Costings Team Leader

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

Job summary

Penguin Random House UK is seeking a proactive Costings Team Leader within the Group Finance Department in Essex. You will own end-to-end costing for several commercial publishing divisions, ensuring accurate product costing and timely month-end close.

Reporting to the Deputy Costing Manager, you will manage 3 direct reports, drive process improvement, and work with SAP, data warehouse and other finance systems to maintain robust cost controls.

Qualifications

• AAT qualification or equivalent required.
• Experience of managing staff.
• Experience performing balance sheet reconciliations.
• Advanced IT skills with Excel and finance systems.

Responsibilities

• Plan and monitor workflow in department ensuring targets are met.
• Ensure completeness of interface relationships between SAP and other applications.
• Manage production of Balance Sheet reconciliations in line with policies.
• Support month-end activities and CI of costing processes.
• Assist with SAP S4 Hana integration testing/implementation.
• Liaise with SAP consultants and IT to resolve costing issues.
• Review WIP ledger and write-offs with production and Finance Director.
• Run WIP Settlement processes monthly and ensure postings are correct.
• Oversee WIP accounts and KPI reporting.
• Develop the Costing Team and support broader system initiatives.
• Support year-end and interim audit related to Costing.

Skills

Staff management

Balance sheet reconciliations

Excel

Attention to detail

Time management

SAP experience

Education

AAT Qualified or Equivalent

Tools

SAP

Job description

We're looking for a proactive and commercially minded Costings Team Leader to join our UK Group Finance Department, supporting the financial operations of the Penguin Random House Group. As part of our Record to Report (R2R) function, you'll play a key role in ensuring the accuracy and integrity of our costing processes, providing the financial insight that underpins informed business decisions across our publishing divisions. This is an excellent opportunity to join a collaborative finance team where your expertise will 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'll take ownership of the end-to-end costing process for a number of commercial publishing divisions, ensuring accurate product costing and identifying any exceptions or unusual costing activity. Working closely with colleagues across Finance and a range of internal and external stakeholders, you'll help maintain the 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, Blue Yonder , Data Warehouse.
• Manage the timely and efficient production of specified Balance Sheet reconciliations in accordance with Group accounting policies
• Work with key stakeholders within the Penguin Random House Group of company’s management/financial accounts process to ensure strong controls, compliance and governance
• Ensure continuous improvement (CI) of the Penguin Random House Group of companies Costings processes through identifying common trends in issues and queries, reviewing target performance levels and looking at best practice
• Assist with 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 London office if necessary, to agree and finalise write off’s with the production department and the Finance Director
• Run WIP Settlement Process each month and ensure all postings are correct in accounts
• Effective review, control and management of Penguin Random House Group of companies WIP accounts, and associated KPI reporting
• Assist and 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 skills e.g. Excel
• High attention to detail
• Good time management

Preferred criteria:

• Experience of SAP

£30,000 - £35,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.

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 Committed organisation, 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 [e-mail]. 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.