Accountant - 12 month FTC

We are looking for an experienced finance professional to join Cifas on a 12-month fixed-term contract. The successful candidate will have built their career within a finance or accounts function, gaining practical experience across accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchase ledger and purchase order management. Alongside a strong understanding of end-to-end finance operations, you'll bring experience of systems implementation, process improvement and payroll administration, either within an in-house environment or working with managed payroll providers.

Supporting a period of significant operational change, you'll play a key role in completing and embedding new expenses and accounts payable systems, helping to strengthen financial controls, streamline processes and increase automation across the finance function. You'll also provide additional support across reconciliations, management information, expenditure management and wider finance activities, ensuring the smooth day-to-day operation of the team during a period of transformation. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who enjoys combining operational finance expertise with continuous improvement, and who is keen to make a meaningful contribution to the ongoing development of our finance systems, processes and controls.

Key Responsibilities

• Managing and supporting the accounts payable function, ensuring supplier invoices, expenses and corporate card transactions are accurately coded, approved and processed in line with Cifas policies.
• Checking the monthly payroll information completing reconciliations, ensuring payroll is accurately processed working in collaboration with the People & Culture team to resolve payroll-related queries.
• Providing support across management reporting, reconciliations, budget holder reporting and wider finance activities, helping to resolve queries and maintain accurate financial information.
• Leading on the final implementation and embedding of new expenses and accounts payable systems, ensuring effective operation, user adoption and compliance with internal controls.
• Supporting the rollout and effective use of purchase orders, helping to embed improved expenditure controls and compliance across the organisation.
• Facilitating the transition from manual finance processes to more automated, system-led controls, improving efficiency while maintaining robust governance.
• Providing additional support across accounts receivable and other finance processes during peak periods, audits, year-end activities and team absences.
• Contribute to the continued development and integration of AccountsIQ and Dynamics, including testing, process improvements and reconciliation activities.
• Maintain finance procedures and guidance, deliver training to managers and budget holders, and identify opportunities to streamline processes and maximise system functionality.

Skills, Knowledge and Expertise

To be successful in this role, it is essential for you to have:

• GCSE English & Maths qualification at A-C grade, or equivalent qualification, essential.
• Fully qualified accountant through a recognised professional accountancy body, such as ACCA, CIMA, ACA or equivalent is essential, 1-2 years PQE.
• Proven hands-on experience across accounts payable, accounts receivable, purchase ledger, purchase orders and wider finance operations.
• A strong understanding of financial controls, expenditure management, approval processes and policy compliance.
• Experience using finance systems, including automated accounts payable and expenses platforms.
• Proven experience supporting systems implementations, process improvements and embedding new ways of working.
• Experience of payroll processing and checking, either working with an in-house payroll function or a third-party provider, including reconciliations and query resolution.
• Excellent reconciliation skills with the ability to investigate discrepancies and maintain accurate financial records.
• Exceptional organisation with excellent attention to detail, with the ability to manage competing priorities while maintaining confidentiality and delivering excellent stakeholder support.
• A proactive and solutions-focused mindset, with strong Excel skills and a track record of improving processes, increasing automation and maximising the value of finance systems.

And it would be desirable for you to have:

• Experience of working with Capture Expenses, Quadient for AP by Beanworks, AIQ, DX or similar finance / CRM systems.
• Experience of developing or improving finance policies, process notes, user guidance or training materials.
• Experience of supporting finance transformation, system integration or automation activity.

Benefits

In return for helping us take the fight to fraud, all our employees receive an impressive benefit package, which includes:

• Remote working with approximately 2 days a month in the London office, although there will be a requirement to attend conventions, forums and events.
• Generous annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Private healthcare.
• Excellent pension package through salary sacrifice.
• Personal and professional growth.
• Employee wellbeing – Wellbeing breaks, wellbeing hub access including exercise programmes, meditation guides, sleep stories and yoga.

We have introduced agile ways of working, allowing teams to decide how best they work, while ensuring regular opportunities to collaborate and innovate. We create an environment to help you to unleash your potential and perform the most rewarding work of your career, whilst keeping your wellbeing at the foremost with initiatives in place to promote the wellness of our people.

We are committed to building a diverse and inclusive culture and have dedicated inclusion champions across the business to celebrate and promote our uniqueness. We also have a dedicated team of volunteers looking for innovative ways to give back as part of our commitments under our Corporate Social Responsibility. Since 2021, we have been recognised in the Best Companies listings, and again in 2026 have been awarded 2 stars for outstanding levels of engagement. We have also been awarded the Investors in People Gold accreditation.

If you are passionate about our purpose and would like an opportunity to make a valuable contribution to fraud prevention, we would like to hear from you.