Accountant

Simmons & Simmons; West of England; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Bonuses

Private medical insurance

Pension contribution

Hybrid working

Job summary

Simmons & Simmons is seeking an Accountant to join the Finance department in Bristol on a 12-month fixed-term contract. You will deliver monthly management accounts, cashflow, billing and intercompany for the Middle East office, and help maintain strong financial controls across UK and Middle East entities.

The role reports to the Regional Finance Manager (UK based) and involves interaction with Partners, auditors and Group Finance.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant or QBE professional.
• Experience within a finance team.
• Experience with ERP systems.
• Strong understanding of financial reporting requirements and controls.
• Experience liaising with external auditors.
• Comfortable under pressure and tight deadlines.
• Excellent oral and written communication skills.
• Fluent in English.

Responsibilities

• Deliver monthly management accounts, cashflow, billing and intercompany for the Middle East office.
• Maintain balance sheet reconciliations and respond to queries from Partners, auditors and Group Finance.
• Support month end close for Middle East entities, including posting journals and reconciliations.
• Support intercompany reconciliation and settlement, bank reconciliations and COFA logs.
• Assist with billing activities, bank payments and virtual card requests.
• Provide cover and support to junior staff; act as escalation point.
• Support Regional Finance Manager with audit, budgeting, statutory accounts and ad hoc tasks.
• Identify and implement process improvements.

Skills

Finance experience

ERP systems

Financial reporting

Auditors liaison

Communication skills

Fluent English

Education

Professional accounting qualification or QBE

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

The role:

We are looking for an Accountant to join our Finance department in Bristol, on a 12-month fixed-term contract.

In this role you will be an experienced finance professional, confidently helping to deliver monthly management accounts, cashflow, billing and intercompany for our Middle East office. You will play a part in ensuring financial controls are adhered to by maintaining balance sheet reconciliations and will be prepared to address queries from internal and external stakeholders (including Partners, auditors and Group Finance). As a key player in a small team, you will take on ad hoc tasks to ensure team cover.

This role forms an essential part of Middle East LLP Finance. It is an exciting opportunity to work with our friendly and high performing team, who are split between Dubai and the UK. This is a UK based role, reporting into the Regional Finance Manager (UK based). As this role supports our Middle East LLP Finance team, the working hours for this role will ideally be 8:00am - 4:00pm with some flexibility.

What will you do:

• Key tasks for the delivery of month end close for our Middle East entities (to include posting journals & balance sheet reconciliations)

• Supporting intercompany reconciliation and settlement.

• Supporting the bank reconciliations & COFA logs process.

• Supporting billing activities., bank payments and virtual credit card requests.

• Providing team cover and acting as a support/escalation point for more junior members of the team.

• Supporting the Regional Finance Manager with audit, budgeting, statutory accounts and ad hoc tasks.

• Collaborate to identify and act on opportunities to improve processes.

• Offer support to the Middle East business. Answering queries and involvement in analysis/reporting of management accounts.

• Supporting/covering the monthly cash flow forecast and cashier.

What we are looking for:

• Qualified accountant (professional qualification) or QBE professional.

• Experience working within a finance team

• Experience working with ERP systems

• Strong understanding of financial reporting requirements and controls

• Experience in liaising with external auditors

• Comfortable with working under pressure and to tight deadlines

• Excellent oral and written communication skills

• Fluent in English

Career Level:

The career level assigned to this role is level 3. The career level framework provides a formal structure for the business services functions at the firm. The framework, which ranges from level 1 to level 7, clearly defines the responsibilities, skills and competencies required at each level.

Here at Simmons & Simmons:

At Simmons, we are proud of our collaborative, open and non-hierarchical culture, where everyone is treated with respect and dignity and the wellbeing of our people is paramount. Our dynamic minds work as one integrated team, partnering with leading organisations on inspirational and thought-provoking projects that matter. From day one, irrespective of job title, qualification or background, everyone’s voice is heard, and you are encouraged to have an enquiring mind and share ideas that drive the firm forward. Through innovative learning and development opportunities, you will have a platform to excel, exceed your career ambitions, and achieve things you never thought possible.

Some key information:

• We offer a competitive package including bonuses dependant on role/level, private medical insurance and pension contribution.

• Our global skills academy provides our people, regardless of their role and location, with excellent learning opportunities (including live workshops, podcasts, short videos and practical learning experiences).

• We have adopted a hybrid working approach with a requirement for a minimum of three days in the office with flexibility dependant on role/team/client demands.

• We are proud to rank as a Times Top 50 Employer for Gender Equality, a Stonewall Top Global Employer, and a Top 75 Employer for Social Mobility.

• We have a range of social and sports committees, summer and winter parties and monthly get togethers.

• We have a range of diversity networks to connect people and celebrate our differences which is integral to our inclusive culture.

• All UK offices have their own artwork collections - including Damien Hirst and Tracey Emin pieces in the London office. We have a long-standing history in supporting the art community especially up-and-coming artists.

• We have recently introduced a Strategic Advisory Council which is a mix of associates and business services who will propose strategic initiatives that align with our firm's mission and support the delivery of our business plan, shaping the future of our next-generation law firm.

• Our in-house generative AI tool, Percy, won the 'Innovation in Automation and AI Tools' category at the 2024 FT Innovative Lawyers Europe Awards. This achievement highlights our commitment to technological innovation and client service.

• We have been commended in The Times Best Law Firms 2026 across three categories: construction, employment, and intellectual property. Our profile is highly positive, highlighting our sector specialisms and notable case and transactional work.

Equal opportunities:

We are committed to fostering equality, diversity and inclusion within our firm and to ensuring equal employment opportunities. We believe that this commitment creates a vibrant and rewarding work environment. We are therefore committed to:

Upholding equal opportunities, regardless of race, ethnicity, religion, belief, age, disability, sexual orientation, sex, gender reassignment, gender identity, marital status, or pregnancy, including maternity and paternity. This commitment extends to addressing any instances of perceived or associative discrimination and harassment. We also ensure fair treatment during recruitment and selection processes for those who are serving or have served in the armed forces, along with their families.

Accommodating requests for flexible working arrangements whenever possible. We encourage you to discuss your needs with us if this is something you require.

Making our roles accessible to individuals with diverse abilities. If you need any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, please let us know so we can meet your needs.

We offer a range of employee networks to support our colleagues. More information about these networks can be found in the D&I Information booklet that candidates are sent when invited to interview.