Management Accountant - Grants

Rothamsted Research; Hatching Green; Hybrid; GBP 42,000 - 56,000; Full time

Job summary

Rothamsted Research in Harpenden, Hertfordshire, is hiring a Management Accountant to provide financial management and advice across research programmes. You will produce monthly management accounts, support budgeting, forecasting and financial planning, and deliver insightful information to budget holders.

Reporting to the Senior Management Accountant, you will partner with researchers and support staff, navigate grant funding lifecycles, and promote proactive financial stewardship within a

Qualifications

• Fully qualified accountant or equivalent experience.
• Experience of management accounting, budgeting and forecasting.
• Experience in charity/not-for-profit, research institute, or grant-funded environment.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities.

Responsibilities

• Produce monthly management accounts and supporting schedules.
• Assist with budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities.
• Provide insightful management information to help budget holders make informed decisions.
• Act as a trusted finance partner across grant lifecycle from award setup to reporting.

Skills

Management accounting

Budgeting

Forecasting

Stakeholder management

Communication

Analytical skills

Grant funding knowledge

Education

Professional accounting qualification (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) or equivalent

Job description

Location:Hybrid with 3 days in our Harpenden office
Department: Finance
Contract: Full-time, Permanent ( We welcome flexible working requests and are open to discussing a range of arrangements)

Join a world-leading research organisation and help shape the future through financial insight

Are you a finance professional looking for a role where you can make a real impact? Join Rothamsted Research as a Management Accountant and play a key role in supporting our world-leading research programmes through high-quality financial management and advice.

Working closely with a wide range of stakeholders, you will be responsible for producing monthly management accounts, supporting annual budgeting, forecasting and financial planning activities, and providing insightful management information to help budget holders make informed decisions.

You will act as a trusted finance partner, supporting research and support departments throughout the entire grant lifecycle, from award set-up through to financial reporting. This role requires a proactive and customer-focused approach, helping colleagues navigate financial processes, identify solutions, and maximise the effective use of funding.

Reporting to our Senior Management Accountant, you will join a dedicated team focused on supporting research excellence through strong financial stewardship.

About You

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) or QBE
• Experience of management accounting, budgeting and forecasting
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management abilities
• Ability to explain financial information clearly to non-financial colleagues
• A proactive approach and commitment to delivering excellent customer service

This is an excellent opportunity to contribute to an organisation at the forefront of scientific research while developing your career in a varied and rewarding finance role.

Essential skills and experience

• Experience working within a charity, not-for-profit, research institute, or grant-funded environment.
• Familiarity of restricted and unrestricted grant funding.

About You

Are you a curious and detail-oriented finance professional with strong accounting skills?

Do you have a passion for turning financial data into meaningful insight?

Are you comfortable working collaboratively with stakeholders at all levels?

Do you enjoy identifying opportunities to improve systems and processes?

Ready to make an impact?

We welcome flexible working requests and are open to discussing a range of arrangements, including part-time working, job share, compressed hours and other flexible options. We encourage applicants to let us know what flexibility they are seeking so we can explore what may be possible.

If you're excited about this opportunity but don't meet every requirement in the person specification, we'd still love to hear from you. We recognise that skills and experience can be gained in different ways, and we encourage applications from people with diverse backgrounds and experiences.

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if we receive a sufficient number of suitable applications. We therefore encourage interested candidates to apply as soon as possible.

About The Company

Established in 1843, Rothamsted Research is one of the UK's leading Research Institutes delivering world class agricultural science. Our commitment to learning and development, equality, diversity and inclusion and flexibility in working arrangements creates a positive work life balance and enables a welcoming environment for all prospective employees.
As a Disability Confident Employer we are committed to making reasonable adjustments to the recruitment process and all disabled candidates (as defined by the Equality Act 2010) who satisfy the minimum criteria for the role will be guaranteed an interview. If this is required, please contact us. Applications from candidates irrespective of their background, gender, race, sexual orientation, religion or age are welcomed, providing the required criteria is met.
We have an attractive benefits package including 30 days annual leave, a generous pension scheme, Employee Assistance Programme and an attractive campus offering cultural and recreational activities.