Group Management Accountant

Zero Surplus; Harlow; On-site; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

Zero Surplus is seeking a Group Management Accountant to own the group’s trading entities across multiple markets and currencies, ensuring accurate ledgers and clear insight for business leaders worldwide.

You will manage month‑end, consolidate reporting and provide actionable financial insight, while partnering with non-finance teams to drive commercial performance.

Qualifications

• Qualified or part-qualified accountant with substantial practical experience in a similar role.
• Proven experience managing stock and inventory within a trading business.
• Experience across multiple entities, markets and currencies, ideally in a global business.
• Advanced Excel skills and ability to communicate with non-finance managers.

Responsibilities

• Take full ownership of the group's trading entities across multiple markets and currencies.
• Manage month-end across multiple entities and currencies.
• Provide a group-wide view on overheads and operational costs for reporting and forecasting.
• Lead reporting, budgeting and forecasting of Group Operational Costs and Overheads.
• Coordinate external audits and tax reviews across entities.

Skills

Advanced Excel

Stock & inventory management

Commercial partnering

Multi-currency awareness

Education

ACCA/ACA/CIMA qualification or part-qualified

Tools

NAV ERP

JET reporting

Job description

Group Management Accountant

Are you a qualified or part-qualified accountant who wants ownership rather than a narrow slice of the ledger? Do you want to see your numbers attached to something people actually design, make and ship around the world?

We're working with a leading design‑led brand in the luxury interiors sector, now hiring a Group Management Accountant. Founded in the late 1990s and still driven by the same design philosophy, they've grown from a British start-up into a globally recognised name - their products now sell in over 90 countries, supported by established subsidiaries in the US and Asia.

It's a business built on craftsmanship, precision and a genuine belief that good design demands simplicity, and that same attention to detail runs through how the finance function operates.

They're ambitious and growing quickly, which makes this a busy, varied role. It'll suit someone who thrives on pace and wants the scope that comes with a scaling business, rather than someone looking for a quiet, narrow remit.

The Role

You’ll take full ownership of the group's trading entities across multiple markets - ensuring each ledger is accurate, well maintained and understood at all times, while giving business leaders a clear view of the drivers behind global operational performance.

This is a hands‑on, senior role suited to someone who enjoys both technical accounting and commercial partnering. You'll be confident managing month‑end across multiple entities and currencies, comfortable working across teams, geographies and time zones, and happy explaining the numbers to people who don't work in finance.

You’ll provide a group‑wide view on overheads and operational direct costs, support functional leads in understanding their actual, budget and forecast costs, and monitor and report the Group's consolidated working capital position - stock, accounts receivable and accounts payable - to the Group Financial Controller and CFO. You'll own reporting, budgeting and forecasting of Group Operational Costs and Overheads, present performance directly to the CFO and functional directors, and line manage the Management Accountant.

Key Responsibilities

• Stock reconciliations, provisioning and inventory oversight across multiple markets
• Multi‑currency consolidation and reporting across UK, US and European entities
• Reporting, budgeting and forecasting of Group Operational Costs and Overheads
• Monthly VAT and local tax reconciliations (Corporation Tax, Sales Tax, Employment Taxes), capex accounting and fixed asset register maintenance
• Rebate reporting, bad debt and warranty provisions, and accrual reconciliations
• Month‑end reporting and nominal reconciliation across all trading entities
• Oversight of Accounts Payable, aged creditor and debtor analysis, and inter‑company reconciliations
• Acting as key point of contact for external audit and tax reviews across all entities

Experience and Knowledge

This role is open to both fully qualified and part‑qualified accountants - but depth of hands‑on experience matters more here than where you are in your studies.

Qualified or part‑qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA or CIMA) with substantial practical experience in a comparable role

Proven experience managing stock and inventory within a trading business

Experience across multiple entities, markets and currencies, ideally in a global business

Advanced Excel skills

Confident working with non‑finance managers and stakeholders at all levels

NAV ERP and JET reporting experience preferable

Manufacturing environment experience desirable

Why This Role

• Genuine ownership of the group's trading entities, with direct exposure to the CFO and functional directors
• A line management responsibility and clear scope to grow as the group expands internationally
• A premium, design‑led brand with real heritage and a strong reputation in its market
• A creative, well‑regarded place to work where quality is taken seriously at every level

Due to the location of the offices, this position will suit those commuting from areas such as Bishops Stortford, Harlow, Cambridge, St Albans, Chelmsford, Cheshunt, Hertford, Enfield, London, Brentwood, Basildon, Colchester, Braintree and Welwyn Garden City.