Senior Management Accountant (Fixed Term)

Sovereign Housing Association Limited; Basingstoke; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading housing association in the UK is seeking a qualified Senior Management Accountant to join their team on a hybrid basis for a fixed term of 12 months. The role involves preparing management accounts, leading the budget process, and delivering financial insights to senior management. Candidates should have management accounting experience and strong communication skills. The organization offers competitive benefits and a focus on diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Benefits

25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays

Flexible holiday buying/selling options

Wellbeing discounts

Matched pension scheme

Private medical insurance options

Qualifications

• Demonstrable experience in a senior management accounting role.
• Experience in presenting data to non-financial stakeholders.
• Ability to build strong relationships with key stakeholders.

Responsibilities

• Prepare timely and accurate management accounts.
• Lead SNG's budget and forecasting process.
• Deliver analysis of actuals and forecasts to senior management.
• Present financial reports clearly to non-finance colleagues.
• Provide expert advice and challenge to management.

Skills

Strong knowledge of budgeting processes

Management account preparation

Effective communication

Analytical mindset

Proficient in MS Word and Excel

Education

Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA)

Tools

Agresso Accounting system

Workday

Power BI

Job description

Are you an experienced Management Accountant with experience in FP&A?

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Senior Management Accountant to join SNG on a fixed term contract for 12 months. Based from our office in either Basingstoke or Wembley, you'll combine office and home working in line with our hybrid approach.

SNG is one of the largest housing associations in England. We provide over 85,000 homes and invest in communities across London, the South East, South West and East of England, as well as aiming to create thousands of new affordable homes every year.

The Role

Reporting to our Head of Investment and Development Reporting, you'll ensure timely, accurate and comprehensive delivery of internal financial management accounts to senior management teams, telling the ‘story' of the results, giving insight into business performance, and helping to drive business decision-making.

The role supports to link together operational and financial information, ensuring that the prime books of account are reflective of all the activities of the business. You'll be instrumental in providing key support to the Head of Investment and Development Reporting to ensure robust delivery of analysis and commentary explaining monthly performance variances against Budgets and Forecasts, highlighting Risks and Opportunities, and supporting the business with reforecasting.

Key responsibilities include:

• Taking the lead to ensure that management accounts are prepared in a timely and accurate manner including variance analysis and commentary tailored for senior management teams
• Responsibility for management and delivery of SNG budget and forecasting process, ensuring instructions are clearly understood and deadlines met across the business, resolving issues arising promptly
• Providing challenge on numbers coming from Directorates across the business, working with teams to ensure commentary and associated analytics are concise with focus on key drivers and actionable insights
• Delivering robust analysis of actuals and forecast to senior management, ensuring the ‘story' of the business is conveyed and making recommendations for senior management
• Collaborating with both financial and non-financial staff to ensure the production and delivery of accurate management accounts, forecasts and budgets, along with all financial and non-financial metrics – including FTE, Value for Money, Development Handovers etc.
• Being a Reporting Champion, providing a constant critical eye on SNG reporting and analytics to ensure standardised, streamlined and made consistent where possible
• Presenting financial reports to senior management teams and key stakeholders, being able to explain complex financial concepts to non-financial colleagues
• Acting as a trusted partner with SNG's management team, providing expert advice, opinion and challenge, and deputising for the Head of Investment and Development Reporting as required

What we're looking for

You'll be a Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with demonstrable experience in a similar senior management accounting role, ideally within a large or complex organisation. Previous experience working for a Housing Association would be advantageous but is not essential. You'll also:

• Have strong, clear working knowledge of processes and controls surrounding budgeting, forecasting and management account preparation, including detailed report writing and analysis
• Have strong, clear working knowledge of management information report writing and design, including detailed variance analysis
• Be an effective communicator with the ability to build strong relationships with key stakeholders, providing advice and influencing at all levels
• Have experience in presenting financial reports, data and insights clearly and confidently to non-finance stakeholders
• Have a ‘continuous improvement' mindset, able to demonstrate a proactive approach to problem-solving
• Be highly numerate with strong IT skills, including MS Word and Excel
• Be able to take a holistic approach, with ability to see the bigger picture as well as working at a detailed level
• Work well to deadlines, prioritising workloads effectively and adapt quickly to changing business needs, holding others to account where necessary

Knowledge of Agresso Accounting system, Workday or Power BI would be advantageous but is not essential.

Your Benefits

We have some great benefits at SNG, including:

• 25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays (with an extra day every year up to 30 days)
• Chance to buy or sell holiday as part of our flexible benefits package
• 3 additional wellbeing days and 2 paid volunteering days
• Generous matched pension scheme up to 12% and Life cover at 4x salary
• Options for private medical insurance, dental insurance and critical illness cover
• Wellbeing discounts, including Gym Memberships and access to a 24/7 virtual GP service

At Sovereign Network Group, we are passionate about inclusion for all and creating a workplace where everyone can thrive. We are committed to our Equality Diversity and Inclusion strategy and believe that you can truly be yourself at SNG. Take a look at our careers site to learn more about us and our values.

If you would like the opportunity to make a real impact within our changing and growing organisation, we would love to hear from you!