Principal Accountant

Evote; Abingdon; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Principal Accountant to join their dynamic finance team. This role is pivotal in managing the financial accounting for multiple UK operations, ensuring compliance with IFRS, and leading a small team to meet critical deadlines. The successful candidate will be responsible for month-end and year-end closings, managing audits, and preparing tax computations. This position offers a unique opportunity to contribute to a company renowned for its innovative drug discovery expertise while enjoying a competitive salary and comprehensive benefits package. If you are a motivated accountant with strong leadership skills, this role is perfect for you.

Benefits

Company Pension Scheme

25 days holiday plus bank holidays

Private health insurance

Private dental cover

Life assurance

Wellbeing support

Permanent health insurance

Company Bonus Scheme

Training and support opportunities

Discounted Gym Membership

Qualifications

• Proven ability to manage a small team to achieve defined deliverables.
• Thorough understanding of accounting principles and practices (IFRS).

Responsibilities

• Responsible for financial accounting for the Group’s UK operations.
• Manage month-end and year-end closing processes.
• Prepare corporation tax computations and ensure VAT compliance.

Skills

Accounting Principles and Practices (IFRS)

Communication Skills

Analytical Skills

Team Management

Problem-solving Orientation

Interpersonal Skills

Organizational Skills

Education

Qualified Accountant (ACA or ACCA)

Tools

SAP

MS PowerPoint

MS Excel

MS Outlook

Job description

We are currently recruiting for an experienced and highly motivated Principal Accountant to join our team based in either Abingdon, Oxfordshire or Alderley Park UK.

Role: Principal Accountant

Job Type: Permanent

Salary: Competitive salary, plus excellent company benefits

Location: Abingdon, Oxfordshire or Alderley Park, UK

Evotec is a leader in the discovery and development of novel small molecule drugs with operational sites in Europe and the US. The Company has built substantial drug discovery expertise and an industrialised platform that can drive new innovative small molecule compounds into the clinic. In addition, Evotec has built a deep internal knowledge base in the treatment of diseases related to neuroscience, pain, oncology, inflammation and metabolic diseases. Leveraging these skills and expertise the Company intends to develop best-in-class differentiated therapeutics and deliver superior science-driven discovery alliances with pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies.

About the Role

This role is a key component of the Evotec UK General Ledger Finance team with a broad variety of responsibilities within the Finance function, covering the accounting for three UK legal entities.

This role reports directly to Head of General Ledger UK.

General

The role requires a technically strong qualified accountant with proven ability to manage a small team to achieve defined deliverables against specific timelines.

The role is responsible for the accounting and controlling of the Evotec Group’s UK finances in an efficient manner and to deliver management reports to the Evotec Group in an independent way.

The role will split time between accounting for the more complex transactions of the UK Group operations and managing the Finance team to ensure that the accounts are complete and accurate at each period end. The role will also need to support the Controlling Team in the preparation of profit and cash forecasts, budgets and analysis both regular and of an ad-hoc nature.

Your key responsibilities:

• Responsible for financial accounting for the Group’s UK operations
• Manage month end and year end closing
• Review and recommend modifications to accounting systems and procedures
• Responsible for managing the external audit process with the auditors with the aim of ensuring a clean audit report
• Prepare corporation tax computations and R&D tax credit claims and calculations
• Ensure VAT compliance
• Develop and document business processes and accounting policies to maintain and strengthen internal controls in compliance with SOX
• Manage oversight of SOX controls compliance
• Analyse and communicate the meaning of financial information and be prepared to challenge the status quo
• Monthly/quarterly/annual balance sheet analysis, input into P&L reviews, cash projections and manage working capital requirements
• Customer contract accounting to ensure that revenue recognition is performed appropriately and in line with reporting standards
• Responsible for the UK financial statements for four UK legal entities produced under IFRS
• Mentor/develop junior team members and develop the abilities and inputs of the General Ledger team
• Correspond with colleagues at head office in Hamburg
• Calculate, compare and review the more efficient finance options for the company
• Provide support to the business to help assess the financial implications of initiatives or proposals
• Provide ad-hoc reports as requested to Group accounting and Group controlling in Hamburg
• Conform with and abide by all regulatory guidance and internal policies & procedures
• Document policies, procedures and workflow for assigned areas of responsibility
• Contribute to department and organisation special projects as required
• Continuously strive to develop personal role in the organisation to maximise benefit brought to the Finance function in general

Your ideal skills and experience:

• Thorough understanding and knowledge of accounting principles and practices (IFRS)
• Excellent verbal, written communication and interpersonal skills to build relationship and trust with Senior Management
• Knowledge of the UK tax system – understanding of R&D related tax regulations would be beneficial
• Independently minded and critical – capable of analysing numbers critically and drawing out relevant conclusions
• Accurate, reliable, highly-organised, self-motivated. Service minded and problem-solving oriented. Strong interpersonal negotiation and inter-cultural communication skills, and a team player. This role requires someone who can juggle multiple tasks in an organised and effective way
• Strong, collaborative and balanced personality
• Strong level of skills with MS PowerPoint, MS Excel and MS Outlook
• Ability to work independently and as part of a team and take on new tasks
• Ability to work under pressure and to tight timelines and to act on own initiative
• Ability to motivate, manage and develop a team
• Ability to work effectively with staff in different departments and locations
• Ability to organise initiatives/projects and present actions and outcomes to staff at all levels of the organisation

Education and Experience:

• Qualified Accountant (ACA or ACCA)
• Prior experience of SAP preferred
• Proven record as a leader of a small team in a busy environment is a must

Company Benefits

• Company Pension Scheme on completion of your 3-month probationary period. Contributions start at 6% employee and employer, Evotec will match up to 7.5%.
• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays and additional length of service days awarded on the anniversary, up to a maximum of 30 days
• Private health insurance with BUPA for the employees and their partner/family under the company scheme
• Private dental cover, after 3 months service
• Life assurance at four times your annual base salary
• Wellbeing support 24/7 and counselling services
• Permanent health insurance providing 75% of base salary after the qualifying period
• Eligibility to participate in the Company Bonus Scheme. This is a discretionary benefit
• We have an excellent training and support and continuing professional development opportunities
• Cycle to work scheme
• Discounted Gym Membership
• Refer a friend scheme, team and annual events, recognition awards and many more!