Group Accountant

About Mecsia

Mecsia is a leading UK provider of technical inspection, maintenance, and engineering services, aiming to transform the industry with a 'Local Service, National Reach' approach. The company has grown significantly through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, including seven business units serving large clients in different sectors including Commercial offices, healthcare and educational facilities. Under private equity ownership since 2020, Mecsia has expanded to approximately 1,600 employees, including 900 engineers. In 2024, Mecsia was acquired by Synova, recognised as PE house of the year for four of the last seven years, who supports an ambitious growth strategy through service excellence and further acquisitions.

Group Accountant (1 year FTC)

Location - Hybrid/London

About Mecsia

Mecsia is a leading UK provider of technical inspection, maintenance, and engineering services, aiming to transform the industry with a 'Local Service, National Reach' approach. The company has grown significantly through organic expansion and strategic acquisitions, including seven business units serving large clients in different sectors including Commercial offices, healthcare and educational facilities. Under private equity ownership since 2020, Mecsia has expanded to approximately 1,600 employees, including 900 engineers. In 2024, Mecsia was acquired by Synova, recognised as PE house of the year for four of the last seven years, who supports an ambitious growth strategy through service excellence and further acquisitions.

About The Role

The Group Accountant (GA) role will work with the GFC to support the development of the Mecsia Group Finance Function and a leading financial control environment in a fast growing PE backed business. The role is a great canvas for the GA to make their impact as to date several companies have been purchased and are currently not fully integrated with local teams (including Finance) running operations for each business unit. The GA will play a key role in supporting the GFC to evaluate all the group companies and develop and roll out the Mescia Group Finance policy manual consistently across current companies and future acquisitions. We are seeking an individual with a high EQ and ability to execute the implementation of the financial accounting and reporting agenda across the Group with charm and diplomacy.

Key Responsibilities

Management Accounts

• Review of the Head Office Companies’ monthly management accounts
• Preparation of the Group Consolidation and Group Consolidated Cashflow which are always audit ready and aligned with the financial standards followed by the Group
• Ensuring the completeness and accuracy of all consolidation procedures including Intercompany balances and transactions matrix across the group
• The month end process from the start through to close of accounts and handover completed accounts and cash flows to the Group Head of FP&A for reporting and commentary.
• Development of new reporting formats and system developments, to drive improved compliance and efficiency such as the implementation of Konsolidator and the Consolidated Cashflow template
• The monthly balance sheet review and output of the Group subsidiaries and challenging accounting treatment, resolving issues picked up in the timetabled balance sheet reconciliations and managing the risks and opportunities on the balance sheet through the course of the financial year
• Educating and driving consistency across all business units in use of chart of accounts, accounting policies, processes for example the Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme
• Ensuring necessary regulatory submissions and payments are made (VAT, PAYE, CT, ONS etc) for the Head Office Companies as well as supporting Individual Entities

Management Accounts

• Review of the Head Office Companies’ monthly management accounts
• Preparation of the Group Consolidation and Group Consolidated Cashflow which are always audit ready and aligned with the financial standards followed by the Group
• Ensuring the completeness and accuracy of all consolidation procedures including Intercompany balances and transactions matrix across the group
• The month end process from the start through to close of accounts and handover completed accounts and cash flows to the Group Head of FP&A for reporting and commentary.
• Development of new reporting formats and system developments, to drive improved compliance and efficiency such as the implementation of Konsolidator and the Consolidated Cashflow template
• The monthly balance sheet review and output of the Group subsidiaries and challenging accounting treatment, resolving issues picked up in the timetabled balance sheet reconciliations and managing the risks and opportunities on the balance sheet through the course of the financial year
• Educating and driving consistency across all business units in use of chart of accounts, accounting policies, processes for example the Salary Sacrifice Car Scheme
• Ensuring necessary regulatory submissions and payments are made (VAT, PAYE, CT, ONS etc) for the Head Office Companies as well as supporting Individual Entities

Statutory Accounts

• Support the group audit process. Work directly with the external audit team, providing them with high quality information, to ensure the audit is completed on time, coordinating with all subsidiary teams in scope
• Support the preparation and review of accurate and timely annual UK statutory company and consolidated financial accounts (including income statement, balance sheet, cash flow and notes to the financial statements) ensuring they are completed and filed on time
• Prepare technically sound accounting papers to support technical matters arising during the audit and technical accounting matters relating to new and existing transactions undertaken by the Group
• Support on the detail review of accurate and timely Corporate Tax computations for all companies across the group ensuring they are completed and filed on time

Technical Accounting

• Strong, up-to-date knowledge of accounting standards
• Provide best in class technical accounting advice to the local finance teams through written technical accounting papers and clear communication.
• Support the identification and mitigation of accounting risks across the Group including those that arise on commercial decisions. The Group has the potential to x5 our size in the next 4yrs and currently operating under UKGAAP but in the future may move to IFRS
• Support in integrating all existing and newly acquired companies across the Group through use of a standard chart of accounts, creation, implementation and maintenance of a Group policy manual and control framework and where appropriate migration of accounting systems
• Ability to understand and support on acquisition accounting and drive the financial integration of new businesses into a Mecsia standard approach (once designed) and to work with vendor advisers to finalise completion accounts and tax comps
• Ability to perform a financial consolidation of multiple entities
• Keep up to date with business activities in order to relate them to accounting
• Coach and build skills in-house to reduce need for external advice and support
• Strong technical knowledge of IFRS 16 and implementation, understanding how to consolidate lease data across the Group and work closely with the Operations teams to maintain updated data in order to report accurately on an annual basis.

Transactional Finance

• Drive and support local transactional accounting teams ensuring their processes fit into the overall control framework and enable a smooth management accounts cycle
• Approach all tasks with an improvement mindset and have enthusiasm for change to ensure continuous evolution of our processes, controls and systems as the business gears up and grows.
• Ability to identify efficiencies through automation, use of technology and centralisation of processes to achieve improved reporting timelines
• Support the development of a professional and high performing finance function as the business grows, through coaching and clear communication
• Support the group banking facilities and all treasury activities to include cash flow management and production of 18 week cash flow forecasts.

Finance team development

• Manage Head Office Accountant through technical support and coaching

Key Skills & Experience

Essential:

• Qualified Accountant (ACA or equivalent) with minimum 3 years post qualified experience
• Excellent knowledge of UKGAAP and IFRS, consolidation and statutory accounting
• Excellent understanding of processes and controls to implement across the group to enable robust financial reporting
• Proven ability to deliver monthly consolidated financial reporting packs
• Able to demonstrate excellent analytical skills and an ability to explain complex requirements and processes to others in a coherent way
• Results driven with the ability to deliver to tight deadlines in a fast-paced business

Preferred:

• Worked in a group function and ensuring adherence by companies to the group policies and processes
• Experience of the implementation of new accounting systems
• Experience of working in an acquisitive PE backed business
• Experience of working in a leveraged environment
• Experience of working in a multi-site business
• Understanding and experience of long term contracts and accounting for WIP

What We Offer

• 70K salary for 1 year FTC (with potential opportunity for it to become permanent)
• Enjoy 25 days of holiday, plus bank holidays
• Contribute to the Company Pension Scheme
• Wellbeing benefits include 24/7 access to a GP
• Employee discounts i.e. gym memberships, high street shops
• Individual recognition schemes with rewards
• Employee referral scheme

Need more info?

Yasmin will answer your questions.

y.hussain@mecsia.com