Accountant

Helsing; Greater London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive salary

VSOP options

Relocation support

Learning allowance

Health & wellness

Social events

Enhanced parental leave

Family emergency leave

Job summary

Helsing, a defence AI company, is seeking a (Senior) Accountant to own the trial balance, complex reconciliations and the month-end close cycle across our European entities. You will be a hands-on technical expert ensuring the integrity of financial data, a pristine balance sheet and compliance with local GAAP and IFRS.

You will lead the close calendar, prepare high-value GL entries, manage intercompany and statutory reporting, and coordinate the annual external audit.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with 5–7 years post-qualification experience in a multi-entity GL environment.
• Deep understanding of local GAAP and IFRS and statutory reporting requirements.
• Extensive ERP experience (SAP, NetSuite or Workday) and advanced Excel modelling.
• Strong internal controls knowledge including SOX compliance.

Responsibilities

• Own month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes with timely reporting.
• Post complex GL entries including accruals, deferrals and intercompany entries.
• Perform balance sheet reconciliations and investigate discrepancies.
• Manage intercompany accounting, transfer pricing adjustments, and multi-currency reconciliations.
• Coordinate consolidation and statutory filings under local GAAP/IFRS; lead external audit.

Skills

ERP systems

IFRS/GAAP knowledge

Intercompany accounting

SOX compliance

Excel modelling

Education

ACCA/ACA or equivalent

Tools

SAP

NetSuite

Workday

Job description

Who We Are

Helsing is a defence AI company. Our mission is to protect our democracies. We aim to achieve technological leadership, so that open societies can continue to make sovereign decisions and control their ethical standards.

Who We Are

Helsing is a defence AI company. Our mission is to protect our democracies. We aim to achieve technological leadership, so that open societies can continue to make sovereign decisions and control their ethical standards. As democracies, we believe we have a special responsibility to be thoughtful about the development and deployment of powerful technologies like AI. We take this responsibility seriously. We are an ambitious and committed team of engineers, AI specialists and customer-facing programme managers. We are looking for mission-driven people to join our European teams – and apply their skills to solve the most complex and impactful problems. We embrace an open and transparent culture that welcomes healthy debates on the use of technology in defence, its benefits, and its ethical implications.

The role

As a (Senior) Accountant, you will be the backbone of our financial reporting, taking full ownership of the trial balance, complex reconciliations, and the month-end close cycle. You will be a hands-on technical expert who ensures the integrity of our financial data, maintains a pristine balance sheet, and ensures compliance with all relevant accounting standards. Operating with minimal supervision, you will drive continuous improvement in our financial processes.

The day-to-day

• Own and drive the month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close processes, ensuring all deadlines are met and financial statements are accurate
• Prepare and post complex, high-value general ledger entries, including subjective accruals, deferred revenue, prepayments, and intercompany transactions
• Perform and review critical balance sheet reconciliations, investigating and resolving discrepancies independently
• Manage intercompany accounting, including transfer pricing adjustments, loan agreements, and multi-currency reconciliations
• Assist in the preparation of consolidated statutory financial statements and regulatory filings in accordance with local GAAP and IFRS
• Act as the lead coordinator for the annual external audit, managing the preparation of the PBC (Provided by Client) list and resolving complex audit queries
• Continuously evaluate and optimise GL processes, chart of accounts, and financial systems to drive efficiency and automate manual tasks
• Ensure strict adherence to internal controls, SOX compliance, and financial policies across the organisation

You should apply if you

• Are a qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, or equivalent) with at least 5–7 years of post-qualification experience, with a proven track record in a complex, multi-entity GL environment
• Are an exceptionally organised, hands-on professional who can manage the entire close process independently with minimal oversight
• Have a deep and comprehensive understanding of accounting principles (local GAAP and IFRS) and statutory reporting requirements
• Possess extensive experience utilising enterprise-level ERP systems (e.g., SAP, NetSuite, Workday) and advanced financial modelling in Excel
• Have an meticulous eye for detail, ensuring the balance sheet is fully supported, reconciled, and clean at all times
• Have excellent time-management skills, with a demonstrated ability to prioritise tasks under pressure during tight close cycles

Note: We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically under-represented. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications; ability and impact cannot be summarised in a few bullet points.

Nice to Have

• Experience participating in ERP migrations, system upgrades, or the implementation of specialised modules (e.g., fixed asset, inventory tracking, or automated reconciliation tools)
• Familiarity with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tools or basic scripting (like VBA or Python) to automate repetitive month-end tasks
• Experience working in a multi-entity, multi-currency environment with exposure to foreign exchange (FX) accounting and intercompany transactions
• A track record of identifying inefficiencies in financial workflows and successfully driving process-improvement initiatives (e.g., shortening the month-end close cycle)

Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields

• Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns
• The work is unique. We operate in a domain that has highly unusual technical requirements and constraints, and where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital. You will face unique Engineering and AI challenges that make a meaningful impact in the world
• Our work frequently takes us right up to the state of the art in technical innovation, be it reinforcement learning, distributed systems, generative AI, or deployment infrastructure. The defence industry is entering the most exciting phase of the technological development curve. Advances in our field of world are not incremental: Helsing is part of, and often leading, historic leaps forward
• In our domain, success is a matter of order-of-magnitude improvements and novel capabilities. This means we take bets, aim high, and focus on big opportunities. Despite being a relatively young company, Helsing has already been selected for multiple significant government contracts
• We actively encourage healthy, proactive, and diverse debate internally about what we do and how we choose to do it. Teams and individual engineers are trusted (and encouraged) to practise responsible autonomy and critical thinking, and to focus on outcomes, not conformity. At Helsing you will have a say in how we (and you!) work, the opportunity to engage on what does and doesn’t work, and to take ownership of aspects of our culture that you care deeply about

What We Offer

• Competitive salary and VSOP options
• Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation
• Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance
• Health & wellness: gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)
• Social: regularly company events and monthly social allowances
• Enhanced parental leave: 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers & 6 weeks for secondary caregivers.
• Family support: 5 days of paid family emergency leave, 100% remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work

These are the core benefits across all locations, there may be additional benefits in certain locations.

Helsing is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. Please do not submit personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning your health, or data concerning your sexual orientation.

Helsing's Candidate Privacy and Confidentiality Regime can be found here.