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Management Accountant at the Institute for Fiscal Studies (study support, hybrid working)

Employer
Institute for Fiscal Studies
Location
WC1E 7AE, London (Greater)
Salary
£40,000 to £42,000 depending on skills and experience
Closing date
24 Dec 2022

View more

Sector
Charity and not for profit
Salary band
£40,000 - £50,000
Hours
Full Time
Where will they be working?
Hybrid - mostly office

Management Accountant Institute for Fiscal Studies

  • Team: Finance Team
  • Grade: Senior
  • Salary: £40,000 - £42,000 FTE
  • Location: Central London
  • Closing: 11:59pm, 7th Dec 2022 GMT

Job Description Management accountant

Starting Salary:

£40,000 - £42,000 FTE (depending on qualifications and experience).  Performance-based progression plan in place

Deadline for applying: 23:59, 07/12/2022

Interviews are expected to be held on 09/12/2022 and 12/12/2022. Dates are potentially subject to change but will be held within the w/c 12/12/2022  at our Ridgmount Street office

Contract: full-time , permanent contract .  For exceptional candidates we would consider a reduced FTE down to 90% to match their personal requirements

Start date: as soon as possible

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is the UK’s leading economics research institute. Our job is to analyse and inform economic and policy decisions and to help policy-makers – and those who hold them accountable – understand the impact that their choices will have on individuals, households and businesses.

We are a team of economists working in collaboration with other academic institutions and experts from the public services, third sector and business. We count a number of the world’s leading economists among our researchers, and many of our experts go on to make up the next generation of policy-makers, academic scholars and business leaders. Our culture of inclusivity, excellence and independence reaches beyond our staff to shape the future of economics and policy development.

The IFS is recognised as a global centre of excellence for social science research by the UK’s Economic and Social Research Council. We are proud of our reputation for academic rigour, policy impact, high quality communications and absolute independence – an independence that we preserve through careful choices about our funding sources.

The role

The purpose of the role, as part of a small finance team, is to ensure that the organisation’s finances are managed efficiently, with improvements over time, and understood by key stakeholders within the organisation.

This is an excellent springboard management accountant role for a candidate eager to take bigger strides in their finance and accounting career.  You will be a key component in a small high performing team that works closely together – getting work done efficiently, solving problems, making improvements, going home satisfied.  This role will equip you with everything you need for a future financial controller / senior finance leader position later in your career within a challenging but supportive environment.

The core duties are owning month end processes including management accounts, managing payroll with the assistance of our external provider, supporting those leading research teams with regular financial analysis, ownership of project planning, driving finance process improvement across finance and connecting finance with the wider organisation, managing project revenue from project win to close, supporting Head of Finance closely on the statutory audit and working closely with the Head of Finance on ad hoc projects.  A drive to become an IFS leader in ERP software capabilities (currently Deltek) and master finance-relevant funder rule characteristics is essential.

We expect the successful candidate to be eager to connect to every part of the organisation and get a complete overview of what makes a high-profile institution like the IFS tick.

The Finance team works especially closely with the Research Services team, which currently manages much of the administration around project finances.  The postholder will be expected to develop in-depth understanding of the portfolio of research grants and to develop effective working relationships with the Research Services team in particular.

Furthermore, the role itself is dynamic – we will encourage the successful candidate to take responsibility for their own development and push for exposure in other areas of finance work. What is key is an inquisitive, focused and can-do attitude combined with a willingness to contribute to making the finance function work smoothly. As the second in command of a three-person team, you will be expected to set standards for the finance assistant to follow and take responsibility for ensuring they are also on a learning trajectory. 

Once familiar with the core duties, we are keen to broaden the exposure of the management accountant role into being able to manage the bi-weekly AP run, financial forecasting, accounts production, assisting on creating the annual budget and Trustee reporting and running the quarterly VAT returns, 

IFS senior management place great importance on ensuring a great working atmosphere with many intangible benefits such as: easy access to senior staff; a positive and supportive working atmosphere; light-touch internal administration (including strong potential for individuals at all levels to effect change) and an active staff social scene including baking and sport.

A one day a week from home hybrid working pattern will initially be available if desired.  A further day will be available at the manager’s discretion once the candidate is fully settled in.  Study support for ACCA/CIMA is available – and in fact strongly encouraged.

Key initial duties

The principal duties are:

  • Owning month end processes including preparation of management accounts and discussing with budget holders as appropriate;

  • Managing payroll and pensions, including staff loans;

  • Supporting those leading research teams with regular analysis;

  • Ownership of project planning;

  • Driving process improvement across finance and connecting finance with the wider organisation

  • Working with research services in particular to ensure an efficient and effective overall support team;

  • Managing project revenue from win to close through a deep understanding of funder rules;

  • Supporting Head of Finance closely on Statutory Audit and Ad Hoc Tasks;

  • Becoming a leader in IFS ERP capability and seek to apply this knowledge to practical processes;

  • Working effectively with the finance assistant to ensure both roles are on a learning trajectory.

Person specification Essential - Technical

  • Part qualified or well progressed in studying towards an ACCA or CIMA qualification and demonstrable willingness to complete studies

  • At least two years of recent experience working in a finance department

  • Strong IT skills, particularly MS Office

  • Good written and oral communication skills

Essential – Personal characteristics

  • Dedication – to an accountancy career; passionate about work; commitment to learning

  • Critical thinker – be aware of crucial details; recognise problems and propose solutions

  • Team-orientation – flexible to changes; responsive; co-operative problem solver; supportive

  • Reliability – consistently meet deadlines; produce high-quality work; resilient under pressure

  • Confidence – be a good listener; quick to adapt; be bold in looking for ways to improve skills

  • Leadership –self-motivated; ability to identify team strengths & weaknesses; ability to inspire

  • Clear communication – high level of professionalism; open minded approach to new ideas

  • Independence – strong focus on priorities/time management skills; ability to critique own work

Desirable

  • AAT qualification

  • Experience of management accounting, payroll & reporting in a charity or company

  • Experience of at least one accounting software, particularly Deltek Vision

How to apply: you’ll be asked to submit:

  • upload your (maximum 2 page) CV as a pdf 

  • a response to some relevant questions

Please follow this application link: https://app.beapplied.com/apply/yuujgrtnda?utm_source=icaew

Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK.

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