Senior Accounts Manager

Absolute Recruit; Greater London; On-site; GBP 55,000 - 75,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Discretionary bonus

Salary review

Hybrid working

Job summary

Absolute Recruit is recruiting on behalf of a well-established Chartered Accountancy practice in North London for a Senior Accounts Manager to join the Accounts department. The role offers exposure across multiple Partners and a broad SME/client portfolio, with emphasis on the property market.

You will allocate outsourced work, review statutory accounts, mentor junior staff and be a client-facing senior point of contact. The firm uses Xero and CCH and supports hybrid working.

Qualifications

• ACA or ACCA qualified (essential).
• Experience managing SME/owner-managed portfolios.
• Capable of supervising junior team members.
• Excellent client communication and liaison skills.
• Able to commute to North London.

Responsibilities

• Manage a varied portfolio of SME and owner-managed clients with emphasis on the property market.
• Allocate outsourced work and maintain smooth workflow delivery.
• Provide feedback and coaching to ensure high-quality output.
• Act as a key point of contact for client queries.
• Support Partners with ongoing client service and advisory opportunities.
• Prepare and/or review statutory accounts under FRS 102 and FRS 105.
• Review reconciliations, lead schedules and draft accounts; assist in management accounts.
• Oversee basic tax compliance work linked to your accounts portfolio.
• Liaise with internal tax specialists when required.
• Review work prepared by UK and offshore team members.

Skills

Experienced SME portfolios

Confident communicator

Supervising junior team members

Client liaison

Education

ACA or ACCA

Tools

CCH for accounts & tax

Xero for bookkeeping

Sage

QuickBooks

Karbon

Job description

A Senior Accounts Manager role within a well-established Chartered Accountancy practice based in North London is being recruited.

About The Client

Our client is a long-established and highly regarded firm of Chartered Accountants and business advisers based in North London. With circa 50 years of history, they have built a reputation for delivering a personal, relationship-led service to owner-managed businesses and private clients across a wide range of sectors.

The firm supports clients with audit, statutory accounts, tax compliance, payroll, cloud accounting and specialist advisory services. Known for their stability and low staff turnover, they offer a supportive, collaborative environment, and client centric approach.

The Role

Owing to continued growth, the firm is seeking a Senior Accounts Manager to join its Accounts department. This is a key position offering exposure across multiple Partners and a broad portfolio of SME and owner-managed clients (typically under £10m turnover). The portfolio can be shaped around the successful applicants’ strengths and interests, providing variety and genuine client engagement.

Key responsibilities will include:

• Manage a varied portfolio of SME and owner-managed clients with an emphasis on the property market
• Allocate outsourced work and maintain smooth workflow delivery
• Provide feedback and coaching to ensure high-quality output
• Act as a key point of contact for client queries
• Support Partners with ongoing client service and advisory opportunities
• Prepare and/or review statutory accounts under FRS 102 and FRS 105
• Review reconciliations, lead schedules and draft accountsAssist in the delivery of management accounts
• Oversee basic tax compliance work linked to your accounts portfolio
• Liaise with internal tax specialists when required
• Review work prepared by UK and offshore team members

The role sits within a collaborative Accounts and Audit function, supported by Managers, Senior Managers and Partners in the UK. The firm works closely with offshore teams, and has done this for many years, providing excellent resource support and structured workflow processes.

The firm’s tech stack includes CCH for accounts and tax, Xero for bookkeeping (with openness to Sage and QuickBooks), and Karbon for workflow management.

The Successful Applicant

In order to be a genuine contender for this role, applicants must be able to demonstrate current working knowledge in a chartered accounting environment, with the following background

• ACA or ACCA qualified (essential)
• Experience managing SME / owner-managed business portfolios
• Comfortable reviewing work and supervising junior team members
• Confident communicator, both internally and with clients
• Able to commute easily to North London

What’s On Offer

The firm has a superb reputation with their client base and with staff retention, with many staff members citing that it feels ‘like a second family’. There is a real chance for progression to directorship if that is the path desired, or if not, then the chance to sit in a great role with the following:

• Discretionary annual bonus (December)
• Annual salary review
• Flexible hybrid working (typically 3 days office / 2 days home)