Santen
Lead, Accountant (UK and Ireland)

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Company Description
Santen is a specialized company with a proud 130-year heritage focused exclusively on eye health. As a Japan-originated, global company with our footprint in over 60 countries and regions, our mission is to provide essential and significant value to patients and society through our products and services created from our expertise in ophthalmology and from the patient’s perspective.
For our UK office we are looking for a Lead Accountant to join the team in St. Albans.
Job Description
What you will do
- Support month-end close activities, partnering with outsourced finance providers to ensure timely, accurate reporting and robust balance sheet reconciliations.
- Serve as a key contact for Accounts Receivable, Accounts Payable, expense management, purchase-to-pay processes, and credit control activities, helping optimise cash collection and working capital.
- Support VAT, statutory audit, and compliance requirements while ensuring adherence to internal controls, financial policies, and governance standards.
- Partner with Sales, Marketing, HR, and other business functions to monitor costs, provide budget visibility, and deliver meaningful financial insights.
- Prepare variance analysis, management reports, and performance dashboards to support operational decision-making and business performance tracking.
- Contribute to monthly performance reporting, budgeting, and forecasting processes, supporting the delivery of financial objectives.
- Drive continuous improvement through process optimisation, automation, data quality enhancements, finance transformation initiatives, and cross-functional finance projects across the region.
Reasons to use Rodeo
I’m in my final year doing Economics and I don’t know whether to apply for grad schemes now or do a masters first. What do you think?
Honest answer — it depends on where you want to end up. A lot of top grad schemes (Big 4, civil service, banking) don’t need a masters. Let’s look at the ones you’d be competitive for now, and we can decide if a masters actually adds anything.
Also worth knowing: most autumn 2026 applications are open now. Timing matters more than you think.
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Graduate Consultant — 2026 Scheme
Why you're a good match
StrongYour economics background and your summer at a regional bank line up with what PwC looks for on the consulting scheme. Applications close in four weeks.
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Why you're a good match
You’ve got the grades and the economics background, and your bank internship is exactly the experience this scheme looks for. Apply soon — deadlines close within the month.
Experience fit
Your summer at the bank plus your econometrics coursework map directly to the day-one responsibilities on this scheme — client modelling, market briefings, and deal support.
Only hits
No noise. No "maybe this fits." Just roles with a clear explanation of why they're right — and where to focus when applying.
Qualifications
What you will bring to the role
- 2–4 years of finance experience with strong knowledge of month-end close processes, balance sheet reconciliations, and core accounting principles.
- Hands-on experience with SAP; Power BI skills are advantageous.
- Experience within the pharmaceutical, medical device, or biotechnology industry is preferred.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to evaluate complex financial data and provide actionable insights.
- AAT Qualified
Ready to make a difference?
Apply today and help us shape the future of eye health.
Additional Information
What we offer:
- Competitive Salary: A market-aligned base salary starting from 46576 – 64043, depending on experience and location.
- Grow your career at Santen
- A career at Santen is an opportunity to make a difference. We aspire to contribute to the realization of “Happiness with Vision” by providing eye health products and services to patients, consumers, and medical professionals around the world. Guided by our CORE PRINCIPLE, “Tenki ni sanyo suru”, Santen is engaged in the global research & development, manufacturing, and sales and marketing of pharmaceutical products in ophthalmology. We have team members around the world using their diverse talents to unlock new modalities and drive innovations for patient outcomes, education and treatment. At Santen, we believe in empowering all our team members with flexible ways of working and a highly inclusive work environment.


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The Santen Group is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building diverse teams and ensuring a safe and inclusive physical and virtual workplace for every one of our team members. All employment decisions are based on business needs, role requirements and individual qualifications regardless of race, color, ethnicity, national origin/ancestry, religion, sexual orientation, gender, gender identity/ expression, age, disability, medical condition, marital status, veteran status, or any other characteristic protected by law.
If you require any kind of accommodation during our recruitment process, please let the recruiter from our team know.
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