Financial Accountant

Zapp; London Borough of Lambeth; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 65,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

25 days holiday per year

Private health insurance

Zapp Credit for testing the service

Lunch provided at HQ

Extended sick pay and parental leave

Cycle to work scheme

Flexible/hybrid working arrangement

Job summary

Zapp, based in London, seeks a Financial Accountant to lead month-end close, manage management accounts, and oversee payroll, stock, and VAT. You will work closely with finance leadership in a fast-growing on-demand retail environment, contributing to audit readiness and process improvements.

Hybrid role with exposure to senior leadership, requiring strong Excel/Xero skills, attention to detail, and an entrepreneurial mindset to drive accurate reporting and operational efficiency.

Qualifications

• Experience in month-end close and management accounts
• Strong balance sheet control and reconciliations
• Proven ability to work independently and meet deadlines

Responsibilities

• Prepare month-end journals (accruals, prepayments, payroll, depreciation)
• Reconcile balance sheet accounts and clear reconciling items
• Prepare monthly management accounts pack and variance commentary
• Handle payroll controls and VAT returns
• Assist audit schedules and year-end processes
• Maintain fixed asset register
• Improve month-end processes with automation and AI tools

Skills

Month-end close

Balance sheet control

Excel mastery

Xero experience

Payroll knowledge

VAT knowledge

Education

Part-qualified or newly qualified accountant (ACA/ ACCA / CIMA)

Tools

Xero

Excel

Job description

Financial Accountant

Location: Nine Elms, London - Full-time

About Zapp

Zapp is London's leading premium on-demand retail platform. Founded in 2020, our vision is to disrupt the multi-trillion dollar on-demand retail market, currently dominated by major players, by developing best-in-class customer-centric technology and fulfilment solutions. Zapp partners with some of the world's leading brands to deliver an exclusive range of hand-picked products 24/7, delivered in minutes.

Overview

You will help deliver Zapp’s month-end close and management accounts. Working closely with Zapp’s finance leadership, you will own key parts of the close, keep the balance sheet clean and make sure the numbers the business runs on are accurate and on time. You will also run day-to-day operational finance across payroll, stock and VAT, so these areas feed cleanly into the close.

Zapp is growing fast, and finance grows with it. You’ll work in a high-calibre team with direct exposure to senior leadership. Your remit will flex with the business, so there’s always room to take on more as we scale.

What You Will Do

Month-end close

• Prepare month-end journals, including accruals, prepayments, payroll and depreciation, to the Financial Controller’s close timetable.

• Reconcile balance sheet accounts every month, investigating and clearing reconciling items.

• Prepare the monthly management accounts pack and variance commentary.

Stock and inventory

• Reconcile closing inventory each month, working closely with the accounts payable (AP) team, and support stock counts at year end for the audit.

• Prepare the waste and shrink provisions and support cost of goods sold (COGS) accounting, including supplier rebates.

Payroll, tax and compliance

• Work closely with the payroll team to carry out monthly payroll control checks.

• Prepare VAT returns and support corporation tax filings with Zapp’s advisers.

Audit and year-end

• Prepare audit schedules and respond to auditor queries, working with the Financial Controller.

• Maintain the fixed asset register.

Processes and controls

• Work with the accounts payable (AP) team so supplier invoices, credit notes and price changes are processed accurately.

• Improve and automate month-end processes and controls, using Xero and AI tools.

Requirements

• Part-qualified or newly qualified accountant (ACA / ACCA / CIMA).

• Hands-on month-end and management accounts experience, ideally in retail, e-commerce or consumer. Inventory accounting is a plus.

• Entrepreneurial mindset - comfortable in a fast-moving environment, able to take responsibility from day one and work independently by following processes and own directions.

• Strong grasp of accruals, prepayments, reconciliations and balance sheet control.

• Experience of year-end audits, from either the auditor or the client side.

• Exposure to payroll and VAT is a plus.

• Keen to use AI and automation to improve finance processes.

• Organised and deadline-driven, comfortable managing several workstreams at once.

• Advanced Excel. Xero experience is a plus.

• Discretion: you will see salaries and other confidential information. Sound judgement and integrity are non-negotiable.

Benefits

• Competitive salary.

• 25 days of holiday per year, plus all bank holidays.

• Private health insurance.

• Zapp Credit for testing the Zapp service and experience.

• Lunch provided 4 days a week at HQ.

• Extended sick pay and maternity/paternity leave pay.

• Cycle to work scheme.

• Flexible/hybrid working arrangement.