Finance Operations Accountant (FTC)

Quilter plc; Southampton; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Holiday: 182 hours (26 days)

Pension scheme (non-contributory)

Healthcare Cash Plan (Jersey employees

Incentive scheme

Flexible benefits

Job summary

Quilter plc is seeking a Finance Operations professional in Southampton to oversee the trial balance, automate feeds, and post manual journals for multiple business units. You will ensure data integrity and timely reporting within a controlled environment.

The role emphasizes strong accounting knowledge, attention to detail, and proactive process improvements, with collaboration across Finance and external audits as needed.

Qualifications

• Strong technical accounting knowledge with solid ledger management skills.
• Proven ability to improve financial processes within a controlled environment.
• High attention to detail and timely discrepancy resolution.
• Analytical mindset with ability to provide clear commentary on performance and spend.
• Excellent stakeholder management across Finance teams.
• Progressing towards or holding an accounting qualification is desirable.

Responsibilities

• Oversee monthly and quarterly financial processes for Business Units, ensuring TB accuracy and deadlines.
• Review and reconcile balance sheet accounts; investigate and resolve exceptions promptly.
• Prepare and distribute monthly Lead Schedules with current balance sheet commentary.
• Drive continuous improvement of financial processes and outputs across Finance Operations.
• Maintain governance tools; ensure evidence, controls and signoffs are complete.
• Provide leadership and support to team members with regular check-ins and reviews.
• Support external audits with accurate information and documentation.
• Build strong relationships with wider finance teams to promote best practices.

Skills

Ledger management

Balance sheet reconciliations

Trial balance integrity

Process improvement

Stakeholder management

Education

Progressing towards accounting qualification

Job description

Fixed Term Contract Duration - 15 Months

About the Business

Quilter plc is a leading wealth management business, helping to enable brighter financial futures for every generation. Quilter oversees £141.9 billion in customer investments (as of March 2026). It has an adviser and customer offering spanning financial advice, investment platforms, multi-asset investment solutions, and discretionary fund management. The business is comprised of two segments: Affluent and High Net Worth. Affluent encompasses the financial planning business, Quilter Financial Planning, the Quilter Investment Platform and Quilter Investors, the multi-asset investment solutions business. High Net Worth includes the discretionary fund management business, Quilter Cheviot, together with Quilter Cheviot Financial Planning – offering a highly personalised service to private clients, charities, trustees, and professional partners. Quilter Cheviot has presence throughout the UK, Ireland and Channel Islands. At Quilter we never stand still. Our foundations are rooted in our extraordinary expertise, which is trusted by hundreds of thousands of customers, but we have great ambitions to stay one step ahead and make an even greater difference to the people and communities we serve, including our colleagues. Our business is transforming, continually modernising, and becoming even more customer centric. So, if you want to be bold in the pursuit of your ambitions, bring new ideas, and challenge and evolve what we do, it’s the perfect time to join us!

About the Role

Level - 3 Department- Finance Location - Southampton Contract - FTC until 31st December 2027

This role supports the Finance Operations Team Manager and is integral to the accurate and controlled delivery of the trial balance. It underpins the integrity of the ledger by overseeing both automated financial feeds and the preparation and posting of manual journals, ensuring completeness and accuracy of financial data.

Key responsibilities

• Oversee and deliver monthly and quarterly financial processes for the Business Units, ensuring accuracy of the Trial Balance and completion within agreed deadlines.
• Review and reconcile balance sheet accounts for designated Business Units, ensuring all exceptions are identified, investigated, and resolved in a timely manner.
• Prepare and distribute monthly Lead Schedules, including clear and up-to-date commentary on the current balance sheet position.
• Drive continuous improvement in financial processes and outputs, identifying opportunities to enhance efficiency across the Finance Operations team and wider Finance function.
• Manage governance tools, ensuring appropriate evidence is maintained and all required controls and signoffs are completed.
• Provide leadership and support to team members through regular check-ins, individual meetings, and team discussions, ensuring effective monitoring of progress and development.
• Assist in the preparation and provision of information required for external audits, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
• Build and maintain strong working relationships with the wider finance team, promoting best practices and consistent standards.
• Ensure all accounting and financial processes are fully documented and kept up to date, reflecting any changes in policy, regulation, or business requirements.

