Lease Accountant

Reporting to the Finance Manager (Fixed Assets, Leases & Property), the Lease Accountant will take ownership of lease accounting and reporting, including ensuring that control accounts are reviewed regularly and all items in query are resolved.

The Financial Accounts team performs a pivotal role within this large business, overseeing fixed assets, leases/IFRS16 accounting, property related transactions, intercompany, balance sheet reconciliations, Group reporting, audit and financial statements, below the line transactions, accounting for M&A and providing advice and guidance on accounting matters as required.

Key Accountabilities

Carry out all steps required for month end lease processing and reportingEnsure that ALAE (lease accounting system) is complete and correctPrepare any manual journals required for missed ALAE transactions, to be posted into SAPPrepare IFRS16 HFM file for Group reportingReview all lease controls accounts monthly with preparers and ensure they are resolving any query items in a timely mannerIdentify new leases, modifications or disposals to be processed on ALAE and ensure change log is updatedEnsure all lease related queries in the team mailbox are answered within agreed timeframesAssist with audit requests and statutory reporting for IFRS16Review the P&L for any short term/low value leases and assess correct treatmentOversight and co-ordination of all property work undertaken on behalf of the business division – review of working papers/control accounts and ensuring productive meetings take place regularly with the sector finance teamApproval of fixed asset creation/transfers where required and asset creation using WinshuttleReview of ONS surveys and carbon footprint reporting ahead of submissionMaintain process notes for all business-as-usual work to enable cross training, cover and support within the teamCross train other team members and support with training and development of more junior colleagues

Candidate Requirements: Key Skills, Knowledge & Experience

Part-qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) [at least 3 years completed/4 or fewer exams remaining] and minimum of three years in a finance role.Must be willing to commit to actively studying and qualifying in a reasonable time frameIntermediate to Advanced Excel skills (complex formulae, pivot tables etc)Good organisational and presentational skillsFlexible and adaptable in this busy, evolving environmentExperience of balance sheet reconciliationsExperience of month end (accruals, prepayments, variance analysis etc)Experience of ERP software, SAP preferredContinuous improvement mindset to question current processesUnderstanding of reporting standard and experience working with IFRS16 accounting