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Financial Accounting Manager
Contract: Permanent
Working hours: 35 hours per week is full time. Where possible, we are open to considering part time/flexible working patterns. Please let us know in your application your desired working pattern.
Salary: circa £80,000 per annum
Location: London Docklands, Hybrid
Reporting to: Financial Controller
Join a team where Purpose drives everything we do, Ambition fuels our growth, Trust builds our foundation, and Respect shapes our culture.
We're not just hiring — we're inviting you to build the future with us. If you're curious, driven, and ready to leave your mark, this is your invitation to make your next move.
By joining our team, you'll enjoy the best of both worlds – hybrid working and the collaboration of a great office environment. Our permanent hybrid policy sees us all working at least four days across a fortnight in the office. As well as extensive opportunities for personal and career development.
About Us:
The Financial Ombudsman Service is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that plays a vital role in UK financial services. Every day we help resolve disputes between consumers, or small businesses, and their financial service providers.
What You’ll Do:
This role will lead the financial accounting function, ensuring robust financial controls, accurate reporting and compliance with accounting standards, tax requirements and statutory obligations. You will oversee the month-end close process, manage cashflow and investments, prepare statutory accounts, and work closely with internal and external auditors to deliver high-quality financial reporting and assurance.
As the technical accounting expert, you will provide clear advice across the organisation, lead improvements to financial controls, and act as a key stakeholder for Workday Financials. You will identify opportunities to enhance processes through automation, analytics and AI, while maintaining strong governance and auditability.
Leading a small team, you will develop capability, drive continuous improvement and foster a culture of accountability, collaboration and curiosity. You will also deputise for the Financial Controller when required and represent Finance in cross-functional projects and strategic initiatives across the Service.
To be considered for this role, you’ll need to show us that you’ve got the skills and capabilities. You’ll have to meet the following minimum criteria:
Minimum Criteria:
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with significant post-qualification experience in financial accounting, statutory reporting and financial control.
- Strong technical accounting expertise, including IFRS and IAS19, with the ability to interpret and implement new accounting standards and disclosure requirements.
- Proven experience preparing statutory accounts, managing accounting judgements, and working effectively with internal and external auditors.
- Demonstrable experience leading month-end close processes and overseeing key financial controls, including reconciliations, cashflow, investments, tax compliance and fixed assets.
- Strong systems and digital capability, including experience with financial systems (ideally Workday Financials), Excel, automation and data-driven process improvement, with a balanced approach to the use of AI and technology.
What you’ll bring?
- Excellent planning and prioritisation skills, with the ability to manage deadlines and deliver improvements.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to assess risks and implement effective controls.
- Strong communication skills, able to explain complex financial matters clearly to a range of audiences.
- Experience leading, coaching and developing a small team, while promoting knowledge sharing and resilience.
- A continuous improvement mindset, focused on improving processes while maintaining compliance and control.
Why You'll Love Working With Us:
We are a values led organisation. Our values define our culture, influence our decisions, and underpin our vision and strategy. They set out how we play our PART through Purpose, Ambition, Respect and Trust. You can learn more about our values here: https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/aims-values
- Wellbeing: [Health plan, gym memberships, mental health support]
- Growth: We invest in your future with [courses, mentorship, promotions]
- Culture: Diverse. Inclusive. Collaborative. Fun.
We also offer an attractive, competitive salary and flexible benefits to suit our people. Here’s a list of some of the many benefits and perks you can get for working with us:
- 25 days holiday entitlement, with the option to buy extra or sell days
- Generous pension
- Various Family Friendly Policies, including enhanced maternity pay, carers and dependants leave
- Employer provided benefits such as Private medical insurance, virtual GP, Critical illness cover, Life assurance cover, to name a few
- Choice of voluntary benefits including Technology scheme, Cycle to work scheme, Will-writing service amongst others
- Gym membership discounts, and a fully equipped on-site gym open 24/7 in London only
Let’s Make This Easy.
Apply in a few minutes with your CV
Applications need to be submitted by 23:59 on Wednesday 2 September
Longlisted candidates will be asked to complete an online assessment from 4 September, with interviews planned for week commencing 14 September.
Due to high application numbers this advert may end earlier than the date specified, so please don't delay and apply now!
A full job profile is available on request and will be provided to candidates shortlisted to the first stage of the assessment process.
The Financial Ombudsman is an Equal Opportunity Employer.
We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all team We view diversity as fundamental to our success and welcome applications from underrepresented groups across all communities. Please click on the link below to find out more
https://www.financial-ombudsman.org.uk/who-we-are/aims-values/diversity-inclusion
We are proud to be a Disability Confident Leader and, under the scheme, will progress a fair and proportionate number of disabled applicants who meet the minimum criteria for the role to interview. Interviews may be conducted via video, telephone, or a panel Interview, with some vacancies requiring an online assessment to measure the minimum criteria.
Don’t miss out be part of the journey and take advantage of this opportunity.
Authenticity of applications
We value authentic personal applications. If we determine that your CV or supporting statement was generated using AI tools, your application may be withdrawn from consideration.
Skills Required
- Qualified accountant with ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent qualification.
- Significant post-qualification experience in financial accounting, statutory reporting, and financial control.
- Strong technical accounting expertise, including IFRS and IAS19.
- Ability to interpret and implement new accounting standards and disclosure requirements.
- Experience preparing statutory accounts and managing accounting judgements.
- Experience working effectively with internal and external auditors.
- Experience leading month-end close processes and overseeing financial controls.
- Experience with reconciliations, cashflow, investments, tax compliance, and fixed assets.
- Strong systems and digital capability, ideally including Workday Financials and Excel.
- Experience with automation and data-driven process improvement.
- Excellent planning and prioritisation skills.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, including risk assessment and control implementation.
- Strong communication skills and ability to explain complex financial matters clearly.
- Experience leading, coaching, and developing a small team.
- Continuous improvement mindset focused on compliance and control.
What We Do
We’ve been sorting out complaints between financial businesses and their customers since we were set up by Parliament in 2001. Our service is free for consumers, and every year well over 1 million people contact us with queries and complaints about all kinds of financial products and services, for example: o bank accounts, payments and cards o payment protection insurance (PPI) o home, car, travel and other types of insurance o loans and other credit, like car finance o debt collection and repayment problems o mortgages o financial advice, investments and pensions If a financial business and a consumer can’t resolve a complaint themselves, we’ll investigate and give an unbiased answer about what has happened. If we decide someone has been treated unfairly, we’ll use our legal powers to put things right. When we decide a financial business has behaved unfairly, we tell them what they should do to put things right. And when we don’t uphold a complaint, we help give people a better understanding of why a business has acted in the way they have. Our work is often challenging, but it makes a real difference to people’s lives. Working for us means you’ll get the satisfaction of helping others, and helping to make the financial sector fairer. Our staff tell us that they’re proud of the work they do, helping to put things right. What we do here makes a positive difference every day. Find out more about what we do, what it's like to work here and the roles we offer on our career pages, or by visiting our website
