Lead Accountant

DS Smith; Caerphilly; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in sustainable packaging is seeking a detail-focused Lead Accountant for their Finance team in Caerphilly. This pivotal role oversees financial processes, manages a customer account, and leads a small team of accountants, providing strategic insights for business decisions. Ideal candidates will be ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualified or possess equivalent experience, with expertise in financial reporting and leadership.

Benefits

Competitive salary

Discretionary bonus

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Pension scheme

Employee assistance programme

Digital GP and health checks

Cycle to work scheme

Shopping discounts

Qualifications

• Experience overseeing a large customer account, ideally in finance.
• Proficient in VAT reporting and general accounting principles.
• Confident using ERP systems and advanced Microsoft Excel.

Responsibilities

• Take full financial ownership of a major customer account.
• Provide core accounting services including journal entries and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Line manage two accountants, supporting their development.

Skills

Leadership

Attention to Detail

Organisational Skills

Education

ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualified

Tools

Microsoft Excel

ERP systems (Workday, SAP, Oracle)

Job description

About the role

We are looking for a driven and detail-focused Lead Accountant to join our Finance team in Caerphilly. This pivotal role sits within our Business services centre and is responsible for delivering high-quality accounting services, overseeing a major customer account (specifically the UK entity), and managing a small team of two accountants.

The role demands a confident, hands-on professional who can take ownership of financial processes, ensure compliance, and provide strategic insights to support key business decisions.

Key Responsibilities will include:

Customer Account Oversight:

• Take full financial ownership of a major customer account, specifically the UK entity of a key client.

• Deliver end-to-end financial control and reporting, including P&L and balance sheets

• Act as the primary finance contact for the customer account, ensuring transparency and responsiveness.

General Accounting Services (Business Services Centre):

• Provide core accounting services, including:

• Preparation and posting of journal entries

• Accruals and prepayments

• Balance sheet reconciliations

• General ledger maintenance

• Cost accounting and VAT support

• Support accurate and timely month-end and year-end close processes.

• Ensure compliance with internal policies, standards, and statutory requirements.

Leadership & People Management:

• Line manage two accountants, providing day-to-day support, coaching, and performance development.

• Foster a collaborative, accountable, and high-performing team culture.

• Oversee workload allocation and review of outputs to maintain accuracy and efficiency.

Process Improvement & Stakeholder Collaboration:

• Continuously seek ways to streamline finance processes and improve reporting quality.

• Collaborate with commercial and operational teams, offering financial insight and recommendations that support key business objectives.

About you

• ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualified (or equivalent), or a highly experienced accounting professional with a strong general ledger and reporting background.

• Solid experience overseeing a large customer account, ideally within a shared services or commercial finance environment.

• Proficient in VAT reporting, cost accounting, and general accounting principles.

• Confident using ERP systems (Workday, SAP, Oracle, or similar) and advanced in Microsoft Excel.

• Strong leadership skills with experience managing or mentoring finance team members.

• Excellent attention to detail, strong organisational skills, and a proactive mindset.

Benefits

• Competitive salary

• Discretionary bonus

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays

• Pension scheme, life assurance and income protection

• Employee assistance programme

• Digital GP and health checks

• Cycle to work scheme

• Shopping discounts

Location: Caerphilly

Working hours: Hybrid working – 3 days on site, 2 days working from home

About us

We’re DS Smith, the company who are redefining packaging for a changing world. We believe a better, more sustainable tomorrow is possible with the right people, who challenge and support one another to enact positive change. Today, we operate in more than 30 different countries, supporting customers across sectors like FMCG, industrial, and e-commerce. We deliver on quality, service, innovation, and added value to deliver market-leading sustainable packaging solutions our customers need. Our industry needs to transform, and we’re building the team to drive change across Europe and North America

To fulfil our purpose of redefining packaging for a changing world, we aim to build a diverse, motivated, and engaged workforce. Our goal is to create a culture of inclusion where everyone is treated fairly, differences are valued, and everyone has an equal opportunity to succeed.

Our people come from diverse backgrounds, bring different perspectives, ideas and experiences to generate unique solutions focused on present and future sustainability challenges. We welcome all candidates to apply, even those not meeting all criteria.

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