Management Accountant

Join our Birmingham team on full-time permanent basis!

Purpose of the Role:

The primary purpose of the role is to support the delivery of accurate and timely financial reporting for Intermodal (IML) through the preparation of management accounting information, journal processing and balance sheet reconciliations. The role holder will ensure financial transactions are correctly recorded, analysed and reported in accordance with company policies and accounting standards.

The Management Accountant will be responsible for producing and maintaining key month-end accounting activities, including journal preparation, balance sheet reconciliations and central overhead reporting. The role will also provide support for the accounting and control of fixed assets, leasing arrangements and payroll-related transactions, ensuring all associated records are accurate and up to date.

Working closely with the Finance Business Partner and wider finance team, the post holder will contribute to the production of monthly management accounts, supporting analysis and commentary on financial performance and variances. They will also assist with the quarterly forecasting and annual budgeting processes, providing accurate financial information and challenge where appropriate.

The role will support the maintenance of a strong financial control environment through the timely completion of reconciliations, adherence to internal controls and identification of opportunities to improve processes and reporting efficiency. The post holder will contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the finance function, helping to enhance financial processes, controls and the quality of management information available to the business.

Main duties and responsibilities:

• Preparation and posting of month end journals and accrual, mostly for Indirect costs like leasing, fixed assets and payroll, ensuring accuracy and completeness.
• Preparation of robust month end balance sheet reconciliations for allocated accounts, ensuring all reconciling items are resolved in a timely manner.
• Support the team with workload to ensure timely deliverables are met.
• Review and interpret cost trends, investigating variances against budget, prior year and forecast, and presenting insightful commentary for monthly review packs.
• Support periodic reviews of the Intermodal controls framework, identifying control gaps, designing remediations and driving continuous improvement.
• Provide oversight and guidance on internal and external audit queries, ensuring timely, accurate responses and strengthening audit readiness.
• Assist with transformation initiatives to improve process efficiency, data quality, and automation within month end reporting cycles.
• Support system upgrades, implementations and continuous improvements, ensuring robust governance, testing and control integrity.
• Work in close partnership with the Finance Business Partner to prepare for and lead monthly performance reviews with budget holders.
• Build strong relationships across finance and the wider business to ensure a shared understanding of financial performance and cost drivers.
• Follow HS&E procedures to ensure safe working practices, prevent pollution, minimise impacts, maintain competence, and report incidents.