Accounting Director

Startup Accountancy; Greater London; On-site; GBP 120,000 - 180,000; Full time

Job summary

Startup Accountancy is seeking an Accounting Director to lead client delivery and the delivery team in London. You will own the quality and timeliness of year end accounts, corporation tax, bookkeeping and payroll, acting as the senior technical reviewer and escalation point for clients and staff.

This hands-on leadership role requires running delivery with autonomy, shaping the practice engine and AI tooling, and collaborating closely with the founders to scale the business.

Qualifications

• ACA or ACCA qualified with at least 5 years post-qualification experience in UK practice.
• Senior manager level or above ready to step up to director with strong delivery leadership.
• Strong track record reviewing year end accounts and corporation tax returns.

Responsibilities

• Delivery leadership: lead day-to-day client delivery with partner and founders.
• Technical review and sign-off: review year end accounts and CT returns; liaise with HMRC.
• Client relationships: act as senior contact for key clients; manage escalations.
• Team leadership: line manage delivery team; coach and develop skills; oversee recruitment and performance reviews.
• Growth and new business: support founders on proposals, pricing, and scoping for new clients.
• Operations, risk, and compliance: shape in-house practice engine, track KPIs, ensure regulatory compliance.

Skills

Delivery leadership

Client relationship management

Team leadership

Decision making

Xero experience

AI tooling familiarity

Education

ACA or ACCA

Tools

Xero

Job description

Startup Accountancy is a modern, startup-native practice built to challenge the traditional accountancy model. We're hiring an Accounting Director to lead client delivery and the team day to day, working directly with the founders.

You'll own the quality and timeliness of everything we deliver: year end accounts, corporation tax, bookkeeping, and payroll. You'll be the senior technical reviewer, the escalation point for clients and the team, and a trusted voice on how the practice runs.

This is a hands-on leadership role for someone who has run client delivery in practice and wants the autonomy of a smaller, faster firm.

Key responsibilities

1. Delivery leadership

• Lead day-to-day client delivery, working closely with the partner and founders.
• Set priorities, manage workload and capacity, and make sure deadlines are met.
• Make operational decisions on clients, scope, and resourcing.
• Represent the practice with clients and external partners.

2. Technical review and sign-off

• Review and approve year end statutory accounts (FRS 105 and FRS 102 Section 1A).
• Review corporation tax computations and CT600 returns before filing.
• Act as the main point of contact with HMRC for enquiries, disclosures and disputed positions.
• Oversee R&D tax claims, EIS/SEIS advance assurance, and share scheme work.
• Handle complex technical queries and escalations from the team and clients.

3. Client relationships

• Act as the senior point of contact for key clients.
• Resolve escalations quickly and keep client satisfaction high.
• Spot opportunities to add value and expand the services clients use.

4. Team leadership

• Line manage managers and oversee the wider delivery team.
• Coach and develop technical and client skills across all levels.
• Lead recruitment, onboarding, and performance reviews for the delivery team.
• Build a culture of ownership, quality, and startup-minded problem solving.

5. Growth and new business

• Support the founders on proposals, pricing, and scoping for new clients.
• Join prospect calls where technical credibility is needed.
• Make sure new clients are onboarded smoothly into delivery.

6. Operations, risk, and compliance

• Help shape our in-house practice engine and AI tooling, alongside Xero, and keep improving how we deliver.
• Track and report practice KPIs: timeliness, quality, recoverability, and capacity.
• Maintain compliance with professional standards, AML, and engagement terms.
• Keep the team current on tax and reporting changes relevant to startups.

Requirements

• ACA or ACCA qualified, with at least 5 years' post-qualification experience.
• Background in a UK accountancy practice, currently at senior manager level or above and ready to step up to director.
• Strong technical track record reviewing year end accounts and corporation tax returns.
• Proven experience leading and developing a delivery team.
• Confident managing senior client relationships and difficult conversations.
• Comfortable making decisions and running delivery with minimal oversight.
• Right to work in the UK.
• Experience with startup, tech, or VC-backed clients.
• Knowledge of R&D tax relief, EIS/SEIS, and EMI share schemes.
• Strong Xero experience, and an appetite for working with in-house and AI tools.
• Experience supporting new business, proposals, or pricing.

You'll fit in if you

• Enjoy building better ways of working, including automation and AI.
• Explain technical matters clearly to founders who aren't accountants.
• Lead by example and stay close to the detail when it matters.
• Run client delivery day to day with real autonomy and direct access to the partner and founders.
• Work with ambitious founders building new businesses.
• We're building our own practice engine in-house, and you'll help shape how it works as it grows.
• Shape how a fast-growing practice delivers, rather than inheriting a legacy model.