Accountant & Financial Controller

Cognita; Madrid; On-site; EUR 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Maternity cover

Equal opportunities employer

Job summary

Hastings School, part of the Cognita family in Madrid, seeks an experienced Accountant & Financial Controller for a maternity cover contract. You will oversee daily accounting, reporting, budgeting and compliance, partnering with school leaders and the regional finance team to ensure optimal use of resources across sites.

You will require strong English and Spanish, solid accounting qualifications, and a track record in financial controls and management accounting within complex organisations.

Qualifications

• Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or related field.
• Recognised accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent) or substantial relevant experience.
• Experience in financial control, management accounting or finance business partnering.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis skills.
• Experience in financial controls and compliance processes.
• Excellent Excel and financial systems skills.
• Fluency in English and Spanish.
• Experience in an international school, multi-site env preferred.

Responsibilities

• Oversee day-to-day financial operations of the school.
• Lead budgeting and forecast processes with regional finance team.
• Ensure integrity of financial reporting and statutory compliance.
• Manage treasury, procurement oversight and financial controls.
• Provide insightful financial analysis to support decision making.
• Partner with school leaders to drive financial efficiency and alignment with educational priorities.

Skills

English fluency

Spanish fluency

Excel skills

Financial analysis

Budgeting & forecasting

Financial controls

Finance partnering

Stakeholder communication

Education

Degree in Finance/Accounting/Business

ACCA/ACA/CIMA or equivalent

Tools

ERP/financial systems

Job description

About the School – Madrid, Spain

1415 students | 56 nationalities | 6 sites | 1 school

Hastings School, founded in 1971, serves students aged 2-18, from a diverse community and is nestled in the heart of Madrid, Spain. We are a prestigious, premium international school within the Cognita family of schools. Our holistic educational approach delivers outstanding academic results. In recent years, our graduates have gone on to attend many of the world's leading universities, including the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, UCL, Duke University, University of Edinburgh, King's College London, KU Leuven, LSE, University of St Andrews and Delft University of Technology, among others.

We want students of all ages to enjoy their educational journey at Hastings from their very first day. We strive to help them fulfil their academic potential while developing the skills, knowledge and attributes they will need to thrive in the future.

At Hastings, as part of the Cognita group of schools, we are committed to creating an environment where everyone can flourish and achieve their full potential.

This is a remarkable time to join a remarkable school.

The school now has an exciting opportunity for an experienced Accountant & Financial Controller to join our fantastic team.

About Cognita

Cognita is a global leader in independent education. Founded in 2004, we are a growing community of 90 schools in 21 countries – in Europe, North America, Latin America, Asia and the Middle East – serving more than 100,000 students. Each of our schools are proudly unique, however our collective purpose is to create an environment where everyone can ‘Thrive in a rapidly evolving world’.

About the Role

As an Accountant & Financial Controller, you will play a key role in supporting the financial management and strategic objectives of Hastings School. Reporting to the School Director and working closely with the Regional Finance Team, you will be responsible for ensuring the integrity of financial reporting, budgeting, forecasting and compliance within the school.

You will oversee the day-to-day financial operations, including accounting, reporting, treasury activities, procurement oversight and financial controls. You will lead the annual budgeting process, monitor performance against forecasts and provide insightful analysis to support informed decision-making.

The successful candidate will partner effectively with school leaders and departmental managers, helping to drive financial efficiency while ensuring resources are aligned with the school's educational priorities. You will also ensure compliance with local statutory requirements, Cognita policies and internal control frameworks.

This role offers an excellent opportunity for an experienced finance professional who enjoys combining operational excellence with strategic business partnering in a purpose-driven educational environment.

This is a full-time, fixed-term contract position needed as Maternity Cover.

Who We Are Looking For

You are a proactive and analytical finance professional with strong commercial awareness and excellent attention to detail. You have experience managing financial operations, producing accurate financial reporting and supporting budgetary planning within a complex organisation. You are confident working with senior stakeholders and able to communicate financial information clearly to both finance and non-finance colleagues. You combine strong technical expertise with a collaborative approach and a commitment to continuous improvement.

The ideal candidate will have:

• A degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration or a related field.
• A recognised accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) or substantial relevant experience.
• Proven experience in financial control, management accounting or finance business partnering.
• Strong knowledge of budgeting, forecasting and financial analysis.
• Experience managing financial controls and compliance processes.
• Excellent Excel and financial systems skills.
• Fluency in both English and Spanish.
• Previous experience in an international school, educational environment or multi-site organisation would be advantageous.

Cognita Schools are committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and young people and expects all staff, volunteers and other third parties to share this commitment. Safer recruitment practice and pre-employment background checks will be undertaken before any appointment is confirmed.

We are an equal opportunities employer committed to diversity and treating all employees with dignity and respect regardless of background.