Reporting to the Group Accounting Manager, the Financial Accountant supports the delivery of accurate, compliant and timely financial reporting across the Irwin Mitchell Group. The role is responsible for preparing consolidated and subsidiary financial statements, audit packs and key year-end deliverables, ensuring reporting deadlines and statutory requirements are met.

The successful candidate will lead or support a range of technical accounting and control activities, including IFRS 16 lease accounting, fixed assets, accrued income and disbursement provisions, goodwill and investment impairment reviews, acquisition and divestment accounting, and captive cell accounting. Working closely with Finance and wider business teams, you'll help maintain robust reconciliations, accounting policies and financial controls, whilst identifying opportunities to improve processes and strengthen auditability.

You'll also contribute to the development of Assistant Financial Accountants and build effective working relationships across the Group, promoting trust, integrity and high standards of customer service from Finance.

What you'll be doing: 

• Preparation and submission to Companies House of Group consolidated financial statements and subsidiary accounts, including audit packs for all Group companies.
• Play a key role in the year-end financial audit process for both the Group and subsidiaries, working closely with the Group Accounting Manager and Head of Financial Control & Reporting to ensure all audit deliverables are completed to agreed deadlines.
• Manage IFRS 16 lease accounting, including lease assessments, monthly accounting, remeasurements, forecasting and compliance with accounting standards and disclosure requirements.
• Take responsibility for the Group's fixed asset accounting process, including capitalisation assessments and capital project accounting.
• Lead the Finance Compliance and Valuation (FCV) process, ensuring accurate monthly valuation of accrued income and disbursement provisions and maintaining effective financial controls.
• Prepare annual impairment reviews for goodwill and investments, maintaining models suitable for audit review.
• Support acquisition and divestment accounting activities.
• Assist with captive cell accounting, budgeting, reconciliations, claims control and performance reporting.
• Support and guide Assistant Financial Accountants, including reviewing work and providing coaching where appropriate.
• Assist in maintaining Group accounting policies and ensuring controls are appropriate, effective and consistently applied across the Group.
• Support the preparation and review of monthly balance sheet reconciliations, carrying out additional analysis and investigation where required.
• Build trust, respect, integrity and excellent customer service expectations from Finance across all Irwin Mitchell teams.
• Support the Group Accounting Manager and Head of Financial Control & Reporting with other activities as required.

Essential

• ACA or ACCA qualified.
• Degree qualified or equivalent.
• Excellent technical accounting knowledge, including up-to-date IFRS expertise.
• Advanced Excel skills, with the ability to develop and maintain complex financial models with minimal supervision.
• Advanced Microsoft Word and PowerPoint skills.
• Strong communication and presentation skills.
• Ability to work to tight deadlines and outside normal working hours where required.
• A practical, tenacious and solutions-focused approach to problem solving.
• Ability to influence stakeholders whilst remaining diplomatic and appropriately robust when required.

Desirable

• Experience working within the legal sector.
• Experience of working in a regulated environment.
• Experience managing the financial audit process.