Finance Manager

Distinct Recruitment; Leeds; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

Distinct Recruitment is seeking a Finance Manager (FTC, 12 months) to lead a major technical accounting conversion and drive improvements in financial controls across a UK/European services group.

You will manage multiple workstreams, coordinating with the Head of Accounting UK and external auditors, while ensuring robust balance sheet processes and proper capitalisation treatment for group systems projects.

Qualifications

• ACA/ACCA qualified with post-qualification experience.
• Strong knowledge of UK GAAP and FRS 102.
• Experience documenting or improving financial controls frameworks.
• Experience preparing or reviewing balance sheet reconciliations in multi-entity groups.
• Effective written and verbal communication.
• Experience in a large, multi-entity group.

Responsibilities

• Lead a technical accounting conversion project moving UK entities from UK GAAP to updated reporting standards, including impact assessment and liaison with auditors.
• Support a group-wide review of financial controls with a clear controls inventory and implementation of improvements.
• Improve balance sheet reconciliation process with standardised ownership, review tiers and templates.
• Own accounting and capitalisation treatment for group systems projects and validate capitalised costs.

Skills

ACA/ACCA qualification

UK GAAP

FRS 102

Financial controls frameworks

Balance sheet reconciliations

Education

ACCA/ACA qualification

Job description

Finance Manager (FTC, 12 Months) — Technical Accounting & Controls

About the business: A large services group with operations across the UK and Europe, supported by a central finance function responsible for financial control, governance and management reporting across the business.

The Opportunity: This is a newly created 12-month fixed-term contract, bringing dedicated specialist support into the Central Finance team at a period of significant technical and process change. You'll work closely with the Head of Accounting UK, picking up four distinct, high-priority workstreams that need focused delivery alongside the team's day-to-day responsibilities.

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading a technical accounting conversion project, moving the UK entities from current UK GAAP to an updated reporting standard — covering the impact assessment, policy documentation, transition adjustments and liaison with external auditors
• Supporting a group-wide review of financial controls, building a clear controls inventory, acting as the main point of contact for the review, and working with process owners to implement the resulting improvements
• Leading a structured improvement of the balance sheet reconciliation process, standardising ownership, review tiers and escalation across entities, and upgrading the templates and guidance behind it
• Owning the accounting and capitalisation treatment for a group-wide systems project, aligning capitalisation criteria to the relevant accounting standards and building the monthly controls to validate capitalised costs

What we’re looking for:

• You’ll be ACA or ACCA qualified (or equivalent) with solid post-qualification experience.
• Strong technical knowledge of UK GAAP and FRS 102
• Direct experience documenting, assessing or improving financial controls frameworks.
• You’ll have prepared or reviewed balance sheet reconciliations in a group or multi-entity environment, understand capitalisation criteria for internally developed software or labour, and be comfortable managing several concurrent workstreams to deadline.
• Strong written and verbal communication
• Have worked within a large, complex, multi-entity group,