Management Accountant

Balfour Beatty Investments - North America; Newcastle upon Tyne; On-site; GBP 42,000 - 55,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Smart working

Annual leave

Job summary

Balfour Beatty plc in Newcastle is seeking a Management Accountant to support accurate monthly management accounts, budgeting and forecasts, and group reporting via HFM.

You will work with Finance teams across the SBU, maintain robust controls, support audits and drive continuous improvement while meeting tight deadlines.

Qualifications

• Part-qualified or qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ACA or equivalent) or able to demonstrate relevant experience within a management accounting role.
• Strong practical knowledge of management accounting, month-end close, balance sheet reconciliations, budgeting and forecasting.
• Experience preparing management accounts, analysing financial performance and clearly explaining variances against budget and forecast.
• Good understanding of financial controls and the importance of complete, accurate and timely financial reporting.
• Experience using ERP, consolidation or financial reporting systems, with Oracle and HFM experience advantageous.
• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills, with the ability to organise, analyse and interpret financial data effectively.
• Ability to work effectively to challenging reporting deadlines, managing competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.
• Experience supporting internal and external audit requirements and responding confidently to financial queries from stakeholders.
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to both finance and non-finance colleagues.
• Accurate and timely delivery of monthly management accounts, forecasts, budgets and statutory reporting requirements.
• Balance sheet reconciliations and supporting schedules completed to a high standard, with outstanding and aged items proactively investigated and resolved.
• Clear, insightful and evidence-based variance analysis and commentary, enabling stakeholders to understand financial performance and key drivers.
• Consistent compliance with financial controls, accounting policies, reporting requirements and agreed timetables.
• A demonstrable contribution to continuous improvement, including simplifying and standardising processes, strengthening financial controls and improving overall team capability.

Responsibilities

• Prepare monthly management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, variance analysis, KPIs and supporting commentary.
• Prepare and review month-end reporting schedules, ensuring balances are complete, accurate and supported by evidence.
• Prepare and post accounting journals, investigating unusual or incorrect transactions and resolving or escalating issues.
• Prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations, maintaining a robust audit trail.
• Prepare reporting inputs and support submission of monthly actuals, budgets and forecasts into the Group consolidation system (HFM).
• Support half-year and full-year financial reporting, ensuring submissions reconcile to underlying records.
• Analyze actual performance against budget and forecast, identifying variances and drivers with clear commentary.
• Support forecasts and budgets for the relevant SBU, validating key assumptions.
• Provide financial insight and analysis to support decision-making across finance teams and stakeholders.
• Investigate uncosted transactions and accounting exceptions and implement corrective actions.
• Maintain financial controls and compliance with accounting policies and reporting requirements.
• Support internal and external audit activity with reconciliations and evidence within timescales.
• Identify opportunities to simplify, standardise and automate reporting and processes.

Skills

Management accounting

Month-end close

Excel skills

Budgeting & forecasting

Balance sheet reconciliations

Stakeholder management

ERP / financial systems

HFM

Education

ACCA/CIMA/ACA or equivalent

Tools

Oracle

HFM

ERP systems

Job description

About the role

Amazing infrastructure isn't the only thing that gets built here. Incredible careers do too. Join our Enabling Functions team as a Management Accountant in Newcastle and build something to be proud of.

To support the accurate and timely delivery of management accounting and financial reporting for the relevant Strategic Business Unit (SBU). The role ensures that financial results are appropriately reconciled, controlled and understood, while supporting month-end reporting, forecasting, budgeting and continuous improvement across internal reporting.

What you'll be doing

• Prepare monthly management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet, cash flow, variance analysis, key performance indicators (KPIs) and clear supporting commentary.


• Prepare and review month-end reporting schedules, ensuring balances are complete, accurate, fully reconciled and supported by appropriate evidence.


• Prepare and post accounting journals, investigating unusual or incorrect transactions and ensuring any issues are resolved or escalated promptly.


• Prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations, resolving outstanding items and maintaining a clear and robust audit trail.


• Prepare reporting inputs and support the submission of monthly actuals, budgets and forecasts into the Group consolidation and reporting system (HFM), in line with required deadlines.


