Senior Accountant

Hawthorne-Finch Talent Solutions; Altrincham; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 50,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Four-day working week

Modern technology-led practice

Job summary

Hawthorne-Finch Talent Solutions is recruiting a Senior Accountant for a UK accountancy practice in Greater Manchester (accessible from Stockport and Warrington). The role offers a four-day working week and a salary between £40,000 and £50,000 depending on experience.

This permanent position focuses on advisory services and business performance improvement rather than a purely year-end role. You will prepare annual accounts, Corporation Tax and Personal Tax returns, respond to client queries,

Qualifications

• Recent UK accountancy practice experience.
• Experience with annual accounts preparation.
• Strong corporation tax and personal tax knowledge.
• Experience or familiarity with Xero and cloud-accounting systems.

Responsibilities

• Prepare annual accounts for limited companies, sole traders and partnerships.
• Compute and file Corporation Tax and Personal Tax Returns.
• Answer client queries and liaise with HMRC as needed.
• Maintain accurate client records and support management accounts.
• Develop towards reviewing accounts and tax work with senior staff.

Skills

Strong technical accounting knowledge

Client communication

Deadline management

Education

ACA/ACCA/AAT advantageous

Tools

Xero

Cloud accounting

Job description

Senior Accountant

Location: Greater Manchester, accessible from Stockport and Warrington
Salary: £40,000 to £50,000, depending on experience
Working Pattern: Four-day working week available
Job Type: Permanent
Sector: UK Accountancy Practice

The Opportunity

An ambitious and technology-focused Accountancy Practice is seeking an experienced Senior Accountant to join its growing team.

This is not a traditional year-end accounts role. The practice supports entrepreneurial, growing businesses with turnover typically ranging from approximately £500,000 to £2 million, helping owners understand their financial performance and make better commercial decisions.

You will prepare annual accounts, Corporation Tax Returns and Personal Tax Returns, answer client queries and work closely with colleagues delivering a proactive and commercially valuable service.

The position offers a genuine development route into Client Management. The successful candidate should already possess strong technical foundations but will receive support to develop reviewing, tax-planning, client-meeting and team-management capability.

The practice uses modern cloud-accounting and reporting technology and is looking for someone positive, curious and confident communicating with business owners.

Key Responsibilities

You will be responsible for:

• Preparing annual accounts for limited companies, sole traders and partnerships
• Producing accounts from reconciled working papers
• Reconciling Balance Sheet accounts and investigating discrepancies
• Preparing Corporation Tax computations and returns
• Preparing Personal Tax Returns covering salary, dividends and property income
• Preparing more complex Personal Tax work involving Capital Gains Tax or SEIS where experienced
• Answering client queries relating to accounts and tax
• Liaising with HMRC regarding client matters
• Preparing VAT returns and advising on VAT rates, thresholds and recoverability
• Maintaining accurate and complete client records
• Supporting clients with Xero and other cloud-accounting systems
• Assisting with management accounts and reporting
• Identifying accounting or tax issues requiring Manager or Director input
• Managing recurring compliance deadlines
• Supporting junior and overseas colleagues with technical queries
• Developing towards reviewing accounts and tax work
• Building the confidence to participate in annual accounts and tax-review meetings

Essential Technical Experience

The successful candidate must have sound practical knowledge of:

Annual Accounts

• Preparing annual accounts within a UK Accountancy Practice
• Using structured working papers
• Reconciling Balance Sheet accounts
• Identifying and correcting accounting discrepancies
• Producing technically accurate accounts for SME and owner-managed business clients

Corporation Tax

You should understand:

• Corporation Tax rates and thresholds
• Preparation and filing of Corporation Tax Returns
• Disallowable expenditure
• Capital Allowances
• Section 455 Tax
• Losses brought forward and carried forward
• Associated companies

Experience with the following would be advantageous:

• Research and Development claims
• Group Relief
• Investment companies
• Corporation Tax and Section 455 reclaims

Personal Tax

You should be confident preparing Personal Tax Returns involving:

• Employment income and benefits
• Pensions
• Dividends
• Self-employment income and losses
• Interest
• Charitable donations and pension contributions
• Rental-property income
• Payments on Account

Experience involving Capital Gains Tax, foreign income, EIS or SEIS, partnerships and tax planning would be beneficial.

VAT

You should understand:

• VAT rates and thresholds
• What can and cannot be reclaimed
• Preparation and filing of VAT returns
• Common VAT errors and reconciliation issues

The detailed tax requirements are confirmed in the supplied technical brief.

About You

To be considered, you should ideally have:

• Recent experience within a UK Accountancy Practice
• Strong annual accounts preparation experience
• Practical Corporation Tax and Personal Tax knowledge
• Experience preparing and filing tax returns
• Good VAT knowledge
• Confidence answering client queries
• Experience or strong familiarity with Xero
• Clear written and verbal communication
• Strong organisation and deadline-management skills
• A positive and approachable manner
• The ability to work independently and take ownership of development
• A genuine interest in commercial client advice
• The ambition and capability to progress into Client Management

ACA, ACCA or AAT qualification would be advantageous, although strong qualified-by-experience candidates may also be considered.

Personal Development and Learning

The practice is particularly interested in people who take responsibility for their professional development.

You should be willing to:

• Maintain relevant Continuing Professional Development
• Keep up to date with accounting and tax changes
• Research unfamiliar technical matters
• Use books, podcasts, webinars and technical resources proactively
• Ask for guidance when appropriate
• Share useful learning with colleagues
• Develop commercial knowledge beyond routine compliance work
• Build confidence in client meetings and advisory conversations

Support and guidance will be available, but the successful candidate should not need to be prompted continually to learn or progress.

Technology and Commercial Support

The practice is highly focused on modern systems and efficient processes.

Depending on experience, you may support clients with:

• Xero implementation
• Correcting inaccurate or incomplete Xero records
• Improving accounting processes
• Management accounts
• Fathom reporting
• Cash-flow and performance information
• More commercially focused financial discussions

Experience with Xero and Fathom would be valuable, but curiosity and the willingness to develop stronger cloud-accounting capability are equally important.

Four-Day Working Week

The firm operates a four-day working week for most of its UK team, providing a three-day weekend.

Candidates who prefer a five-day working pattern may also be considered, as the office remains operational throughout the standard working week.

The exact working days, hours and office arrangements will be discussed during the recruitment process.

Salary and Benefits

The opportunity offers:

• Salary of £40,000 to £50,000, depending on experience
• Four-day working week available
• A three-day weekend for colleagues following the four-day pattern
• A modern and technology-led Practice environment
• Varied SME and owner-managed business clients
• Exposure to commercial and outsourced finance support
• Development towards Client Manager responsibility
• Direct client contact
• Continuing professional development
• Increasing responsibility for review and advisory work
• Potential future participation in an Employee Ownership Trust, subject to the final arrangements

The complete benefits package will be confirmed during the recruitment process.