Financial Accounting Manager

Contract: Permanent. Working hours: 35 hours per week is full time. Where possible, we are open to considering part time/flexible working patterns. Please let us know in your application your desired working pattern. Salary: circa £80,000 per annum. Location: London Docklands, Hybrid. Reporting to: Financial Controller.

About Us

The Financial Ombudsman Service is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that plays a vital role in UK financial services. Every day we help resolve disputes between consumers, or small businesses, and their financial service providers.

What You’ll Do

This role will lead the financial accounting function, ensuring robust financial controls, accurate reporting and compliance with accounting standards, tax requirements and statutory obligations. You will oversee the month-end close process, manage cashflow and investments, prepare statutory accounts, and work closely with internal and external auditors to deliver high-quality financial reporting and assurance. As the technical accounting expert, you will provide clear advice across the organisation, lead improvements to financial controls, and act as a key stakeholder for Workday Financials. You will identify opportunities to enhance processes through automation, analytics and AI, while maintaining strong governance and auditability. Leading a small team, you will develop capability, drive continuous improvement and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and curiosity. You will also deputise for the Financial Controller when required and represent Finance in cross-functional projects and strategic initiatives across the Service.

Minimum Criteria

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience in financial accounting, statutory reporting and financial control.
• Strong technical accounting expertise, including IFRS and IAS19, with the ability to interpret and implement new accounting standards and disclosure requirements.
• Proven experience preparing statutory accounts, managing accounting judgements, and working effectively with internal and external auditors.
• Demonstrable experience leading month-end close processes and overseeing key financial controls, including reconciliations, cashflow, investments, tax compliance and fixed assets.
• Strong systems and digital capability, including experience with financial systems (ideally Workday Financials), Excel, automation and data-driven process improvement, with a balanced approach to the use of AI and technology.

What you’ll bring

• Excellent planning and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage deadlines and deliver improvements.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess risks and implement effective controls.
• Strong communication skills, able to explain complex financial matters clearly to a range of audiences.
• Experience leading, coaching and developing a small team, while promoting knowledge sharing and resilience.
• A continuous improvement mindset, focused on improving processes while maintaining compliance and control.

Why You'll Love Working With Us

We are a values led organisation. Our values define our culture, influence our decisions, and underpin our vision and strategy. We play our PART through Purpose, Ambition, Respect and Trust. Wellbeing: Health plan, gym memberships, mental health support. Growth: We invest in your future with courses, mentorship, promotions. Culture: Diverse. Inclusive. Collaborative. Fun. We also offer an attractive, competitive salary and flexible benefits to suit our people.

Benefits and Perks

• 25 days holiday entitlement, with the option to buy extra or sell days
• Generous pension
• Various Family Friendly Policies, including enhanced maternity pay, carers and dependants leave
• Employer provided benefits such as Private medical insurance, virtual GP, Critical illness cover, Life assurance cover, to name a few
• Choice of voluntary benefits including Technology scheme, Cycle to work scheme, Will-writing service amongst others
• Gym membership discounts, and a fully equipped on-site gym open 24/7 in London only

Equal Opportunity & Diversity

The Financial Ombudsman is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team members. We view diversity as fundamental to our success and welcome applications from underrepresented groups across all communities.

We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and, under the scheme, will progress a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role to interview. Interviews may be conducted via video, telephone, or a panel Interview, with some vacancies requiring an online assessment to measure the minimum criteria.

Who we are... With fairness at the heart of everything we do, we embrace difference and treat everyone as equals. We’re a diverse organisation, but something we all share is our values. They’re central to the way we work – and work together. We’re an independent, not-for-profit organisation that sorts out disputes between financial businesses and their customers. We do this by making decisions that are fair – and feel fair to both sides.

The Financial Ombudsman Service is an equal opportunities employer. All applicants will be treated in a fair and equal manner and in accordance with the law, regardless of gender, marital status, race, religion, colour, age, disability or sexual orientation. We’re committed to being a great place to work – attracting and developing people from the widest possible range of backgrounds. We want everyone to perform at their best and feel able to be themselves. We understand that if we’re diverse and inclusive, we’ll better understand different perspectives, which is fundamental to our job resolving financial complaints.