Are you an experienced accountant looking for a role where you can grow alongside an ambitious specialist practice?
Accounts Navigator is a growing, modern and digital accountancy practice providing Complete Finance Management services to nurseries and Early Years businesses across the UK.
We are looking for two experienced Senior Accounts Associates to join our team on a part-time basis.
These roles are ideal for accountants who want to initially work reduced hours while steadily increasing their hours as new work and clients join the practice. Our intention is for both positions to develop into full-time roles as the business continues to grow.
This is not simply a year-end accounts position.
We work closely with nursery owners, founders and management teams to help them understand their numbers, improve profitability, manage cash flow, control staffing and operational costs, plan for tax and make informed business decisions.
The successful candidates must therefore be technically capable, commercially aware, organised and confident communicating financial information in plain English.
About Accounts Navigator
Accounts Navigator is a multi-award-winning accountancy practice with more than 20 years of experience supporting individuals, entrepreneurs and growing businesses.
We are developing our position as a specialist Nursery Complete Finance Management Practice, providing nurseries and Early Years businesses with all the accounting, tax, bookkeeping, payroll, management reporting and financial advisory services they need as they grow.
Our aim is to become an extension of each nursery’s leadership and finance team, rather than simply preparing accounts after the financial year has ended.
We help our nursery clients to:
- Understand their income, expenditure, margins and profitability
- Calculate and monitor their true cost per childcare hour
- Manage funded and privately paid childcare income
- Review staffing costs and deployment
- Prepare and monitor cash flow forecasts
- Understand management accounts
- Plan for VAT, PAYE, Corporation Tax and other liabilities
- Improve systems, processes and financial controls
- Make confident and informed growth decisions
The Role
As a Senior Accounts Associate, you will manage a portfolio of clients and oversee the delivery of accurate, timely and commercially useful accounting services.
You will be responsible for reviewing work, meeting internal and statutory deadlines, communicating with clients and identifying areas where their financial performance or processes could be improved.
You will work closely with the Founder and CEO, the wider Accounts Navigator team and our specialist bookkeeping, payroll and administration functions.
As a team member, you will work in a digital non-paper environment with the latest software and apps to complete customer tasks and deliver an excellent service to our clientele. You will work remotely but have one to two in-person days per month in either Cuffley or Romford
Expect quarterly team, events so that you and your new work buddies get to know you inside out, so you become a valuable member of the Accounts Navigator family.
From day one you will receive a salary up to £45,000 per annum depending on experience with 10% commissions for customer introductions. After your probation period, you will receive private healthcare, pension contributions, and bonuses.
The main responsibilities for the Client Manager / Senior Accounts Associate:
· Your responsibilities will include:
- Preparing and reviewing statutory accounts for limited companies
- Preparing and reviewing Corporation Tax computations and returns Preparing personal tax returns for directors, individuals and business owners
- Preparing and reviewing VAT returns
- Reviewing bookkeeping records and ensuring transactions are accurately recorded
- Preparing monthly or quarterly management accounts
- Producing profit and loss reports, balance sheets and cash flow reports
- Preparing short and medium-term cash flow forecasts
- Reviewing client performance against budgets and previous periods
- Identifying unusual movements, financial risks and potential opportunities
- Supporting nursery clients with cost-per-hour and profitability calculations
- Reviewing nursery income from funded hours, private fees and additional charges
- Helping clients understand staffing costs, overheads and operational margins
- Preparing and reviewing payroll information where required
- Monitoring client deadlines and ensuring work is completed on time
- Liaising with HMRC and Companies House on behalf of clients
- Supporting clients with accounting software, systems and financial processes
- Reviewing junior team members’ work and providing constructive feedback
- Maintaining accurate and complete client records
- Participating in client review meetings
- Explaining financial information clearly and without unnecessary jargon
- Identifying opportunities for additional support or advisory services
- Contributing to the development of the practice’s nursery specialism
- Supporting the continued improvement of internal systems and procedures
Essential Criteria
To be considered for this role, you must have:
- At least three to five years’ recent experience working within a UK accountancy practice
- Strong experience preparing statutory accounts for limited companies
- Good knowledge of UK Corporation Tax, VAT and personal tax
- Experience managing or supporting a portfolio of clients
- Experience preparing or reviewing management accounts
- A good understanding of bookkeeping and accounting controls
- Experience using cloud-based accounting software
- Strong knowledge of Xero, QuickBooks Online or similar platforms
- Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel
- The ability to review financial information and identify errors or unusual transactions
- The ability to manage several clients, deadlines and priorities at the same time
- Strong written and verbal communication skills
- Confidence speaking directly with business owners and senior decision-makers
- The ability to explain financial information in clear, straightforward language
- Excellent attention to detail
- A proactive and solution-focused approach The ability to work independently while remaining part of a collaborative team
- A strong understanding of confidentiality, GDPR and professional ethics
- The right to work in the UK
Qualifications
Candidates should ideally be one of the following:
- AAT qualified with significant accountancy practice experience
- ACCA, ACA or CIMA part-qualified
- ACCA, ACA or CIMA qualified
- Qualified by experience, with strong and demonstrable UK practice knowledge
Practical experience, technical ability and the right attitude will be considered alongside formal qualifications.
