Management accountant
Wakefield, West Yorkshire
Negotiable
Education
- Paige Gillies
- Lead Principal Consultant
An established multi-site education organisation is seeking a Management Accountant to lead high-quality management accounting and consolidated reporting across a group of schools, working closely with the Chief Finance Officer (CFO). The post will strengthen financial insight, improve budget monitoring and variance analysis, and support effective treasury and compliance activity.
Key responsibilities
1) Management accounting & consolidated reporting
- Lead the monthly production of consolidated management accounts and reporting packs for senior leadership and governance.
- Deliver clear commentary on Income & Expenditure performance, including investigation and explanation of key variances.
- Partner with school/business teams to resolve queries and ensure local ownership of budget performance.
- Produce and maintain regular cashflow forecasts to support liquidity planning and financial decision-making.
2) Treasury & cash management
- Oversee day-to-day treasury activity, including monitoring bank balances across multiple accounts.
- Identify surplus cash and support the placement of funds into approved short-term investments to maximise interest while protecting liquidity.
- Maintain appropriate controls and visibility over cash movements and balances.
3) Financial control & month-end
- Take ownership of month-end and year-end processes, including preparation and posting of prepayments and accruals.
- Post payroll journals and reconcile key funding and staffing cost journals to ensure accurate reporting.
- Proactively identify, investigate and correct posting issues to maintain an accurate trial balance and strong data integrity.
4) Audit, statutory compliance & tax
- Coordinate schedules and information requests for external audit and statutory reporting.
- Prepare and submit VAT returns (where applicable), ensuring compliance with relevant guidance.
- Ensure finance activity aligns with internal financial regulations, delegated authorities, and sector financial compliance requirements.
5) General / organisational responsibilities
- Maintain confidentiality and comply with data protection requirements.
- Contribute positively to organisational culture and work collaboratively with colleagues across multiple sites.
- Attend relevant meetings, engage in training, and support continuous improvement.
- Promote safeguarding and wellbeing standards in line with organisational policy.
Person specification (anonymised)
Values & behaviours (essential)
- Commitment to safeguarding, equality, and the wellbeing of children and young people.
- Professional, proactive, solutions-focused approach; comfortable working in a deadline-driven environment.
- Strong value-for-money mindset and curiosity to investigate discrepancies.
Qualifications (essential)
- GCSE (or equivalent) in Maths and English (Grade C/4 or above).
- Part-qualified or qualified accountant (e.g., CIMA/ACCA/ACA or equivalent) or AAT Level 4.
- Evidence of ongoing CPD.
Experience & knowledge
Essential
- Production of management accounts and consolidated reporting.
- Budget monitoring and variance investigation.
- Journal preparation/posting (payroll, accruals, prepayments and relevant funding journals).
- Experience working in a complex, multi-site environment.
- Coordinating information for external auditors.
Desirable
- Treasury management / short-term cash investment exposure.
- Procurement / contract monitoring support.
- VAT return preparation.
- Knowledge of education-sector financial compliance frameworks.
- Experience within an education group / public sector environment.
Skills & capabilities (essential)
- Ability to explain financial information to non-finance stakeholders in schools / operational teams.
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
- Strong planning and prioritisation skills with proven month-end delivery.
- Able to work independently, build credibility quickly, and maintain professional standards.
