Management Accountant

EFL; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A prestigious sports club in the UK is seeking a Management Accountant to deliver accurate and timely financial reporting, support budgeting processes, and manage junior finance staff. The ideal candidate should possess strong management accounting experience, have excellent analytical skills, and a commitment to developing others. This role is central to the club's financial operations and ensures compliance with industry regulations while promoting best practices within the finance team.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Strong management accounting experience in a complex environment.
• Ability to manage month-end processes and balance sheet control.

Responsibilities

• Produce monthly management accounts for senior management.
• Oversee balance sheet reconciliations and manage financial controls.
• Coordinate statutory audit deliverables and ensure compliance.

Skills

Management accounting experience

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Line management or mentoring

Education

Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)

Tools

Advanced Excel

Job description

About The Role

Role Purpose

The Management Accountant will play a key role in delivering accurate, timely and insightful financial reporting across Bolton Wanderers Football Club's operations. The role supports strategic decision-making, ensures strong financial control, and maintains compliance with statutory and regulatory requirements while providing leadership to junior finance staff.

Main Areas of Responsibility

Financial Management & Reporting:

• Produce monthly management accounts with clear commentary and insight for senior management.
• Prepare and distribute department finance packets including commentary and variance analysis.
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and reforecasting processes across the organisation.
• Provide meaningful financial analysis to operational and non-finance stakeholders to support decision making.

Balance Sheet & Control:

• Oversee the preparation and review of balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and timely resolution of reconciling items.
• Maintain and manage the Fixe Assets and Intangibles Register, ensuring appropriate accounting treatment, amortisation, and compliance with relevant accounting standards.
• Support the maintenance of strong financial controls and adherence to internal finance policies.

Audit & Statutory Compliance:

• Be a key finance contact for the statutory audit, coordinating audit deliverables, schedules, and responses to auditor queries.
• Facilitate EFL compliance reporting, ensuring accuracy, compliance with football regulations, and timely submission.

Payroll & People Reporting:

• Operate and oversee payroll reporting, ensuring accurate posting, reporting, and reconciliation of payroll costs.
• Support reporting and analysis of people costs across the organisation.

Leadership & Team Development:

• Line manage the Junior Management Accountant, providing day-to-day guidance, review of work, and ongoing development.
• Ensure outputs from junior staff meet quality standards and reporting deadlines.
• Drive continuous improvement in finance processes and reporting.

General Responsibilities:

• BWFC seek to ensure that all children and young people are protected and kept safe from harm while they are with staff and volunteers within Bolton Wanderers activities. Everyone at Bolton Wanderers has a safeguarding responsibility to all work colleagues, fans and any vulnerable adults and children.
• Comply fully with all data protection and confidentiality obligations, ensuring that personal, sensitive, and confidential information is handled lawfully, securely, and in accordance with UK GDPR and the Club's Data Protection and Confidentiality Policies.
• Be an ambassador of the Group, providing excellent customer service at all times whilst portraying a professional image.
• Perform other duties as required, which are considered relevant to the post and to the objectives of the Group as identified by the Group Head of Finance.
• Treat all colleagues as customers ensuring respectful positive outcomes across communications.
• Adhere to and abide by all BWFC policies, procedures, and guidelines especially remembering responsibilities to others under Equal Opportunities, Health and Safety, Equality and Diversity.
• This post is subject to a DBS disclosure.

The Candidate

Person Specification

The successful candidate will be a highly motivated and driven finance professional who takes pride in delivering high-quality work and setting strong standards within the team. They will demonstrate a proactive approach, a commitment to continuous improvement, and a genuine desire to develop their own career while contributing to the success of Bolton Wanderers.

They will be hard working, resilient, and comfortable operating in a fast‑paced, deadline‑driven environment, with the confidence to take ownership and accountability. The role requires someone who leads by example, supports and develops others, and actively seeks opportunities to improve processes, insight, and performance.

The ideal candidate will show clear ambition, a willingness to learn, and a mindset focused on excellence, both in personal development and in raising the overall capability of the finance function.

Essential Requirements

• Ideally a qualified accountant ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent). Part qualified may be considered on exception.
• Strong management accounting experience within a complex or multi‑department environment.
• Proven ability to manage month‑end processes, P&L ownership, and balance sheet control.
• Experience supporting statutory audits and working with external auditors.
• Excellent analytical skills and attention to detail.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to engage non‑finance stakeholders.
• Experience of line management or mentoring.

Desirable Requirements

• Experience within football, sport, leisure or hospitality.
• Knowledge of CRFU reporting and football finance regulations.
• Advanced Excel skills and experience with financial systems.
• Payroll reporting experience.

About The Club

As a founder member of the Football League (EFL), Bolton Wanderers is a football club that is internationally renowned, having played in all four professional leagues of English football, as well as winning the FA Cup on four occasions.

Since the 2019 acquisition by Football Ventures (Whites) Ltd, a new chapter is underway for Bolton Wanderers and Bolton Stadium Hotel, focused on actively shaping a dynamic and enduring future. We are committed to a distinctive approach, driving the club's progress with ambitious plans realised through practical, genuine and comprehensive strategies.

As we continue striving towards achieving greater success, we now have a fantastic opportunity for a Management Accountant to join our Accounts team.

As an equal opportunities employer, Bolton Wanderers Football Club is committed to the equal treatment of all current and prospective employees and does not condone discrimination on the basis of age, disability, sex, sexual orientation, pregnancy and maternity, race or ethnicity, religion or belief, gender identity, or marriage and civil partnership.

We aspire to have a diverse and inclusive workplace and strongly encourage suitably qualified applicants from a wide range of backgrounds to apply and join us.

BWFC seek to ensure that all children and young people are protected and kept safe from harm while they are with staff and volunteers within Bolton Wanderers activities. Everyone at Bolton Wanderers has a safeguarding responsibility to all work colleagues, fans and any vulnerable adults and children.

www.bwfc.co.uk/club/equality-diversity-and-inclusion

www.bwfc.co.uk/club/one-wanderers-family-safeguarding