Desirable Experience
The following would be an advantage:
- Previous experience working with nurseries, childcare providers or Early Years businesses
- Experience producing management information for service-based businesses
- Experience with nursery funding, private fees or funded childcare income
- Experience calculating business margins, utilisation rates or cost per hour
- Knowledge of payroll, workplace pensions and employer costs
- Experience supervising or reviewing the work of junior accountants or bookkeepers
- Experience using practice management and workflow software
- Experience helping clients improve their accounting systems and internal controls
- Experience participating in client advisory or business review meetings
- An interest in developing specialist knowledge within the nursery and Early Years sector
Direct nursery sector experience is desirable but not essential. Full support will be provided to help the successful candidates understand the specific financial and operational challenges faced by nursery businesses.
The Person We Are Looking For
We are looking for someone who:
- Wants to grow with the practice over the long term
- Is comfortable starting part-time and gradually increasing their hours
- Takes ownership of their work and deadlines Communicates openly and professionally
- Respects systems, processes and every member of the team
- Is willing to learn about the nursery and Early Years sector
- Understands that accounts should help clients make decisions, not simply record history
- Enjoys building strong and trusted client relationships
- Looks beyond compliance and considers the commercial story behind the numbers
- Is comfortable working within a modern, digital and developing accountancy
practice
- Is dependable, accountable and committed to delivering high-quality work
- Shares our commitment to helping clients grow profitable and sustainable businesses
Working Hours
We are recruiting for two part-time positions.
The initial hours will be agreed with each successful candidate based on their
availability, experience and the requirements of the practice.
Candidates must be willing and able to gradually increase their working hours as the
client portfolio grows. The intention is for these roles to progress towards full-time
employment as sufficient work flows into the practice.
Some flexibility may be available around working patterns, subject to client deadlines,
team meetings and the operational needs of the business.
What We Offer
- The opportunity to join a growing specialist accountancy practice
- A clear route from part-time to full-time employment
- Exposure to a broad range of accounting, tax and advisory work
- The opportunity to develop specialist knowledge within the nursery sector
- Direct involvement in the growth of our Nursery Complete Finance Management
service
- A modern and digital working environment
- Supportive leadership and opportunities for professional development
- The opportunity to contribute ideas and help shape systems and services
- Meaningful client work that goes beyond year-end compliance
- The chance to build long-term relationships with growing nursery businesses
- A role where your work can directly influence client profitability, sustainability and growth
- Remote working – (2 in-person days per month in Cuffley, Hertfordshire)
- Private healthcareOur Values
At Accounts Navigator, we believe in:
- Respecting the process
- Taking responsibility for our work
- Delivering accurate and timely information
- Communicating clearly and honestly
- Treating every team member with respect
- Helping clients understand their numbers
- Looking for solutions rather than simply identifying problems
- Supporting profitable, sustainable and well-managed businesses
- Growing together as a team
How to Apply
Please send your CV together with a covering letter explaining:
1. Your current role and level of UK accountancy practice experience
2. The types of clients and assignments you currently manage
3. Your experience preparing statutory and management accounts
4. The accounting software you regularly use
5. Your current availability and preferred working hours
6. How you would like your hours to increase over time
7. Why you are interested in working with Accounts Navigator
8. Why you would like to develop expertise within the nursery and Early Years sector
Please send your application to [email protected] with the subject line:
Application: Senior Accounts Associate
Accounts Navigator is committed to providing equal opportunities. Applications
Pay: Up to £45,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Private medical insurance
- Referral programme
- Work from home
Application question(s):
- Are you ACCA or MAAT Qualified?
- Will you be able to reliably commute to Potters Bar EN6 4RY or Romford RM1 3NH twice a month for this job?
Experience:
- Practice: 3 years (preferred)
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Potters Bar EN6 4RY
