Accountant

Cathedral Appointments; Devon and Torbay; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 63,000; Full time

Job summary

Cathedral Appointments is recruiting on behalf of a well-established education organisation based in Plymouth, seeking an experienced Accountant to join their Finance Team on a temporary basis until December 2026.

The role focuses on month-end reporting, budgeting and audit activity, partnering with operational leaders across a multi-site trust. The position offers an on-site role with a daily rate of £300 DOE and opportunities to contribute to financial planning and controls.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Experience within education finance, ideally within a multi-academy trust or school environment.
• Proven experience supporting annual audit activity and maintaining strong financial controls.
• Confident managing monthly budgeting, forecasting and variance reporting across multiple sites.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with non-finance colleagues.

Responsibilities

• Provide senior finance support across the trust, partnering with operational leaders across a multi-site organisation.
• Manage month-end reporting and management accounts, alongside budgeting, forecasting and cash-flow reporting.
• Support capital project financial planning and investment decisions.
• Ensure compliance with internal financial controls and audit requirements.
• Support payroll, grant funding and budget monitoring, deputising for the Finance Manager when required.
• Manage departmental budgets and forecasting, producing financial analysis and variance reporting for senior stakeholders.

Skills

Month-end reporting

Budgeting

Forecasting

Variance analysis

Excellent communication

Multi-site coordination

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent

Job description

£300 per day DOE | On-site | Plymouth

Cathedral Appointments is recruiting on behalf of a well-established education organisation based in Plymouth, seeking an experienced Accountant to join their Finance Team on a temporary basis until December 2026. This is a great opportunity for a qualified accountant to provide senior finance support during a period of annual audit activity and ongoing budget review.

The Role

Working closely with the Finance Team, this role provides senior finance support, partnering with operational leaders across a multi-site organisation. It would suit a qualified accountant who is confident managing month-end reporting, budgeting and audit processes, and who enjoys building strong relationships with non-finance colleagues across a busy, multi-site environment.

Responsibilities for the Accountant:

• Provide senior finance support across the trust, partnering with operational leaders across a multi-site organisation.
• Manage month-end reporting and management accounts, alongside budgeting, forecasting and cash-flow reporting.
• Support capital project financial planning and investment decisions.
• Ensure compliance with internal financial controls and audit requirements.
• Support payroll, grant funding and budget monitoring, deputising for the Finance Manager when required.
• Manage departmental budgets and forecasting, producing financial analysis and variance reporting for senior stakeholders.

Requirements for the Accountant include:

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Experience within education finance, ideally within a multi-academy trust or school environment.
• Proven experience supporting annual audit activity and maintaining strong financial controls.
• Confident managing monthly budgeting, forecasting and variance reporting across multiple sites.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to build strong relationships with non-finance colleagues.

Benefits:

• Up to £300 per day, DOE.
• Temporary contract until December 2026.

Note on Sponsorship

We regret to inform you that at this time, we are unable to offer sponsorship for work authorisation for this role. Therefore, candidates must possess valid authorisation to work in the UK without requiring visa sponsorship.

Equal Opportunities:

Cathedral Appointments is committed to equal opportunities in recruitment. We welcome applications from all candidates and assess every applicant on merit, skills and experience alone, regardless of age, disability, gender reassignment, marital or civil partnership status, pregnancy or maternity, race, religion or belief, sex, or sexual orientation.

Ref: 11358