Senior Group Accountant

Ontic, a leading licensor and manufacturer of complex engineering parts for the global aerospace and defence industries, is now recruiting for a Senior Group Technical Accountant to join our Group Finance team. This is a key role, responsible for supporting the integrity and transparency of the Group’s financial reporting and acting as a technical accounting resource across the business.

We are seeking a technically strong, commercially aware and collaborative Group Senior Accountant to support the Group’s external reporting, statutory reporting and technical accounting requirements. This role is responsible for leading the preparation of external reporting requirements, including statutory accounts, consolidated financial statements and reporting documents for lenders, customers, owners and investors.

The Group Senior Accountant will also prepare technical accounting papers for complex transactions, including M&A, licence acquisitions, debt and refinancing activity, and other judgemental accounting areas. This will include documenting well-supported accounting positions for internal stakeholders and external auditors. The purpose of this role is to ensure the Group’s reported financial information is accurate, transparent, supportable and compliant, while providing technical accounting guidance across a fast-paced, complex and evolving international business.

• Prepare annual consolidated financial statements and reporting documents for submission to the Group’s lenders and to support the Group’s statutory reporting requirements.
• Prepare annual statutory financial statements for entities within the Group’s holding structure, alongside ad-hoc and recurring reporting documents required by customers, lenders, owners and investors.
• Prepare accounting journals and technical position papers for complex transactions, including analysis of applicable accounting standards, identification of key judgements, and documentation of conclusions to support audit and regulatory requirements.
• Support technical accounting areas including purchase price allocation accounting for M&A transactions and new licence acquisitions, debt and refinancing accounting, impairment assessments, going concern assessments, IFRS 9 provisioning, PURP and other complex Group accounting topics.
• Act as a key point of contact between the business and external auditors, managing audit requests, leading walkthroughs, explaining key processes and accounting positions, resolving audit queries, coordinating internal stakeholders and supporting the timely completion of audit milestones.
• Oversee Group provisioning levels, deferred liability balances and contingent liability balances, ensuring appropriate recognition, utilisation and burn-down plans, and ensuring reported balances are fully supportable.
• Act as a key preparer of technical accounting processes and initiatives, including the capitalisation policy for costs associated with new licence integrations, site reporting packs, over-time revenue recognition journals, monthly and quarterly journals, and the push-down of Group accounting topics to statutory entities.
• Support US GAAP to IFRS and UK GAAP to IFRS conversions, assist with ad-hoc accounting policy changes and projects, and help update the Group Finance manual and communicate Group accounting policies.
• Support Group month-end reporting activities, provide guidance to entities around the world on Group policy requirements and technical accounting issues, and identify process improvements to enhance efficiency and effectiveness.
• Act as a key user and owner of the Group’s consolidation reporting system, OneStream, and support the tax department with local and consolidated tax provisions, local tax returns and the posting of quarterly and annual tax charges.
• Involve close business partnering with site finance teams, including controllers, accounting and FP&A, as well as Legal, Business Development, Operations, PMO, IT, HR, external auditors, tax specialists and the Group Treasurer.

At Ontic, our culture is integral to how we deliver success. We’re looking for someone who not only brings the right technical experience, but who will thrive in a culture of recognition, empowerment, and accountability.

To be successful in this role, you will bring:

• Chartered Accountant status with a strong technical accounting background
• Experience working in a complex Group finance environment
• Experience dealing with complex and judgemental accounting topics
• Experience preparing statutory accounts and supporting external reporting requirements
• Strong knowledge of accounting standards and the ability to document clear, well-supported accounting positions
• Strong stakeholder management skills, with excellent written and verbal communication
• The ability to work closely with auditors and internal stakeholders to resolve technical accounting and reporting matters
• A structured, detail-focused and analytical approach to financial reporting and controls

You will also have:

• Experience reporting under IFRS, UK GAAP and/or US GAAP
• Experience using OneStream or similar consolidation reporting systems
• Experience within, or auditing, private equity-backed businesses
• Experience supporting M&A, licence acquisitions, refinancing or other complex transactions
• An understanding of the commercial aspects of a business
• Experience within the aerospace industry would be beneficial

We’re looking for someone who is technically strong, commercially aware and confident operating in a fast-moving, demanding and evolving business. You will be comfortable working with complexity, managing multiple stakeholders and translating technical accounting matters into clear, practical guidance.

We are more than the sum of our parts — and we’ve been recognised for it:

• Ranked #9 in Best Companies’ Q3 leaderboard for Best Manufacturing Company
• 72.5% of employees in our 2023 survey said they are proud to work at Ontic
• We’ve experienced rapid growth, doubling in size in recent years

No day is the same at Ontic. Our success comes from empowering our colleagues to create opportunity, fostering an environment of autonomy where we ask for forgiveness, not permission.

Our values are intrinsic to everything we do:

• We share a common sense – a global family of specialists with a shared passion for precision
• We have the freedom to choose – challengers and innovators who think differently
• We create the opportunity – change-makers with a clear direction and can-do spirit

We are a fast-paced business with ambitious growth plans; so if you are dedicated, enthusiastic and always seeking ways to improve, you'll enjoy a career with us!