Management Accountant in Sunderland

What experience do you have producing management accounts, completing complex balance sheet reconciliations and managing month-end processes?

Can you tell me about a time you identified a financial issue, variance or control risk and used your analysis to improve the process or support a better business decision?

What experience do you have partnering with non-finance stakeholders, such as department heads or budget holders, to analyse costs, challenge performance and support budgeting or forecasting?

MacGregor Black are partnering with a leading retail business on the search for a Management Accountant.

As a Management Accountant, you will play a pivotal role in supporting financial decision-making across the business, bringing rigour and constructive challenge to the numbers. You will produce accurate and timely management accounts, ensure clear balance sheet reconciliations, and support the team with analysis and insight. You will cover some of the more complex areas of the balance sheet and costs, working alongside the Senior Management Accountant to drive improvement in processes and controls.

Key Responsibilities:

• Perform balance sheet reconciliations for designated areas – including some of the more complex balances – to a high standard, producing additional analysis and constructively challenging balances where required.
• Develop knowledge of external and internal factors that impact risk areas and use this knowledge to support with understanding the impact on reporting.
• Posting accruals and prepayments to populate P&L and management information pack.
• Produce departmental reports and analyse alongside department heads, developing strong partnering relationships and challenging cost trends.
• Assist with the MI pack, delivering a best-in-class output alongside meaningful narrative.
• Support Finance Business Partners with preparation of areas of the budget and reforecasts, providing insights on changes in costs and using this understanding to help budget holders and Finance Business Partners to understand variances.
• Develop and maintain process notes, identifying control risks and implementing changes to enhance the accuracy and monitoring of processes.
• Identify opportunities for automation and be proactive in seeking these out, working with management to develop business cases as needed.
• Provide coaching to junior team members, providing support in reviewing their work when required.
• Be proactive during daily tasks to support process improvements, flagging key risks to management in a timely manner.
• Ad hoc reporting and related tasks to support the wider team.
• Support on ad hoc projects.

What We're Looking For:

• Proven experience in a management accounting role, ideally within retail, FMCG, or a fast-paced consumer business.
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex data and present it clearly.
• Confident in constructively challenging figures, processes and stakeholders at all levels.
• Advanced Excel skills; experience with ERP systems (e.g., Dynamics, SAP, Oracle, Netsuite) is advantageous.
• Commercially astute with a proactive and collaborative approach.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Ability to work under pressure and meet tight deadlines.
• Part-qualified and actively studying toward a recognised accounting qualification (e.g. CIMA or AAT), with strong relevant experience.

For more information, please contact Fraser Graham.