Management Accountant in Bristol

Our client is a leading international distribution business based in North Bristol. An exciting opportunity has arisen for a Management Accountant to join the business initially on a six-month fixed term basis.

The Opportunity

You will work closely with the Financial Controller and play a key part in supporting the financial performance of the business. The role involves regular interaction with key stakeholders and adopting a proactive approach to improving process flows and managing key supplier relationships. Core responsibilities include frequent supplier communication and applying core accounting principles such as stock-in-transit and distribution accounting, as well as the matching principle to ensure income and expenditure are recognised in the correct accounting period through the preparation of accruals and prepayments. The role will also oversee key processes including day-to-day cashflow management, budget tracking in collaboration with the wider team, and expense management, with a focus on identifying and implementing process improvements. Around 10% of the role will involve supporting the month-end close, including the management of key accounts such as rebates and fixed assets. This position offers significant scope for development, with the opportunity to broaden responsibility across both financial and operational accounting, gain exposure to business partnering with senior stakeholders, and progress towards greater ownership of month-end and reporting activities as experience grows.

The Candidate

The ideal candidate will be a commercially minded accountant, either qualified or actively working towards a recognised professional qualification (e.g. ACCA, CIMA, ACA). Experience in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with time-critical reporting deadlines is strongly preferred. They will demonstrate the ability not only to identify potential issues, but to implement practical solutions, and will be willing to support the wider business rather than view Finance in isolation.

Duties

• Support the Financial Controller in delivering accurate and timely financial performance reporting for the business
• Prepare monthly management accounts, including journals, accruals, prepayments and variance analysis
• Apply the matching principle to ensure income and expenditure are recognised in the correct accounting period
• Manage stock-in-transit (SIT), distribution accounting and other core costing principles
• Act as key contact for employee expense management and oversee implementation and ownership of OCR management of invoices
• Maintain strong communication with key suppliers to resolve queries and ensure accuracy of supplier accounts
• Monitor and manage day-to-day cashflow, producing short-term forecasts where required
• Support budgeting and forecasting processes and maintain budget tracking with budget holders
• Prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations, including key accounts such as rebates and fixed assets
• Contribute to the month-end close process, ensuring deadlines are met and journals are processed correctly
• Identify opportunities to improve financial processes and controls, supporting implementation of agreed changes
• Work collaboratively with internal stakeholders across operations and commercial teams