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- Tasks: Lead the finance team, manage accounts, and ensure accurate financial reporting.
- Company: Top automotive retailer in the UK with a focus on employee development.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, generous leave, health perks, and career growth opportunities.
- Other info: Inclusive culture that celebrates success and supports personal development.
- Why this job: Join a dynamic team and make a real impact in a fast-paced environment.
- Qualifications: Experience in accounting and team leadership; qualified accountant preferred.
The predicted salary is between 45000 - 55000 £ per year.
We are one of the top three automotive retailers in the UK, proudly representing 32 manufacturer brands, selling a huge range of new and used vehicles from over 150 dealerships across the UK and Ireland. We believe our people are our greatest asset, and we’re committed to recognising the valuable contribution each person makes. That’s why we continue to invest in a leading rewards and benefits package designed to support your career, wellbeing, and life outside of work.
Location: Gateshead / Hybrid (with occasional travel as required)
Hours: 37.5 hours, Monday to Friday, 9am to 5pm with a 30 minute lunch break.
The role involves:
- Preparing monthly management accounts and commentary for review with the Central Finance Manager.
- Reviewing and maintaining monthly balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring accuracy and compliance.
- Supporting Finance Business Partners with annual budgets, forecasts, and ad hoc financial information requests.
- Leading, mentoring, and supervising members of the finance team, including performance reviews and career development.
- Analysing working capital performance, highlighting risks and recommending actions to support healthy cash flow.
- Authorising large payments, requisitions, expenses (T&E), refunds, and write-offs within agreed thresholds.
- Supporting the preparation of documentation for internal and external audits.
- Ensuring strong financial governance, compliance, and adherence to finance policies and procedures.
- Building and maintaining effective working relationships with Central and Group Finance teams and wider stakeholders.
- Championing a culture of continuous improvement, standardisation, simplification, and increased financial awareness.
About you:
- Proven experience working as an Accountant, ideally within a complex or fast-paced environment.
- Experience leading or managing finance team members.
- Strong technical accounting knowledge combined with sound commercial awareness.
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) preferred but not essential.
- Confident communicator with the ability to build effective relationships across the business.
- Proactive, detail-oriented, and motivated to improve processes and ways of working.
Core Benefits:
- Competitive salaries with structured pay scales and progression as you grow within the business.
- Generous annual leave that increases with your length of service.
- Enhanced family leave, including 6 months’ full pay for maternity and adoption leave, and 2 weeks’ full pay for paternity leave.
- Access to Techscheme for discounted technology purchases with flexible payments.
Health & Wellbeing:
- Eyecare vouchers to help cover vision care needs.
- Smart Health – 24/7 access to GP services to support your mental and physical wellbeing.
- Dental insurance for everyday dental care and unexpected treatments.
- Optional critical illness cover for peace of mind during life's most challenging moments.
Financial Wellbeing:
- MyView PayNow – access a portion of your pay as you earn, with features to stream, save, and track your money through a user-friendly app.
- Free will writing services to help plan for the future.
- Flexible life assurance options and partner life assurance for added protection.
Leisure & Lifestyle:
- Discounted gym memberships to support an active lifestyle.
- Travel insurance to help you explore with confidence.
- Access to home and technology vouchers bYond card and a wide range of exclusive retail and lifestyle discounts.
We strongly believe in nurturing and providing our people with specific manufacturer brand and management training to enhance career development opportunities. We have a great bunch of people, and we like to celebrate and encourage success at all levels. Lookers and Charles Hurst are an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to a working environment that is free from discrimination, is inclusive, and empowers our people to bring their whole self to work and reach their full potential.
If your application is successful, we will conduct relevant employment checks prior to you commencing employment with us. These will include verifying your recent employment, address, credit history and a standard criminal record check. For roles that require you to drive, a driving licence check will also be carried out. Please note, all offers of employment are made subject to a 6 month probation period commencing from your start date. We take our data protection responsibilities very seriously and are committed to upholding and respecting your privacy rights. Information about how we will process your data including the types of data we collect, the purposes for which we use it, who we may share it with and how long we keep it are set out in our privacy notice. It also includes information about your individual privacy rights. Please make sure you read our Privacy Notice so that you understand how we may collect and use your data.
Senior Accountant in Newcastle employer: Lookers
Contact Detail:
Lookers Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Accountant in Newcastle
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the finance world, especially those who might have insights into the automotive sector. A friendly chat can lead to opportunities you won’t find on job boards.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by brushing up on your technical accounting skills and understanding the specific challenges faced by automotive retailers. Show us you know your stuff and can bring value to our Central Finance team!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t just apply; engage with us! Follow our company on social media, comment on posts, and show your enthusiasm for the role. It’s a great way to get noticed and demonstrate your interest in our culture.
✨Tip Number 4
Be ready to discuss your leadership experience. We’re looking for someone who can mentor and guide our finance team, so come prepared with examples of how you’ve developed others in your previous roles.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Accountant in Newcastle
Some tips for your application 🫡
Tailor Your CV: Make sure your CV is tailored to the Senior Accountant role. Highlight your relevant experience, especially in financial operations and team leadership, to show us you’re the perfect fit for our Central Finance team.
Craft a Compelling Cover Letter: Your cover letter is your chance to shine! Use it to explain why you want to join us and how your skills align with our values. Don’t forget to mention your passion for continuous improvement and financial governance!
Showcase Your Achievements: When detailing your experience, focus on specific achievements that demonstrate your technical accounting skills and leadership abilities. We love seeing how you've made a positive impact in previous roles!
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates from our team!
How to prepare for a job interview at Lookers
✨Know Your Numbers
As a Senior Accountant, you’ll need to demonstrate your technical accounting skills. Brush up on key financial metrics and be ready to discuss how you've managed monthly accounts and reconciliations in previous roles. This shows you’re not just familiar with the numbers but can also provide insights into their implications.
✨Show Leadership Skills
Since this role involves leading and mentoring a finance team, prepare examples of how you've successfully managed or developed team members in the past. Highlight any specific instances where your leadership made a positive impact on team performance or morale.
✨Understand the Business
Research the company’s operations and its position in the automotive retail market. Be prepared to discuss how your financial expertise can support their goals, especially in areas like cash flow management and financial governance. This will show that you’re not just an accountant but a strategic partner.
✨Ask Insightful Questions
Prepare thoughtful questions about the company's financial strategies, challenges they face, or their approach to continuous improvement. This demonstrates your genuine interest in the role and helps you assess if the company aligns with your career aspirations.