French Speaking - Practice Manager - H/F

EFFIGEST Stratégie et Expertise Comptable; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

EFFIGEST Stratégie et Expertise Comptable in London seeks a French-speaking Practice Manager to lead a small UK team and drive growth. You will oversee statutory and tax submissions, provide guidance on local accounting norms, and coach apprentices while liaising with the Partner in France.

The role demands ACCA/ACA qualification with 5+ years in an accounting practice, fluent French and English, and hands-on experience with Sage Line 50.

Qualifications

• ACCA or ACA qualification with at least 5 years in accounting practice.
• Fluent English with bilingual French and English communication.
• Experience preparing statutory accounts, VAT returns, and CIS.

Responsibilities

• Advising & servicing of clients on a daily basis
• Attending monthly and other ad-hoc finance meetings with clients
• Managing in-house team and junior apprentices
• Preparing / reviewing quarterly management and annual statutory accounts (both limited company and charity formats)
• Preparing / reviewing of management accounts
• Preparing / reviewing of quarterly VAT returns
• Preparing / reviewing Self Assessment Tax Returns including CGT, IHT and CIS
• Coaching and training apprentices and junior team members
• Business development to expand the firm’s client portfolio

Skills

Bilingual: French/English

Team leadership

Client advisory

Accounting standards

Education

ACCA/ACA qualified

Bachelor's degree in Accounting

Tools

Sage Line 50

Job description

London

Founded in 2000, EFFIGEST is a multidisciplinary accounting firm that currently supports more than 1,000 clients from various business sectors. We offer our clients a wide range of services and guidance throughout every stage of their company’s lifecycle.

With proven expertise, we assist our clients in the following areas: accounting and financial management, payroll and HR administration, legal services, and taxation.

Responsive and available, we provide quick and tailored solutions to our clients. The multidisciplinary nature of our teams ensures both a comprehensive and specialized approach, guaranteeing the effectiveness of our assessments and interventions.

With more than 80 employees across 6 offices, EFFIGEST has strategic locations in France (Saint-Germain-en-Laye and Paris), England (London), Portugal (Lisbon and Porto), and the United States (New York).

A French accountancy firm with several offices is expanding its operations in the UK and is seeking a French‑speaking Practice Manager to support this growth.

In this role, you will oversee a small team of accountants while driving the firm’s development in the UK market. As a qualified accountant, you will be responsible for managing clients’ statutory and tax submissions, as well as providing guidance to both existing and prospective clients on local accounting requirements and best practices.

You will report to the Partner in France.

Your main responsibilities include:

• Advising & servicing of clients on a daily basis
• Attending monthly and other ad-hoc finance meetings with clients
• Managing in-house team and junior apprentices
• Preparing / reviewing quarterly management and annual statutory accounts (bothlimited company and charity formats)
• Preparing / reviewing of management accounts
• Preparing / reviewing of quarterly VAT returns
• Preparing / reviewing Self Assessment Tax Returns including CGT, IHT and CIS.
• Bilingual proficiency in French and English.
• ACCA or ACA qualified, with at least five years of experience working within an accounting practice or professional services firm.
• Strong, well‑rounded practice background, including work with limited companies, sole traders, SATR filings, VAT, and CIS matters.
• Familiarity with French accounting principles and standards.
• Practical understanding of payroll processes and related compliance.
• Hands‑on experience with Sage Line 50 (or a similar accounting system) to prepare management accounts and maintain clients’ bookkeeping on a fully outsourced basis.
• Excellent communication skills, enabling clear, professional interaction—both in person and via email or phone—with a diverse client base in French and English.
• Supportive, patient, and detail‑oriented approach to coaching and training apprentices and junior team members across all areas of client work.
• Business development mindset, with the ability to contribute to expanding the firm’s client portfolio.