• Support half-year and full-year financial reporting, ensuring submissions reconcile accurately to the underlying accounting records.


• Analyse actual financial performance against budget and forecast, identifying key variances and material drivers and providing clear, balanced commentary to relevant stakeholders.


• Support the preparation of forecasts and budgets for the relevant SBU, including reviewing and validating key assumptions and financial inputs.


• Provide financial insight, information and analysis to support effective decision-making across SBU finance teams and other internal stakeholders.


• Investigate uncosted transactions and other accounting exceptions, identifying root causes and ensuring appropriate corrective action is taken.


• Maintain effective financial controls and ensure compliance with agreed finance processes, accounting policies and reporting requirements.


• Support internal and external audit activity by providing reconciliations, financial analysis and supporting evidence within agreed timescales.


• Proactively identify opportunities to simplify, standardise and automate reporting and accounting processes, helping to drive continuous improvement.


• Build strong and effective working relationships with Financial Controllers, FP&A, Accounting Services and wider finance and operational stakeholders.


• Provide support, guidance and on-the-job development to Assistant Management Accountants and Assistant Accountants, where appropriate.

Who we’re looking for

• Part-qualified or qualified accountant (ACCA, CIMA, ACA or equivalent), or able to demonstrate relevant experience within a management accounting role.


• Strong practical knowledge of management accounting, month-end close, balance sheet reconciliations, budgeting and forecasting.


• Experience preparing management accounts, analysing financial performance and clearly explaining variances against budget and forecast.


• Good understanding of financial controls and the importance of complete, accurate and timely financial reporting.


• Experience using ERP, consolidation or financial reporting systems, with Oracle and HFM experience advantageous.


• Intermediate to advanced Microsoft Excel skills, with the ability to organise, analyse and interpret financial data effectively.


• Ability to work effectively to challenging reporting deadlines, managing competing priorities while maintaining accuracy and attention to detail.


• Experience supporting internal and external audit requirements and responding confidently to financial queries from stakeholders.


• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills, with the ability to present financial information clearly to both finance and non-finance colleagues.


• Accurate and timely delivery of monthly management accounts, forecasts, budgets and statutory reporting requirements.


• Balance sheet reconciliations and supporting schedules completed to a high standard, with outstanding and aged items proactively investigated and resolved.


• Clear, insightful and evidence-based variance analysis and commentary, enabling stakeholders to understand financial performance and key drivers.


• Consistent compliance with financial controls, accounting policies, reporting requirements and agreed timetables.


• A demonstrable contribution to continuous improvement, including simplifying and standardising processes, strengthening financial controls and improving overall team capability.

Why work for us

Day in, day out, our teams deliver some of the UK's most ambitious, exciting and meaningful projects; developing, building and maintaining the vital infrastructure that supports national economies and strengthens communities.

Why join us?

As if contributing to and supporting work that makes life better for millions wasn’t rewarding enough, we offer a full range of benefits too. You'll have the freedom to shape the package that's right for you and your life. Here are some of our key benefits:

• Smart working, giving you more flexibility such as staggered start and finish times, with up to 40% remote working, where roles allow.


• 25 days paid annual leave (pro rata)


• Family friendly policies which include 28 weeks full pay for maternity/adoption leave and four weeks full pay for paternity/partners leave


• Pension, share incentive plan, volunteering leave, recognition schemes and much more...

About us

Balfour Beatty Group Enabling Functions are Legal, Finance, IT and Procurement, Communications, Health Safety and Environment, HR and Sustainability. Together, they support delivery of our Build to Last strategy whilst improving efficiencies and standardising our approach, systems and processes.

Diversity and inclusion

At Balfour Beatty, we want everyone to be able to thrive and achieve their full potential, regardless of their identity or background. We're making great progress through our Value Everyone DEI Action Plan, but we know we've got more to do. Find out more about our values and DEI initiatives.

As a Disability Confident Employer, we ensure that a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants that meet the minimum criteria for this role will be offered an interview.

We are committed to our processes being barrier-free and will support adjustments at any stage of the recruitment process. Please let the recruiter for this role know if you require any adjustments.

We're looking to continually improve our recruitment process, so if you have any feedback, please share this with us via [e-mail]