Financial Accountant - Tax Focus

Vitae Financial Recruitment Limited; Hemel Hempstead; Hybrid; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid work

Free parking

Bonus

Pension (employer)

25 days holiday

Job summary

Vitae Financial Recruitment Limited is sourcing a qualified accountant for a hybrid Financial Accountant with a tax focus in Hemel Hempstead. You will blend tax technical work with broader accounting duties including month-end reporting, balance sheet control and commercial business partnering.

The role involves developing internal tax knowledge, liaising with external advisers, and contributing to group tax governance while supporting statutory accounts and year-end processes.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA or CIMA) with practical tax experience.
• Experience across taxation and financial accounting, including VAT and corporation tax.
• Comfortable researching legislation and communicating tax issues to non-finance colleagues.

Responsibilities

• VAT compliance assistance: prepare/review VAT returns and VAT treatments.
• Corporation Tax compliance, computations and tax provisions; identify risks and opportunities.
• Develop knowledge of capital allowances, chargeable gains and asset disposals' tax implications.
• Research tax considerations around acquisitions and property-related activities.
• Support PAYE and National Insurance and other employment taxes; liaise with HMRC.

Skills

VAT experience

Corporation Tax

Tax knowledge

Financial accounting

Month-end reporting

Budgeting & forecasting

Business partnering

Excel skills

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualification

Job description

Financial Accountant - Tax Focus
Hemel Hempstead, Hertfordshire (Hybrid - 3 Days Office / 2 WFH)
Up to £60,000 + 10% Bonus + 6% Employer's Pension + 25 Days Holiday (plus bank holidays) + Free Parking

Are you a qualified Accountant with practical tax experience who enjoys getting into the technical detail, researching complex tax issues and finding solutions?

An excellent opportunity for an ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified accountant with experience across taxation and financial accounting, either currently working in industry or looking to make the move from accountancy practice.

Our client is an ambitious, growing UK business looking for someone who can bring existing tax knowledge into the finance team, develop their expertise further and become a key point of contact for tax-related matters across the Group.

This isn't a pure tax role! You'll combine your tax experience with a broad Financial Accountant / Management Accountant position, covering management accounts, month-end reporting, financial controls, statutory accounts, cash flow and business partnering.

The Opportunity:

Reporting into the Financial Controller and working closely with the CFO, you'll join a small, collaborative finance team with responsibility for your own portfolio of Group companies.

A key part of the role will be helping the business strengthen its internal tax knowledge and capability.

We're particularly interested in someone who enjoys the technical side of tax, likes researching unfamiliar areas of legislation and is confident working through tax questions, identifying potential risks and liaising with external advisers where appropriate.

You'll have the opportunity to become one of the finance team's go-to people for tax queries, while continuing to develop your wider accounting and commercial experience.

Tax responsibilities will include:

• Supporting VAT compliance, including preparation/review of VAT returns and researching the correct VAT treatment of different transactions
• Corporation Tax compliance, computations, tax provisions and identifying potential tax risks and opportunities
• Developing knowledge of capital allowances, chargeable gains and the tax implications of asset disposals
• Researching tax considerations surrounding acquisitions, business transactions and property-related activities
• Supporting PAYE, National Insurance and other employment-related tax matters
• Liaising with external tax advisers and HMRC, helping resolve technical queries and ensuring compliance
• Keeping up to date with changes in tax legislation and understanding their potential impact on the business

Alongside tax, the broader accounting responsibilities will include:

• Preparation and review of monthly management accounts and month-end reporting
• Balance sheet reconciliations, financial controls and maintaining accurate accounting records
• Statutory accounts preparation and supporting the year-end audit
• Budgeting, forecasting, cash flow and working capital management
• Financial analysis, variance reporting and commercial business partnering
• Improving financial processes, reporting and controls as the business develops

What We're Looking For:

We're looking for a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) who has already gained some meaningful practical tax experience and is genuinely interested in developing this further.

You’ll ideally bring:

• Practical experience of VAT and/or Corporation Tax, whether gained in industry or accountancy practice
• A genuine interest in technical tax matters, including researching legislation and understanding the correct treatment of transactions
• Strong financial accounting and/or management accounting experience
• Experience of month-end reporting, management accounts, balance sheet reconciliations and statutory reporting
• Confidence working independently, investigating issues and taking ownership of your responsibilities
• Good Excel skills and strong communication skills, particularly when explaining financial or technical matters to non-finance colleagues
• A proactive, hands-on approach and an interest in improving financial processes and controls

Additional tax qualifications, CTA studies or experience across a broader range of taxes would be particularly interesting, although CTA qualification is not essential.

Experience in a multi-entity Group or growing business would be advantageous, but isn't essential.

Why Consider It?

This is an opportunity to use and develop your existing tax knowledge without being restricted to a purely tax-focused position.

You'll work closely with an experienced senior finance team, have genuine ownership of your responsibilities and play an important part in developing the Group's internal tax expertise.

The business is growing, so there will also be plenty of opportunity to get involved in new projects, develop financial processes and broaden your commercial experience.

The culture is collaborative, supportive and flexible, with a genuine emphasis on work-life balance.