Senior Accountant

THE GUILDHALL SCHOOL TRUST; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 51,000 - 69,000; Full time

Job summary

Guildhall School of Music & Drama in the City of London is seeking an experienced and qualified Senior Accountant to join its Finance team on a 2-year fixed-term basis, delivering high‑quality financial accounts.

Reporting to the Head of Finance, you will lead statutory accounts and audits for the School and Guildhall School Trust, ensure regulatory compliance, and provide expert financial advice to senior stakeholders. ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent is required. Hybrid working available.

Qualifications

• Professional qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) required.
• Experience in statutory accounts preparation and audits.
• Strong technical accounting and financial control knowledge.
• Effective people manager with excellent communication skills.
• Experience in higher education, charity or public sector finance desirable.

Responsibilities

• Deliver high-quality financial accounts, statutory reporting, compliance and financial control across the School and Guildhall School Trust.
• Oversee statutory accounts preparation (including GST) and lead audits.
• Provide expert financial advice to senior stakeholders.
• Ensure timely regulatory returns to Office for Students.

Skills

ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent

Leadership

Communication

Job description

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Senior Accountant

Key information:

• Contract: Fixed-term contract, Full Time (35 hours per week)
• Salary information: £50,860 - £68,990 per annum (including Inner London Weighting)
• Location: London, UK

Senior Accountant

The Guildhall School of Music and Drama is one of the world’s leading conservatoires and drama schools, offering musicians, actors, and production arts practitioners an inspiring environment in which to develop as creative arts professionals. Situated in the City of London, Guildhall School is ranked number one in Arts, Drama & Music by Complete University Guide 2023, is one of the top ten performing arts institutions in the world in QS World University Rankings 2023, as well as the number one higher education institution in the Guardian University Guide music league table. We deliver world-class professional training in partnership with distinguished artists, companies and ensembles.

A global leader in creative and professional practice, we promote innovation, experiment and research, and are also one of the UK’s leading providers of lifelong learning in the performing arts, offering inspiring training for children, young people, adult learners, and creative and business professionals.

Guildhall School of Music & Drama is seeking an experienced and qualified Senior Accountant to join its Finance team initially on a 2-year fixed term basis. Reporting to the Head of Finance, you will lead on a broad range of Financial Accounts duties and support with leading the Financial Accounts team.

You will be responsible for delivering high-quality financial accounting, statutory reporting, compliance, and financial control across both the Guildhall School and the Guildhall School Trust (GST).

You will oversee the preparation of statutory accounts (including the GST), lead on annual audits ensure regulatory compliance including accurate and timely higher education statutory returns to the Office for Students, and provide expert financial advice to senior stakeholders. This is an excellent opportunity for a qualified accountant with strong technical expertise, leadership skills, and a proactive approach to continuous improvement.

About You

• Professionally qualified (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
• Experienced in statutory accounts preparation and audit management
• Strong technical accounting and financial control knowledge
• Effective people manager with excellent communication skills
• Experience in higher education, charity or public sector finance is highly desirable

This role is eligible for hybrid working.

Join a world-leading conservatoire and play a key role in supporting the financial sustainability and success of one of the UK's most renowned arts institutions.

Closing date: 12 noon on Monday 5th October 2026

Interviews are expected to be held on 12th or 13th October 2026

We reserve the right to close the advert earlier should we receive a high number of applications.

Guildhall School welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds and experiences. We are particularly keen to encourage interest from people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+, Black, Asian, and other global majority backgrounds who are currently under-represented at Guildhall School. In recognising the positive value of diversity, we want to better reflect and understand the communities we exist to serve. We are members of the Disability Confident Scheme and guarantee to interview all disabled candidates who would like to be considered under this scheme and who meet the minimum essential criteria for the role. We support and provide adjustments for people with disabilities – if you have a disability and need help with the application process please contact us.

The Guildhall School is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children and vulnerable adults and expects all employees, workers, and volunteers to share this commitment.

The City of London Corporation is currently undergoing a programme to ensure that our pay and reward practices are competitive and equitable across the whole organisation, to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to thrive in the work that we do.