Financial Accountant

PLS Solicitors; Altrincham; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

29 days holiday (incl. BH)

Healthcare plan

Salary sacrifice

Job summary

PLS Solicitors in Altrincham seeks a Financial Accountant to own statutory reporting, consolidation and VAT compliance within a growing, regulated legal environment.

You will bridge day-to-day management accounting with board-ready reporting, challenging judgements, and shaping processes as the finance function scales in a hybrid, 2+3 model, with an initial onboarding period in the office.

Qualifications

• This role requires ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification.
• Experience preparing statutory accounts under FRS 102 and managing external audit.
• Strong technical accounting judgement to research and defend positions.
• Ability to build process documentation where scarce.
• Knowledge of group structures, intercompany accounting and consolidation.
• Hands-on, deadline-driven in a high-volume environment.
• Experience in the legal sector or professional services.
• Familiarity with SRA Accounts Rules and client accounting.

Responsibilities

• Own statutory reporting and external audit liaison.
• Maintain VAT compliance and regulatory reporting.
• Review monthly balance sheet and close elements with the FD.
• Support group consolidation and intercompany reconciliation.
• Contribute to board packs and senior-level reporting.

Skills

Technical accounting

Statutory reporting

Audit management

Group consolidation

Intercompany accounting

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA

Tools

Proclaim

Job description

Financial Accountant – Technical Accounting & Reporting

Location: Altrincham, WA14 5UW – hybrid working (2 days office / 3 days home after an initial office-based onboarding period)

Hours: Full-time, Mon-Fri, 9:00-17:00

Start date: ASAP (flexible and open to longer notice periods)

We’re looking for a Financial Accountant to join our growing Finance team in a newly shaped role, to bridge the gap between the day-to-day management accounts function and the Finance Director.

Reporting into the FD, you’ll take on the technical accounting work that currently sits with them: statutory reporting, the external audit, group accounting and consolidation, and tax and VAT compliance in a regulated legal environment. You’ll also play an important role in the wider management reporting process, reviewing the numbers produced by the team, handling more complex or judgement-based areas, contributing to board packs and senior-level reporting.

This is a hands‑on, delivery-focused role. Month‑end production is already covered by an established team, so you are not being brought in to supervise the monthly cycle. We’re looking for someone who can review, challenge and add value at a higher level, bringing dedicated qualified expertise to an area of the finance function that is ready to grow.

PLS is continuing to grow, our group structure is evolving and the Finance function is developing alongside the wider business. You’ll be joining at a point where there is plenty to get stuck into and a real opportunity to help shape and strengthen the technical accounting and reporting side of the function as we continue to develop.

What You’ll Be Doing:

Statutory reporting and audit

• Prepare the annual statutory accounts under FRS 102 and lead the day‑to‑day relationship with the external auditors.
• Maintain audit working papers on a continuous basis through the year rather than reconstructing them at year end.
• Form, research and document technical accounting judgements – revenue recognition, work in progress valuation, lease accounting under the revised Section 20, provisions and accruals.
• Prepare corporation tax computations and manage the relationship with external tax advisers.

Regulatory and VAT compliance

• Own VAT compliance, including the partial exemption calculation and its annual adjustment.
• Support compliance with the SRA Accounts Rules, including client account reporting and the annual Accountant's Report.
• Maintain the control framework over client money in conjunction with the cashiering team.

Month‑end contribution

• Review the monthly balance sheet, including the fixed asset register, accruals and prepayments, and the cashiering‑to‑ledger reconciliations.
• Prepare the technical elements of the close – provisions, WIP valuation and any judgemental adjustments – and pick up hands‑on production work where the team needs it.
• Contribute to documenting and improving the close process as the function scales.

Group accounting

• Own intercompany accounting and reconciliation across the group's entities and prepare the group consolidation.
• Support external due diligence and funder reporting requirements, working alongside the firm's advisers.

What We’re Looking For:

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified.
• Demonstrable experience preparing statutory accounts under FRS 102 and managing an external audit through to sign‑off.
• Strong technical accounting judgement, with the confidence to research a position, document it and defend it.
• Comfortable in an environment where process documentation is limited, and motivated to build it rather than wait for it.
• Working knowledge of group structures, intercompany accounting and consolidation.
• Happy to work hands‑on and to deadline in a high‑volume environment, including the detail.
• Able to move between detailed hands‑on work and board‑level output.
• Experience in the legal sector or professional services.
• Familiarity with the SRA Accounts Rules and client account accounting.
• Exposure to Proclaim or a comparable legal case management system.

What You’ll Get in Return:

• Real ownership. The technical agenda is yours, not a slice of someone else's.
• A defined progression path. The structure anticipates a Financial Controller role as the business grows, and this position is the natural route to it.
• Direct exposure. You will work closely with the Finance Director, contribute to board reporting, and see how a growing regulated business is run.
• Transaction exposure. The firm is preparing for its next phase of growth and this role sits at the centre of the reporting and due diligence work that involves – experience that is difficult to acquire and highly transferable.
• A function being built, not maintained. There is significant investment going into finance and you will help shape how it works.
• A business that values innovation and is open to evolving how finance supports the wider organisation
• Hybrid working environment because we recognise the importance of work/life balance
• 25 days AL + Bank Holidays, with buy/carry over options
• Employee benefits: death in service, healthcare plan, EAP, counselling, and salary sacrifice
• Extras: free conveyancing, mortgage advice, staff discounts, free uber service to/from Navigation Road station and our office

At PLS Solicitors, we combine legal expertise with technology to create smarter, more efficient ways of working. As a tech‑led conveyancing firm, we’re continually investing in systems, innovation, and people who can help us improve and evolve.

We specialise in conveyancing, the legal process behind buying and selling property, helping clients move home through a streamlined, technology‑driven service. With a strong focus on efficiency, collaboration, and continuous improvement, we’re building a modern law firm where people can develop, contribute, and make a genuine impact.