Financial Accountant - Flight Operations

easyJet; Luton; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Up to 20% bonus

Pension contributions

Medical benefits

Staff travel benefits

25 days annual leave

Holiday credit

Flexible benefits

Job summary

easyJet is seeking a Financial Accountant - Flight Operations (Disruption, Fuel & Carbon) to own end-to-end financial accounting and reporting for major cost areas within the airline.

You will lead monthly close, manage balance sheet reconciliations, and partner with Finance, Operations, Treasury, Legal and Group Reporting to provide insight for decision-making. Hybrid role with 60% office time at Luton.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with experience in a large, complex and fast-paced business.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge across the balance sheet, P&L and cash flow.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Experience supervising, reviewing or supporting the development of others.

Responsibilities

• Lead monthly close process including accruals and prepayments.
• Own balance sheet reconciliations and substantiation.
• Investigate key financial movements and accounting judgements.
• Monitor evolving accounting standards for fuel, disruption and carbon.
• Prepare technical accounting papers and recommendations.
• Manage audit activities and liaise with auditors.
• Supervise outputs from the team and provide coaching.
• Deliver variance analysis against budget and forecast.
• Present findings to senior stakeholders and Directors.
• Drive process improvements in reporting, controls and efficiency.

Skills

Qualified accountant

Technical accounting

Analytical skills

Stakeholder management

Explain financial concepts

Attention to detail

Continuous improvement

Supervising others

Advanced Excel

Education

Chartered Accountant designation

Tools

Planning Analytics

Job description

Description

We are easyJet - a FTSE listed, £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 accountant with experience working in a large, complex and fast-paced business environment.
• Enjoy combining technical accounting expertise with continuous improvement.
• Have strong analytical skills and can translate complex financial information into clear insights for stakeholders.
• Can be in our fantastic Luton head office 3 x per week.

THE TEAM

Our Finance team plays a vital role in supporting easyJet's continued growth and success. Working at the heart of the business, you'll join a team of detail-focused problem-solvers responsible for managing billions of pounds of assets while balancing service, value and operational excellence. It's a fast-moving environment where every day brings new challenges and opportunities to make a real impact.

THE ROLE

As Financial Accountant - Flight Operations (Disruption, Fuel & Carbon), you'll take ownership of the end-to-end financial accounting and reporting process for some of the airline's most significant cost areas.

You'll lead monthly financial close activities, ensuring accuracy, control and timely reporting across disruption, fuel and carbon accounting. Acting as a trusted finance partner, you'll work closely with stakeholders across Finance, Operations, Treasury, Legal and Group Reporting while providing insight and expertise to support business decision-making.

Key responsibilities include:

• Leading the monthly close process, including accruals, prepayments, provisions, journals and financial review activities.
• Owning balance sheet reconciliations and ensuring all accounts are fully substantiated and compliant with control requirements.
• Investigating and explaining key financial movements, risks and accounting judgements.
• Monitoring emerging accounting standards and legislation relating to fuel, disruption and carbon accounting.
• Preparing technical accounting papers and recommendations for complex or evolving accounting matters.
• Managing audit activity for your areas of responsibility and acting as the key contact for internal and external auditors.
• Supervising and reviewing accounting outputs from the wider team, providing coaching and support where required.
• Delivering insightful variance analysis against budget, forecast and prior year performance.
• Presenting findings, risks and recommendations to senior stakeholders, including Directors.
• Driving process improvements and identifying opportunities to enhance reporting, controls and efficiency.

Requirements of the Role

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WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

• Qualified accountant.
• Strong technical accounting knowledge with the ability to interpret complexity across the balance sheet, profit and loss account, and cash flow.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Strong stakeholder management skills with the confidence to communicate and challenge at all levels of the organisation.
• Ability to explain financial concepts clearly to non-finance audiences.
• Strong attention to detail and ability to deliver high-quality outputs to tight deadlines.
• A proactive and self-motivated approach with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Experience supervising, reviewing or supporting the development of others.
• Advanced Excel skills, including experience working with large datasets. Knowledge of Planning Analytics would be advantageous.
• A collaborative approach and a genuine team 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.