Management Accountant

Motability Foundation; United Kingdom; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 55,000; Full time

Job summary

A charitable organization in Harlow is seeking a Finance Manager to oversee business planning and budgeting processes. The ideal candidate will have a CCAB Accountancy qualification and experience in financial analysis, reporting, and the use of financial tools such as Microsoft Power BI and Sage 200. This full-time office-based role offers flexibility and a supportive work environment focused on continuous improvement.

Benefits

Free minibus service to/from Harlow Town Train Station

Free parking and EV charging on site

Flexible working arrangements

Qualifications

• Must have a recognised CCAB Accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA).
• Experience with periodic reporting, budget preparation, and variance analysis.
• Ability to communicate financial messages and influence management action.
• Experience or understanding of Microsoft Power BI and ability to build dashboards.
• Experience with Sage 200 accounting package.
• Intermediate to advanced level in Microsoft Excel.

Responsibilities

• Deliver collaborative annual planning and budgeting processes.
• Produce monthly and quarterly management accounts with variance analysis.
• Engage with budget holders to develop existing reporting.
• Support preparation of annual report and accounts.
• Deliver financial performance metrics and forecasting.
• Provide analysis of income and charitable expenditure.

Skills

Recognised CCAB Accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA)

Periodic reporting and budget preparation

Experience with Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Fabric

Sage 200 accounting package experience

Microsoft Excel intermediate to advanced level

Collaborative working style

Education

Recognised CCAB Accountancy qualification

Tools

Microsoft Power BI

Sage 200

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Hours: Full time, 37.5 hours per week

Location: Harlow, Essex. Easily commutable from London Liverpool Street or Tottenham Hale Station. We offer a free minibus service to/from Harlow Town Train Station as well as free parking and EV charging on site.

Extra Information: Full time office based role, after an initial period a minimum of 3 days per week in the office. Open to conversation on flexible and compressed working arrangements.

About the role:

You will act as subject matter expert to deliver a best-in-class business planning and budgeting process that leads us into delivering on our strategic plan.

You will be ensuring that management reporting and financial management tools are fit for purpose, contributing to cross-functional performance improvement and embedding a culture of continuous improvement and best value for the organisation. Engaging with Budget Holders and other stakeholders as a strategic partner to develop and maintain a consistent business partnering agenda through the year, providing financial insights that support high level decision making.

You will deliver and clearly communicate budgets, forecasts and periodic reporting using expert analysis to highlight variances and identify improvement opportunities. Once our analytics are in place, you will drive a large development agenda evaluating our impact measures and supporting incremental investment decisions between individual charitable programmes, and between charitable programmes and social investments and financial returns.

What you will be doing:

• Budgeting and Forecast

• Deliver a collaborative annual planning and budgeting process that ensures delivery of the business and financial strategy and re-forecasts as required.

• Accounting and Performance Management:

• Produce monthly and quarterly management accounts to deadlines for review by the Head of Finance / CFO, identifying key variances and issues affecting financial performance, whilst looking for improvement opportunities.

• To deliver a periodic reporting process that is timely and accurate, engaging with heads of departments (budget holders) to build on and develop existing reporting.

• To contribute to the preparation of the Annual Report and Accounts and associated audit processes.

• To develop and deliver a suite of financial performance metrics in line with best practice. This will include development of cost allocation methodologies and balanced scorecard elements aligned to strategic reporting.

• Financial Planning and Analysis

• Support the preparation of financial forecasts and scenario modelling.

• Engage with the Head of Finance and CFO to deliver a shared understanding of future incomes and expenditure and to introduce planning methods to rapidly flex the organisation to meet the uncertainties in such forecasts.

• Providing financial insights to support the preparation of business cases within the organisation for capital and revenue initiatives.

• Financial Analysis

• To provide analysis of income, charitable expenditure, support, governance and other costs with meaningful commentary and trend analysis.

• Provide Motability with high quality data analytics and reporting that drive evidence-based decision making to maximise impact and value for money.

• Support any shift in operating model, so that Motability maintains clear sight of its impact and value for money.

• Support Motability in maintaining and improving an open and high performing culture focused on beneficiaries and the difference Motability can make for them.

• Payroll

• To contribute to the preparation and review of the monthly payroll, including starters and leavers, and statutory returns.

• To contribute to headcount and employment cost projections and modelling.

Your experience:

• Must haves:

• Recognised CCAB Accountancy qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA).

• Periodic reporting, budget and forecast preparation with variance analysis and commentary.

• Delivering a successful business partnering agenda for budget holders and non-finance staff with the ability to communicate key financial messages and influence management action.

• Some experience, or understanding, of Microsoft Power BI and Microsoft Fabric, with the ability to build dashboards, manage certified datasets, and contribute to governed reporting environments.

• Sage 200 accounting package experience.

• Microsoft Excel intermediate to advanced level.

• Able to work confidently with a range of senior stakeholders on operational and financial data to arrive at measures of impact whilst also able to support a new manager with their first budget.

• A collaborative working style, contributing to a culture of active learning and continuous improvement.

• Nice to haves:

• Experience of charity fund accounting, grant accounting, partnerships and allocation mechanisms.

• Some exposure to value for money and impact studies.

• Preparation of financial business cases.

• Has experience of one or more ERP / ERM systems.

If you re interested in applying and excited about working with us but are unsure if you have the right skills and experience, we'd still encourage you to apply.