Costings Team Leader

Penguin Random House; Colchester; On-site; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Penguin Random House Group is seeking a proactive Senior Cost Accountant to lead the Costings Team within UK Group Finance. You’ll own end-to-end costing for multiple commercial publishing divisions, ensuring accurate product costing and robust controls in a fast-paced environment.

Reporting to the Deputy Costing Manager, you will manage three direct reports, coordinate with SAP and BI systems, drive month-end processes, and contribute to SAP S4 Hana integration and broader systems development.

Qualifications

• AAT qualified or equivalent.
• Experience of staff management.
• Experience of balance sheet reconciliations.
• Advanced IT and systems skills, e.g., Excel.
• High attention to detail.
• Good time management.

Responsibilities

• Plan and monitor workflow in the department to ensure targets are met.
• Ensure completeness of interface relationships between SAP and other applications (Biblio, BlueYonder, Data Warehouse).
• Manage the timely production of Balance Sheet reconciliations in line with Group policies.
• Work with stakeholders to ensure strong controls, governance and financial processes.
• Drive continuous improvement of costing processes and identify trends.
• Assist with SAP S4 Hana integration testing and implementation.
• Liaise with IT and SAP consultants to resolve costing issues.
• Review WIP ledger, prepare variance schedules, and finalize write-offs with production and Finance Director.
• Run monthly WIP settlement and ensure correct postings.
• Oversee WIP accounts and KPI reporting for the group of companies.
• Support Costing Team development and wider systems initiatives.
• Manage year-end, half-year and interim audit related to costing.

Skills

Experience of staff management

Balance sheet reconciliations

Excel

Attention to detail

Time management

Education

AAT qualified or equivalent

Tools

SAP

Job description

• LegalEntity: The Random House Group Limited
• Compensation: GBP 30000 - GBP 35000 - yearly

Job Description

We'relooking for a proactive and commercially minded Costings Team Leader to join our UKGroup Finance Department, supporting the financial operations of the Penguin Random House Group. As part of our Record to Report (R2R) function,you'llplay a key role in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of our costing processes,providingthe financial insight that underpins informed business decisions across our publishing divisions. This is an excellent opportunity to join a collaborative finance team where yourexpertisewill directly contribute to the success of the business.

The internal job title for this position is Senior Cost Accountant

Role Summary

Reporting to the Deputy Costing Manager,and managing 3 direct reports,you'lltake ownership of the end-to-end costing process fora number ofcommercial publishing divisions, ensuringaccurateproduct costing andidentifyingany exceptions or unusual costing activity. Working closely with colleagues across Finance and a range of internal and external stakeholders,you'llhelpmaintainthe integrity of our costing approach while supporting month-end activities and continuous process improvement. This role is ideally suited to a confident finance professional who enjoys working collaboratively, building strong stakeholder relationships, and delivering high-quality financial information in a fast-paced environment.

Key responsibilities

• Plan and monitor workflow in department ensuring that targets are met
• Ensure completeness of interface relationships between core finance system (SAP) and other company applications;Biblio, BlueYonder ,Data Warehouse.
• Manage thetimelyand efficient production of specified Balance Sheet reconciliationsin accordance withGroup accounting policies
• Work with key stakeholders within the Penguin Random House Group of company’s management/financial accounts process to ensure strong controls,complianceand governance
• Ensure continuous improvement (CI) of the Penguin Random House Group of companies Costings processes throughidentifyingcommon trends in issues and queries, reviewing target performancelevelsand looking at best practice
• Assistwith the testing and full implementation of the SAP S4 Hana Integration project
• Liaise with Technology Business Systems and SAP consultants, logging and helping solve SAP Costing problems
• Review work in progress ledger for specific imprints, prepare variance schedules, attend meetings at the Londonofficeif necessary, to agree and finalise writeoff’swith the production department and the Finance Director
• Run WIP Settlement Process each month and ensure all postings are correct in accounts
• Effective review,controland management of Penguin Random House Group of companies WIP accounts, and associated KPI reporting
• Assistand develop the Penguin Random House Group Costing Team
• Using your knowledge of the Costing functions, support in the wider PRH systems development initiatives.
• Manage the year end, half year and interim audit process related to Costing queries

What you’ll bring

• AAT Qualified or Equivalent
• Experience of staff management
• Experience of balance sheet reconciliations
• Advanced IT and systems skillse.g.Excel
• High attention to detail
• Good timemanagement

Preferred criteria

• Experience of SAP

Use of AI tools

Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.

We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.

Disability Confident

As a Disability Confident Committedorganisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the ‘What you’ll bring’ section. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview.

We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing [emailprotected] . Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.

While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect that you will work from our office in Frating, Essex, no more than 2 days per week.

Additional Information

Responsible for processing the information provided in your application is the company specified in the job advertisement, with its registered office as indicated. The company processes your data for the purpose of establishing an employment relationship on the basis of Art. 6 (1) b GDPR / Section 26 (1) sentence 1 BDSG.

The retention period for your data is determined by the statutory time limits applicable in the respective country, beginning upon completion of the recruitment process. You can find these here .

You can contact the company’s Data Protection Officer at the above-mentioned postal address.

Further information on data protection and your rights can be found here .