Accountancy Practice Manager

RECRUIT IT FORWARD LTD; Greater London; On-site; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Job summary

RECRUIT IT FORWARD LTD is seeking a commercially minded Practice Manager in London to lead operations across UK and offshore teams. You will oversee onboarding, service delivery, billing and client management while driving growth and process improvements.

The role requires senior accountancy practice experience, strong UK tax knowledge and proven leadership. You will collaborate with the Managing Director and guide the practice toward scalable performance and profitability.

Qualifications

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent professional qualification, or substantial senior-level experience within a UK accountancy practice.
• Strong practical knowledge of UK VAT, Self Assessment, Corporation Tax and associated compliance.
• Previous experience managing a team, including senior accountancy and administrative staff.
• Experience managing offshore, outsourced or remote service-delivery teams.
• Strong experience across WIP, workflow, billing, credit control and practice performance.

Responsibilities

• Lead day-to-day operational management of the practice and establish best-practice procedures across the client lifecycle.
• Ensure onboarding, engagement and compliance procedures are followed with monitoring of service delivery and quality standards.
• Identify operational risks and bottlenecks, implement improvements and support planning and capacity management.
• Manage UK-based team and offshore bookkeeping workflow, priorities and deadlines.
• Oversee WIP, billing, credit control, and debtor reporting across the practice.

Skills

ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent

UK VAT & Self Assessment

team leadership

offshore/remote service delivery

operational governance

Tools

Xero

IRIS

Excel advanced

Job description

Accountancy Practice Manager - London | 5 days office-based | Competitive salary dependent on experience | Reporting to Managing Director

We are working in partnership with our fantastic client, a growing professional accountancy and business advisory practice in London that is looking for a dynamic, flexible, commercially minded and highly organised Practice Manager to play a key role in the continued growth and development of the business.

This is a senior, high-trust position with responsibility across practice operations, governance, technical oversight, people management, client relationships, financial discipline and business development.

The successful candidate will combine strong UK accountancy practice knowledge with excellent operational leadership and the commercial confidence to identify and develop opportunities within the existing client base.

The Opportunity

This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Practice Manager, Practice Operations Manager, Senior Accountant or commercially minded qualified accountant who wants a broader role with genuine responsibility and influence.

You will have the opportunity to work closely with the Managing Director, lead a growing team, improve operational processes and play a significant role in the commercial growth and future direction of the practice.

This is an exciting opportunity to join a growing business and play a key role in its continued success. If you are looking for a role where your technical accountancy expertise, leadership ability and commercial mindset can make a real difference, we would love to hear from you.

About the Role

As Practice Manager, you will act as a key operational and technical link between the Managing Director, the UK-based accountancy team and the firm's offshore bookkeeping team in India.

You will take ownership of ensuring the practice operates efficiently, professionally and commercially, with robust processes and controls in place from client acquisition and onboarding through to service delivery, billing and ongoing client management.

You will also play an active role in supporting the firm's growth strategy, identifying opportunities to develop existing client relationships and helping to build a sustainable pipeline of new business.

Key Responsibilities

• Practice Operations & Governance
  • Lead the day-to-day operational management of the practice and establish and maintain best-practice procedures across the client lifecycle.
  • Ensure appropriate client onboarding, engagement and compliance procedures are followed, while monitoring service delivery, turnaround times and quality standards.
  • Identify operational risks, inefficiencies and bottlenecks, implement improvements and support the Managing Director with practice planning, reporting and capacity management.
• Team & Offshore Management
  • Lead and support the UK-based team, including a Senior Accountant, Accounts Administrator and Office Administrator, providing direction, support and leadership.
  • Act as the primary point of contact for the offshore bookkeeping team in India and manage workflow, priorities, deadlines, productivity and quality across the offshore function.
  • Establish clear processes and quality-control procedures and build a positive, collaborative and accountable culture across UK and offshore teams.
• Technical & Compliance Oversight
  • Oversee UK tax, VAT and compliance deadlines across the client portfolio and maintain strong working knowledge of UK VAT, Self Assessment and Corporation Tax.
  • Ensure client records, working papers and compliance processes are maintained accurately and support consistent quality-control procedures across bookkeeping, accounts, tax and compliance work.
  • Escalate technical matters appropriately where required.
• WIP, Billing & Credit Control
  • Take ownership of workflow, WIP, billing and debtor performance, ensuring WIP is accurately tracked and managed through to completion and billing.
  • Identify stalled work, scope changes and unbilled work, ensuring completed work is billed promptly and accurately.
  • Oversee accounts receivable and credit control processes, monitor debtor days and overdue balances, and produce regular reporting on WIP, billing, debtors, capacity and operational performance.
• Client Relationships
  • Manage and develop relationships with key clients and act as a senior point of contact for operational matters and escalations.
  • Ensure clients receive proactive and professional communication and identify opportunities to improve client experience, retention and lifetime value.
  • Identify opportunities to introduce relevant additional services including bookkeeping, VAT, accounts, tax, advisory and compliance support.
• Business Development & Growth
  • Play an active role in the firm's commercial growth strategy and identify cross-selling and upselling opportunities within the existing client base.
  • Develop and maintain a pipeline of potential business and support the Managing Director with proposals, client acquisition and commercial discussions.
  • Assess prospective work for commercial fit, capacity, profitability, risk and delivery requirements, and contribute ideas and commercial insight to the future development and scaling of the practice.

About You

We are looking for an ambitious and commercially aware accountancy professional who enjoys taking ownership and making a genuine difference within a growing practice.

You will ideally have:

• ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent professional qualification, or substantial senior-level experience within a UK accountancy practice.
• Strong practical knowledge of UK VAT, Self Assessment, Corporation Tax and associated compliance.
• Previous experience managing a team, including senior accountancy and administrative staff.
• Experience managing offshore, outsourced or remote service-delivery teams.
• Strong experience across WIP, workflow, billing, credit control and practice performance.
• Commercial awareness and the ability to identify and develop growth opportunities.
• Excellent client-facing and relationship-management skills.
• Experience improving systems, processes, controls and operational performance.
• Strong knowledge of cloud accounting and practice-management software, ideally including Xero and IRIS, together with advanced Excel skills.
• Excellent organisational skills and the ability to manage competing priorities.
• A proactive, flexible and solutions-focused approach, with the confidence to make decisions autonomously and take ownership.

Desirable Experience

• It would be advantageous if you have experience of supporting the growth or scaling of an accountancy practice, developing service-delivery processes across UK and offshore teams, working with CRM, workflow-management or client onboarding platforms, pricing, proposal development or client acquisition, and wider strategic planning and commercial development.

This is an excellent opportunity with a fantastic client and I look forward to receiving your application