Job Title: Accountant — 12 Month Maternity Cover
Location: Armagh, Northern Ireland
Job Type: Full-time, 12 month contract
Hours: 37.5 hours per week, Monday to Friday, 8.30am–5.00pm
Start Date: Early August 2026
Work Location: Office-based
Salary: Competitive, depending on experience
Job Description
I am recruiting for an experienced Accountant to join a well-established business in Armagh on a 12 month maternity cover contract.
This is a strong opportunity for someone who enjoys taking ownership of a busy finance role, working across both UK and Irish entities, and being part of a professional, supportive and well-run office environment.
You will be joining a friendly and supportive finance team, with very good office conditions and a properly planned handover. The start date is early August 2026, allowing for a minimum of four weeks’ training before fully taking over the role.
This role would suit a qualified accountant with at least two years’ industry experience, or a part-qualified accountant with at least five years’ strong industry experience. Previous training within a large or recognised accountancy practice would be a real advantage, but the main priority is finding someone who can manage a varied finance role with accuracy, confidence and good judgement.
**Key Responsibilities**
As Accountant, you will manage the day-to-day financial operations of the business and support accurate reporting, compliance and commercial decision-making.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Preparing monthly management accounts, including profit and loss, balance sheet and cash flow reporting
- Maintaining accurate accounting records across UK and Irish entities
- Managing general ledger, accounts payable, accounts receivable and control accounts
- Completing balance sheet reconciliations
- Posting journals, accruals, prepayments and depreciation
- Maintaining fixed asset registers
- Calculating work in progress journals
- Preparing year-end accounts and supporting audit requirements
- Liaising with external auditors, accountants, HMRC and Revenue Ireland where required
- Preparing and submitting UK and Irish VAT returns
- Supporting compliance with UK accounting standards and Irish GAAP
- Managing UK and Irish payroll processes, including PAYE, NI, pensions, PRSI and USC
- Reviewing and processing staff expenses
- Reconciling payroll to the general ledger
- Preparing annual budgets and monitoring budget versus actual performance
- Managing cash flow forecasting
- Supporting cost control and profitability improvement initiatives
- Maintaining and improving financial controls, procedures and reporting processes
- Supporting finance systems and process improvements
- Providing financial analysis and reports to senior management
What We’re Looking For
The ideal candidate will be technically strong, organised and confident working across a broad finance role. You should be accurate, dependable and comfortable handling confidential financial information in a professional way.
You will need:
- A degree in Accounting, Finance or a similar subject
- ACCA, ACA, CIMA, CPA or AAT qualification, either fully qualified or part-qualified
- At least two years’ industry experience if fully qualified
- At least five years’ industry experience if part-qualified
- Strong knowledge of UK and Irish VAT
- Experience with UK PAYE and Irish payroll, including PAYE, PRSI and USC
- Experience working across multiple entities
- Strong Excel skills
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy
- Good organisational and time management skills
- The ability to work independently and manage deadlines
- Strong communication skills
- High levels of integrity and confidentiality
Experience with Sage, Accounting Seed, Salesforce or similar finance systems would be beneficial. Experience preparing statutory accounts or working directly with HMRC and Revenue Ireland would also be an advantage.
Why Apply?
This is a well-structured contract with a supportive team, clear expectations and a proper handover period. You will not be thrown in at the deep end — you will have time to learn the systems, understand the reporting requirements and settle into the role properly.
The role offers:
- A 12 month maternity cover contract with a respected local employer
- Full-time hours with a structured Monday to Friday working pattern
- A pleasant office environment in Armagh
- A friendly and supportive finance team
- Exposure to both UK and Irish accounting, VAT and payroll
- A varied role covering management accounts, compliance, payroll, forecasting and reporting
- A strong opportunity to add valuable cross-border finance experience to your CV
This role will suit someone who is calm under pressure, accurate with detail and confident taking ownership. It will not suit someone looking for a very narrow accounts role or someone who needs constant supervision. It will suit someone who wants responsibility, variety and a professional working environment.
Apply Now
If this sounds like the right fit, please apply today with your CV.
Pay: £30,000.00-£40,000.00 per year
Benefits:
Work Location: In person
