Management Accountant

Harper May Ltd; Greater London; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 62,000; Full time

Job summary

Harper May Ltd in London is recruiting a Management Accountant to own the monthly management accounts cycle and provide commercial finance support to store and category leadership. This role sits at the heart of the finance function, balancing rigour with pragmatism, and offers real responsibility early in your career.

You will build and maintain financial models, strengthen controls, and partner with non-finance teams to drive commercial performance.

Qualifications

• Excel proficiency required.
• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified or part-qualified.
• 2–4 years of experience in retail, hospitality, or multi-site operations.
• Ability to communicate numbers clearly to non-finance audiences.
• Proactive problem-solver able to work with incomplete information and tight deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and own monthly management accounts, including balance sheet review and explanatory commentary
• Deliver variance analysis on sales, cost of goods sold, and operating expenses
• Support the annual budget and quarterly reforecast processes
• Analyse store and channel profitability, including like-for-like performance tracking
• Oversee working capital management and cash flow forecasting
• Build and maintain financial models used by operational leadership
• Help strengthen financial controls and governance as the business grows

Skills

Excel proficiency

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified or part-qualified

Job description

Harper May is working with a founder-led retail business operating across 40+ stores and a growing digital channel. The group has doubled revenue over the past three years through a combination of organic expansion and selective acquisition, and operates with a lean but professional finance function. As the business scales, they need stronger day-to-day financial control and reporting discipline, and are now recruiting a Management Accountant to join the team.

The Role

Reporting to the Finance Director, you will own the monthly management accounts cycle and provide commercial finance support to store and category leadership. This role sits at the centre of the finance operation-balancing rigour with pragmatism-and suits someone qualified or part-qualified who wants real responsibility early in their career.

• Prepare and own monthly management accounts, including balance sheet review and explanatory commentary
• Deliver variance analysis on sales, cost of goods sold, and operating expenses
• Support the annual budget and quarterly reforecast processes
• Analyse store and channel profitability, including like-for-like performance tracking
• Oversee working capital management and cash flow forecasting
• Build and maintain financial models used by operational leadership
• Help strengthen financial controls and governance as the business grows

What we are looking for

• ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualified or part-qualified
• 2-4 years of experience in retail, hospitality, or multi-site operations
• Confident with Excel and comfortable learning accounting systems
• Understanding of retail cost structures, stock management, and cash conversion
• Able to communicate numbers clearly to non-finance audiences
• Proactive problem-solver who can work with incomplete information and tight deadlines