects and initiatives as required by senior management, including process improvements, system implementations, and financial analysis.

• Qualifications & Experience: ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualified (or equivalent). Strong experience in financial reporting, month-end close, payroll, and VAT across multi-country operations (ideally UK and Europe). Proven ability to prepare and analyse management accounts, budgets, and forecasts.
• Key Skills: Solid understanding of UK VAT and tax compliance. Proficient in ERP systems (e.g., NetSuite) and advanced Excel. Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to communicate financial insights clearly. Highly organised, detail-oriented, and able to manage multiple priorities effectively. Experience with multi-currency accounting and retail sector finance. Additional European language skills are a plus, in particular German language skills would be advantageous.