Cost Accounting Manager

Canonical

Greater London

Hybrid

GBP 90,000 - 125,000

Full time

12 days ago

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Benefits offered by this job

Distributed work environment

Learning & development budget

Annual compensation review

Maternity and paternity leave

Travel opportunities

Job summary

Canonical in London or remote across EMEA is seeking a Cost Accounting Manager to drive scalable cost recognition, IFRS adoptions, and automated reporting. You will lead a team across systems and accounting, partner with Procurement, FP&A and Legal, and ensure strong internal controls while supporting global operations in a high-growth tech environment. The role blends technical accounting with systems thinking and strategic oversight.

Qualifications

CPA, ACCA or equivalent with excellent technical accounting skills and IFRS experience.
A detailed understanding of IFRS 16, IFRS18 and relevant rules related to SaaS and services.
Experience in managing cost accounting processes and operational expenses.
Experience driving cost recognition and scaling accounting processes in a high-growth environment.
Experience with ERP and NetSuite preferred.

Responsibilities

Collaborate with Procurement, Commercial Systems, Operations, Legal, and FP&A teams to design and maintain scalable cost management, allocation and reporting processes.
Drive process and configuration improvements in NetSuite and related systems for end-to-end automation of the cost life cycle.
Lead, mentor and develop a team of cost accounting and systems accounting professionals.
Assist in month-end cost close, including reconciliations, fluctuation analysis, and other reporting.
Develop and maintain effective internal controls over cost transactions and reporting.
Research and write accounting memos on significant cost recognition and other related policy matters.
Act as the primary liaison with external auditors in matters related to purchase-to-pay.
Ensure compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements while identifying and managing cost accounting risks.

Skills

Cost accounting

IFRS knowledge

Leadership

English proficiency

Data analytics

Experience with ERP

Public company exposure

Education

Bachelor's degree in Accounting or Finance

CPA/ACCA or equivalent

Tools

NetSuite

Job description

Canonical is a leading provider of open source software and operating systems to the global enterprise and technology markets. Our platform, Ubuntu, is very widely used in breakthrough enterprise initiatives such as public cloud, data science, AI, engineering innovation, and IoT. Our customers include the world's leading public cloud and silicon providers, and industry leaders in many sectors. The company is a pioneer of global distributed collaboration, with + colleagues in 75+ countries and very few office-based roles. Teams meet two to four times yearly in person, in interesting locations around the world, to align on strategy and execution.

The company is founder-led, profitable, and growing.

We are hiring a Cost Accounting Manager, ideally a candidate with a passion for systems accounting, to drive cost recognition process, decisions, systems and reporting.

In our finance function we aspire to set the industry pace for speed and accuracy of reporting. We aim to achieve this by driving alignment across operational processes, cost structures and financial systems to drive consistency, transparency and efficiency.

We are looking for a professionally qualified accounting leader with expertise in cost accounting and IFRS (including IFRS 16/IAS38) to build scalable cost review and cost recognition processes. This lead will work across teams including Information Systems, Legal, Business Services, Financial Planning & Analysis and Commercial Business Systems to align understanding and ensure that the accounting treatment of costs, vendor management and operational spend is accurate, consistent,and highly automated. Perhaps unusually we prefer a leader with deep personal interest in the software and technology industry, and ideally some data analytics and software engineering experience. The Cost Accounting Manager will ensure the proper application of cost accounting guidance for public market scrutiny.

This is a management position which requires confidence in presentation, setting goals, and directing the work of others. We expect to grow a team focused on cost with a particular emphasis on systems and automation, that puts us at the top of the leaderboard for clarity, correctness, transparency and speed of reporting as a global tech company.

Location: This role is home-based in EMEA time zones, with the option to be based in our London office. It will report to our Global Financial Controller.

Key responsibilities

Collaborate with Procurement, Commercial Systems, Operations,Legal, and FP&A teams to design and maintain scalable cost management, allocation and reporting processes. Drive process and configuration improvements in NetSuite and related systems for end-to-end automation of the cost life cycle
Incorporate industry best practices, emerging technology and AI to raise the bar for reporting speed and accuracy
Review and evaluate the cost recognition impact of non-standard expenses
Lead, mentor and develop a team of cost accounting and systems accounting professionals
Assist in month-end cost close, including reconciliations, fluctuation analysis, and other reporting
Develop and maintain effective internal controls over cost transactions and reporting
Research and write accounting memos on significant cost recognition and other related policy matters
Act as the primary liaison with external auditors in matters related to purchase-to-pay.
Ensure compliance with internal policies and regulatory requirements while identifying and managing cost accounting risks.

Valued skills and experience

An exceptional academic track record from both high school and university
An undergraduate degree in Accounting or Finance, or a compelling narrative about your alternative chosen path
CPA, ACCA or equivalent with excellent technical accounting skills and IFRS experience
A detailed understanding of IFRS 16, IFRS18 and relevant rules related to SaaS and services
Leadership or management responsibility
A track record of going above-and-beyond expectations
Experience in managing cost accounting processes and operational expenses
Experience driving cost recognition and scaling accounting processes in a high-growth environment
Experience with ERP and operational finance systems, including procurement, expense management, and reporting platforms — NetSuite preferred
Experience in a multi-country multi-currency, operations and tax environment
Professional written and spoken English
Excellent interpersonal skills, curiosity, flexibility, and accountability
Thoughtfulness and self-motivation
Result-oriented, with a personal drive to meet commitments
Ability to travel twice a year, for company events up to two weeks long

Additional, optional skills we value

Public company reporting and revenue accounting experience
Software implementation, integration and user acceptance
Software engineering qualification or experience
A passion for technology and a desire to work with motivated colleagues
MBA or other relevant business degree

What we offer colleagues

We consider geographical location, experience, and performance in shaping compensation worldwide. We revisit compensation annually (and more often for graduates and associates) to ensure we recognize outstanding performance. In addition to base pay, we offer a performance-driven annual bonus or commission. We provide all team members with additional benefits which reflect our values and ideals. We balance our programs to meet local needs and ensure fairness globally.