Group Financial Accountant

Our client is a highly successful, internationally owned SME engaged in warehousing, distribution, and assembly of products which are sold to high street retailers in the UK as well as overseas. Reporting to the CFO (based overseas), the successful candidate will be a commercially aware qualified or experienced accountant (QBE) who will take responsibility for all aspects of accounting, financial, and company secretarial matters. Supervising a small team, you will play a key role in financial control, business monitoring, cash flow forecasts, budgeting, and liaison with banks and auditors, as well as full participation in Board meetings. The role incorporates aspects of both financial and management accounting, requiring practical experience in both.

Key Requirements

• The role requires an individual who is focused on maintaining the accuracy of the data held within the ledgers and has the ability to interpret the data into meaningful reports for use by the management of the business.
• The successful candidate should be competent in the use of Excel, using a variety of formulae and functions, including pivot tables.
• A good understanding of Sage, particularly Sage X3, is desirable.
• The successful candidate needs to be commercially aware and self-motivated.
• This is very much a ‘hands-on’ role, but the successful candidate also needs to be able to demonstrate they can step back from the detail when required to add value.
• The successful candidate needs to demonstrate the ability to get results from managing staff and delegating work within Finance.
• Developing relationships and working alongside staff from other departments.
• Developing relationships at different levels within the business from factory to Director.

Main Responsibilities

• Produce Management Accounts on a monthly basis including variance analysis against budget and last year and full commentary of results and issues arising in the month for submission to the Board of Directors.
• Prepare monthly cash forecasts and provide weekly updates on performance to forecast.
• Preparation of year-end accounts and working papers for submission to auditors.
• Analyse stock cost and investigate and resolve unusual variances to maintain accurate costing of all stock lines within ledgers.
• Reconcile actual monthly results with profit expectations based on costings held within the management system.
• Reconcile all balance sheet accounts on a monthly basis.
• Maintain schedules on a monthly basis of nominal ledger accounts for the year-end audit.
• Supervise maintenance and entries to sterling and currency cash books and checking reconciliations.
• Raise regular payments to suppliers.
• Supervise the sales ledger/credit control assistant and all tasks relating to the sales ledger.
• Perform regular weekly reviews with the assistant relating to overdue payments.
• During any absences, it will be the responsibility of the Financial Accountant to perform the duties of the Sales Ledger/Credit Control position.
• Supervise the preparations of the weekly, monthly, and pension payrolls.
• Reconcile PAYE and NI control accounts.
• Supervise year-end payroll procedures and prepare annual returns.
• Reconcile VAT control accounts on a monthly basis resolving all queries.
• Prepare quarterly VAT returns for authorisation and submit returns online.
• Negotiate renewals of Health insurance policy, company insurance, Energy contracts, and Life Assurance.

Salary & Benefits

• £50-£54K
• Part Hybrid Remote (1-2 days per week working from home)
• Flexitime 37½ hrs per week (based around 8¼ hrs Monday-Thursday and 4½ hrs Friday, we operate flexible working hours, and staff are expected to attend work during core hours of 9:30 am–4 pm Monday-Thursday and 9:30 am to 1 pm Friday).
• Holiday entitlement 23 days (rising to 27 with service) plus bank holidays.