Financial Accountant - VAT

Marks Sattin; Greater London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Marks Sattin is assisting a premier international law firm in London to recruit a Financial Accountant to strengthen the European finance team.

The role focuses on robust financial controls, cross-border VAT/indirect tax, and involvement in process improvements, audits, and management reporting across the region. You will lead VAT compliance, implement control frameworks, deliver training, and support planning cycles with variance analysis and cost trends.

Qualifications

• Degree educated with a finance qualification (ACA/ACCA).
• Experience in professional practice, advisory, audit or similar technical accounting.
• Strong indirect tax and accounting knowledge.
• Experience in monthly reporting, budgeting, forecasting or variance analysis.
• Excellent communication with non-finance stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Manage cross-border VAT compliance, filings and reporting.
• Assess end-to-end tax submission processes and remediate gaps.
• Implement internal control frameworks and standardized checklists.
• Design and deliver training for internal finance teams.
• Coordinate external audits and liaise with regulators/advisors.
• Partner with senior staff on general ledger entries, reconciliations and analysis.
• Support planning cycles with financial schedules and cost trends.

Skills

VAT knowledge

Indirect tax

Financial accounting

Cross-border accounting

Audit readiness

General ledger

Reconciliations

Variance analysis

Budgeting

Forecasting

Stakeholder comms

Multinational experience

Education

ACA/ACCA qualification

Finance degree

Job description

I am currently working with a premier, international law firm specialising in corporate finance and cross-border transactions to recruit into their London based finance team. Due to continued growth, they are seeking a highly motivated and technically strong Financial Accountant to play a key role in delivering robust financial controls for the European business.

This is a great opportunity for someone who has specialised VAT/ indirect tax experience who is looking for a broader financial accounting role and involvement in project and process improvement work. Responsibilities include:

• Manage cross-border VAT compliance, filings, and reporting requirements.
• Assess end-to-end tax submission processes, identifying operational gaps and remediating root causes within upstream workflows.
• Implement internal control frameworks, standardized review checklists, and clear escalation protocols.
• Design and deliver functional training programs to internal finance teams and cross-departmental partners.
• Serve as the internal subject matter expert to address ad hoc transactional compliance inquiries.
• Lead audit readiness initiatives and serve as the primary contact for external regulatory authorities and advisors.
• Partner with senior accounting staff to deliver accurate general ledger entries, account reconciliations, and decision-support variance analyses.
• Support planning cycles by compiling financial schedules, analysing cost trends, and collaborating with departmental managers.
• Coordinate external audit requests by synthesizing supporting documentation and managing audit workflows.
• Fulfil statutory, regulatory, and statistical reporting requirements.
• Drive continuous process improvements to optimize departmental workflow efficiency.
• Maintain regular operational alignment with senior leadership and contribute to cross-functional finance projects.

Candidates must be degree educated and have obtained a finance qualification (ACA/ ACCA). Ideal candidates will have relevant experience in professional practice, accounting advisory, audit, financial reporting or a similar technical accounting environment, with an interest in applying that expertise in an in-house role. Strong technical indirect tax and accounting knowledge is a must, and some exposure to management accounting, including monthly reporting, budgeting, forecasting or variance analysis, would be advantageous. Strong communication skills with the ability to articulate technical financial concepts clearly to non-finance stakeholders is essential, and ideally you will have come from working in a large multinational business, with legal sector knowledge being advantageous.