Senior Financial Project Accountant in London

LondonFinance - Finance /Employee - Permanent /HybridOur StoryHello there. We started our journey back in 2005, building the first ever peer-to-peer lending company. Fast forward to 2020 and we launched Zopa Bank. A bank that listens to what our customers don’t like about finance and does the opposite. We’re redefining what it feels like to work in finance. Our vision for a new era of banking puts people front and centre — we’ve built a business that empowers everyone to aim high, every day, to move finance forward. Follow us on Instagram @zopalifeWe are looking for a Senior Technical Accountant to join our growing Finance function, reporting to the Head of Technical Accounting. You’ll provide technical accounting support for ongoing business activities, new products and other initiatives, and play a key part in the Technical Accounting team’s work, from accounting policy assessments to horizon scanning, audit engagement and the annual report. The demands on the Finance team are high as Zopa grows at pace, so you’ll need to build effective and influential relationships within Finance and the wider business. Our team are self-starting problem solvers who are agile and thrive on bringing past experiences and networks to a diverse range of challenges. A day in the lifeCarry out technical accounting assessments for new transactions, products, significant contracts and other business initiatives, and draft clear accounting papers and memos. Play a key part in the Technical Accounting team’s ownership of the annual report and accounts, drafting parts of the report and coordinating other sections written by teams across Finance and the wider business, and helping to bring them together into the final report. Manage stakeholders effectively and work well with other Zopa teams, including Product, Legal, Treasury and Risk, building strong, influential relationships and giving clear, practical technical accounting advice. Support the development, implementation and upkeep of accounting policies and the accounting manual and give practical guidance on how policies should be applied across the business. Help put new accounting treatments into practice: make sure finance systems and processes are set up to support new activities, embed them into business-as-usual (BAU) processes and hand them over to the BAU teams. Support the technical accounting for balance sheet activity, including SPPI testing and hedge accounting assessments and documentation under IAS 39 and IFRS 9. Work directly with the external auditors on accounting policy and technical accounting matters, answering queries and providing evidence and papers. Carry out horizon scanning of new and proposed legislation, regulation and accounting standards that affect financial and corporate reporting, prepare impact assessments, and highlight high-impact or high-risk changes. Help shape and deliver our work to automate the production of the annual report, an area where this role will be fundamental. Look for ways to use AI and automation to improve technical accounting, policy and reporting processes, and put them into practice. Keep up to date with developments in financial and corporate reporting. Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or equivalent) with relevant post-qualification experience. Experience of working in the financial services sector (ideally banking or consumer finance), or trained at a top six accountancy firm with financial services experience in a technical accounting role. Solid working knowledge of IFRS and how it applies to financial services products and transactions. Clear written communication, with experience of drafting technical accounting papers or memos and explaining complex accounting to non-accountants. You’ll show great initiative to listen, analyse, research, investigate and provide solutions to problems relating to financial accounting and reporting. Comfortable managing several pieces of work at once in a fast-moving environment, and building trusted relationships with stakeholders at all levels. Motivated, energetic and passionate about excellence and innovation. Bonus points for Technical knowledge of IFRS 9 (expected credit losses, EIR), hedge accounting (IFRS 9 and IAS 39), IFRS 2 (share-based payments), and IAS 38 (intangible assets). Experience of operational accounting. #LI-LK1At Zopa we value flexible ways of working.We value face-to-face collaboration and a good work-life balance. This hybrid role requires you to come to our London office 2-3 days a week.Diversity of experience, perspectives, and backgrounds leads to better products for our customers and a unique company culture for our people. As a proud partner of Jobs 2030, we're committed to building AI fluency across our workforce, and we expect Zopians to use AI as part of how they do their jobs. Your Talent Partner will let you know what's expected at each stage.