Finance Manager - Central Costs Payroll

easyJet; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 120,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to 20% bonus

7% pension contributions

Medical Cash Plan

Excellent staff travel benefits

25 days annual leave bank holidays

Annual credit towards an easyJet holid

Various flexible benefits and extras

Job summary

easyJet is seeking a Senior Finance Manager for Central Costs in our Luton head office. You’ll own overhead accounting activities, ensure accurate reporting, and maintain strong financial controls across the organisation.

You’ll oversee payroll accounting, lead month-end close, budgeting, forecasting, and drive process improvements while engaging with a broad range of finance and non-finance stakeholders. This full-time, hybrid role requires ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification, post-qualification

Qualifications

• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA)
• Post-qualification experience within a finance environment
• Strong technical accounting knowledge and understanding of financial controls
• Experience managing complex accounting processes, reconciliations and reporting activities
• Excellent analytical skills with high attention to detail
• Proven ability to identify issues, develop solutions, and drive continuous improvement
• Strong communication skills with finance and non-finance stakeholders
• Experience leading people, projects or workstreams and influencing outcomes
• Effective prioritisation to manage multiple deadlines

Responsibilities

• Managing central cost and overhead accounting activities across multiple cost categories
• Overseeing payroll accounting processes to ensure accurate and compliant financial reporting
• Reviewing payroll journals, accruals, provisions, and adjustments in line with accounting standards
• Ensuring payroll costs, taxes, benefits, and deductions are correctly recorded in the general ledger
• Completing and reviewing payroll balance sheet reconciliations and expense reconciliations
• Developing and enhancing monthly reporting to improve quality, speed, and insight
• Supporting budgeting, forecasting, and month-end close activities for overhead cost centres
• Ensuring compliance with tax, pension, social security, and other statutory requirements
• Supporting payroll-related audits, regulatory reviews, and control assessments
• Maintaining a robust controls environment and identifying opportunities for process improvement
• Building strong relationships across finance and the wider business to support performance and delivery
• Driving efficiency, challenging costs, and delivering actionable financial insight to stakeholders

Skills

Financial analysis

Stakeholder management

Excel & PowerPoint

Attention to detail

Communication

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification

Tools

Agresso

TM1

MS Office

Job description

Description

We are easyJet - a £multi-billion low-cost airline that serves tens of millions of customers every single year. If you're reading this, you have probably already been an easyJet customer, and you'll know that there is no more iconic (or Orange!) travel brand in Europe.

We fly more than 1,207 routes, connecting 38 countries across Europe, and employ more than 18,000 colleagues. We're on a mission to make low-cost travel easy - and whatever your role here, you'll connect millions of people to what they love using Europe's best airline network, great value fares, and friendly service.

What makes us easyJet? Our Promise Behaviours - we are Safe, Bold, Welcoming and Challenging. Four Behaviours. One Spirit. One easyJet.

READ ON IF YOU

• Are a qualified ACA, ACCA, or CIMA finance professional with relevant post-qualification experience.
• Enjoy combining financial control, reporting, analysis, and stakeholder management.
• Have experience managing overheads, payroll accounting, or complex finance processes in a large organisation.
• Thrive on improving processes, strengthening controls, and driving efficiencies.
• Can be in our fantastic Luton head office 3 x per week.

THE TEAM

You'll join our Record to Report (R2R) Finance team, supporting the delivery of accurate accounting, reporting, and financial control across easyJet's Central Costs. Working closely with finance colleagues and business stakeholders, the team plays a key role in ensuring overhead costs are accurately recorded, governed, and understood, providing trusted insight that supports effective decision-making across the business.

THE ROLE

Reporting to the Senior Finance Manager Central Costs, you'll take ownership of overhead accounting activities across the organisation, ensuring accurate reporting, strong financial controls, and compliance with accounting, tax, and regulatory requirements.

This role combines financial control, payroll accounting oversight, reporting, forecasting, and continuous improvement. You'll work with a broad range of stakeholders, helping ensure financial information is accurate, timely, and delivers meaningful insight to the business.

Key responsibilities include:

• Managing central cost and overhead accounting activities across multiple cost categories.
• Overseeing payroll accounting processes to ensure accurate and compliant financial reporting.
• Reviewing payroll journals, accruals, provisions, and adjustments in line with accounting standards.
• Ensuring payroll costs, taxes, benefits, and deductions are correctly recorded within the general ledger.
• Completing and reviewing payroll balance sheet reconciliations and expense reconciliations.
• Developing and enhancing monthly reporting to improve quality, speed, and insight.
• Supporting budgeting, forecasting, and month-end close activities for overhead cost centres.
• Ensuring compliance with tax, pension, social security, and other statutory requirements.
• Supporting payroll-related audits, regulatory reviews, and control assessments.
• Maintaining a robust controls environment and identifying opportunities for process improvement.
• Building strong relationships across finance and the wider business to support performance and delivery.
• Driving efficiency, challenging costs, and delivering actionable financial insight to stakeholders.

Requirements of the Role

WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, or CIMA).
• Relevant post-qualification experience within a finance environment.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge and understanding of financial controls.
• Experience managing complex accounting processes, reconciliations, and reporting activities.
• Excellent analytical skills with a high level of attention to detail.
• Proven ability to identify issues, develop solutions, and drive continuous improvement.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage confidently with finance and non-finance stakeholders.
• Experience leading people, projects, or workstreams and influencing positive outcomes.
• Effective prioritisation skills with the ability to manage multiple deadlines.
• Strong Excel and PowerPoint capabilities, with broader MS Office proficiency.
• Experience using accounting and planning systems such as Agresso, TM1, or similar platforms would be beneficial.
• A proactive approach, sound judgement, and a collaborative mindset.

WHAT YOU'LL GET IN RETURN

• Up to 20% maximum bonus
• 7% pension contributions
• Medical Cash Plan
• Excellent staff travel benefits
• 25 days of annual leave bank holidays
• Annual credit towards an easyJet holiday
• Various flexible benefits and extras

PRACTICALITIES

This full-time role will be based in Luton and will be 40 hours per week. We support hybrid working and we spend 60% of our time per month in the office.

REASONABLE ADJUSTMENTS

At easyJet, we are dedicated to fostering an inclusive workplace that reflects the diverse customers we serve across Europe. We welcome candidates from all backgrounds. If you require specific adjustments or support during the application or recruitment process, such as extra time for assessments or accessible interview locations, please contact us at [e-mail]. We are committed to providing reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment process to ensure accessibility and accommodation.