Financial Accountant

Smart Pension; City Of London; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A financial technology company is seeking a Financial Accountant in London to support the Finance team. This role involves managing accounting tasks, preparing financial reports, and identifying process improvements. Ideal candidates are in ACCA or ACA training, with a keen eye for detail and a proactive mindset. This position offers hybrid working conditions and numerous benefits including professional development budgets and extended leave options.

Benefits

25 days of holiday per year

£500 annual training budget

Extensive private healthcare

Enhanced sick leave

Fully-paid sabbatical after five years

Qualifications

• Minimum of 18 months experience in audit or industry is required.
• Intellectually curious and eager to learn.
• Resilient and adaptable to changes.

Responsibilities

• Record and process accounting transactions accurately.
• Prepare monthly and annual management accounts.
• Identify opportunities for system improvements.

Skills

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Self-motivation

Initiative

Education

Started studies in ACCA or ACA

Tools

NetSuite

Job description

At Smart, our mission is to transform retirement, savings and financial wellbeing, across all generations, around the world.

Role

The Financial Accountant will provide support to the Finance team by managing daily accounting tasks. As an introductory role, you will be developed to become competent in supporting the delivery of the monthly and annual financial close process (FCP) for the UK Finance Team. Over time, through your role and your supported study, you will gain an understanding of generally accepted accounting principles, in particular IFRS, and be able to work comfortably with numbers. You should have a keen eye for detail, a determined mindset to get things right, and an appetite to learn; you should not be afraid to question or challenge when things do not make sense.

As you learn the role, you will be encouraged to suggest improvements for documentation and efficiency for the financial tasks you are responsible for. You will be relied on to offer insights for the day-to-day use of our ERP (NetSuite) and to identify opportunities for optimisation. You will be an active member of the team and contribute to team discussions, from weekly catchups to collaboration sessions. You will uphold and champion the Finance team\'s policies and control environment to support Smart\'s global scaling.

What you Could be Doing

Within this role we will give you responsibility for various areas of our financial statements and reporting companies. As you progress through your studies you can expect more complexity in the areas you own. At all stages you will be fully supported by your managers and peers.

Responsibilities

• Transactional Finance: Record and process accounting transactions in the general ledger; reconcile balance sheet accounts regularly and accurately; ensure proper documentation and justification for all postings.
• Financial Reporting: Prepare monthly, quarterly, and annual management accounts; prepare basic accounts and assist with the analysis of financial statements; prepare management reports for internal stakeholders to support decision-making.
• Systems & Process Improvement: Actively use and improve our ERP system (NetSuite), identifying automation or efficiency opportunities; contribute to continuous improvement and financial governance across business functions; help document finance procedures and strengthen internal controls.

As well as day-to-day accounting and reporting, there is also the opportunity to be involved in project work that supports the business in developing its financial practices.

Who we are looking for

The skills, experience, and aptitudes we are looking for are listed below, but please don\'t be discouraged from applying if you don\'t meet every single criterion—having a can-do attitude is sometimes more important than ticking every box:

• As this role is a training contract, we are happy to consider candidates with qualifications at all educational levels; however, you should have already started your studies (ACCA or ACA) and have a minimum of 18 months experience in audit or industry.
• Intellectually curious and keen to take on new challenges
• Self-motivated with the ability to take initiative
• Strong attention to detail
• Confident to ask questions when unsure, and suggest changes to documentation and processes
• Resilient and adaptable
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, comfortable with building relationships across other teams within the business

Who we are

We work in partnerships with governments and financial institutions in the UK and internationally. Our cloud-native digital platform is revolutionising how people around the world think about, and save for, their retirement. We are a financial technology business focused on innovation and digital change to put the customer first. Our Engineers will tell you that working at Smart gives you the opportunity to contribute to world-class technological solutions and to learn from like-minded colleagues.

Across our business, colleagues value Smart\'s culture and the opportunity to make better financial outcomes for savers. See what our colleagues say about working at Smart on LinkedIn Life and Glassdoor.

Benefits

At Smart we prioritise our people. Our benefits include:

• 25 days of holiday per year, increasing with length of service
• £500 annual training budget for professional development
• Extensive private healthcare (including dental, eyewear and EAP)
• Enhanced sick leave (three months\' pay per year)
• Enhanced maternity and paternity (maternity: 6 months fully paid; paternity: 3 weeks fully paid)
• Death in service insurance cover
• Fully-paid five-week sabbatical after five years of employment
• In-office wellbeing offerings such as manicures, massages and barbers
• 50% discount on orders from Arena Flowers, a sister company

Department: Finance | Location: London | Remote status: Hybrid