About You

• Strong technical accounting knowledge, with a solid understanding of ledger management, balance sheet reconciliations, and trial balance integrity.
• Proven ability to manage and improve financial processes, identifying efficiencies and embedding best practice within a controlled environment.
• High level of attention to detail, with the ability to identify, investigate, and resolve discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Strong analytical skills, with the ability to provide clear insight and meaningful commentary on financial performance and key spend categories.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills, with the ability to build effective working relationships across Finance, including Financial Controllers and wider teams.
• Good understanding of governance, risk, and control frameworks within a regulated environment.
• Effective communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to present financial information clearly to non-finance stakeholders.
• Ability to prioritise and manage multiple deadlines, particularly within monthly and quarterly reporting cycles.
• Proactive and continuous improvement mindset, with a focus on enhancing processes, controls, and outputs.
• Strong team collaboration skills, with experience supporting and developing colleagues through regular engagement and feedback.
• Progressing towards or holding an accounting qualification is desirable.

Inclusion & Diversity

We value diversity and strive to promote inclusivity in all aspects of our culture. We believe in equal opportunities for all, ensuring that no applicant encounters less favourable treatment based on anything but their skills, qualifications, experience, and potential. We celebrate the unique contributions of a diverse workforce and create a respectful, nurturing environment where every colleague can thrive.

Values

Do the right thing: We act with integrity and are proudly committed to going above and beyond in service of our clients and the support we provide our communities. Always curious: We continuously seek new ideas and knowledge so we’re one step ahead of our clients’ needs. We look for inspiration everywhere and encourage experimentation, recognising that this is how we create brilliant solutions for brighter futures. Embrace challenge: We aim high to transform our potential into meaningful outcomes. With ambition as our driving force and a steadfast commitment to growth, we succeed for the good of every generation. Stronger together: Combining our diverse talents, we accomplish more collectively than we ever could do alone. We speak openly, actively listen, and support each other, and constructively challenge and embrace new ideas. We seek empowerment and demonstrate ownership and trust, with the confidence to make impactful decisions.

Core Benefits

• Holiday: 182 hours (26 days)
• Quilter Incentive Scheme: All employees are eligible to participate in incentive scheme, to incentivise business performance and their contribution.
• Pension Scheme: A non-contributory company pension scheme that can be boosted through personal contributions.
• Healthcare Cash Plan: Jersey employees only.
• Benefit Allowance: A cash benefit allowance is payable in lieu of some of our core benefits.
• In addition to our core benefits, we offer a range of flexible benefits to UK employees that you can choose from and pay for conveniently via a salary deduction.

We create brighter financial futures for every generation. We do this by guiding our customers and their families through the complexity of planning for their financial future, responding to their rapidly evolving needs and giving them peace of mind. And, with all that’s happening in the world today, our role in society has never been more meaningful. Our impressive talents and capabilities set us apart, but our unwavering commitment to our customers is what defines us. We truly believe that we have all the ingredients to be the very best in our industry, and we want great people with the care and creativity that we need, to help us get there. We are passionate about building an inclusive culture where everyone’s contribution is valued, and our people can thrive. No matter what your role is or where you sit, your voice will matter. We hope you like what you hear and are interested in learning more about joining us. We believe our workplace needs to work for you, so we offer an environment where you can balance a successful career with your commitments and interests outside of work. Some roles lend themselves to flexible options more than others, so our talent acquisition team are on hand to discuss your needs.

We are committed to treating all our job applicants fairly and with respect. Our people come from all kinds of backgrounds and have a wide range of expertise, so we welcome your application regardless of your beliefs, culture, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation and or disability.