Trainee Certified Accountant (ACCA) - Manchester (Outsourcing & Accounts) - September 2023

As one of our trainees, you can play a major part in our ongoing success story. From early on in your time with us, you will be entrusted with real client assignments and real responsibilities, whilst receiving support for your professional qualification.

The role

This is a client facing, fast paced role which includes advisory elements and often deals with high profile clients.  You will get receive extensive coaching/mentoring to ease you into this position.

The work is varied and ranges from typical year end compliance through to ad-hoc advisory and project work. The client base is a mix of sole traders, partnerships, limited companies, limited liability partnerships, trusts and smaller private charities.

The role would include (but is not limited to) the following, within agreed deadlines:

• Preparing management accounts, including reconciling all key account balances and tailoring the presentation specific to each client
• Assisting and advising clients on issues in their accounting systems, including software migration
• Agreeing and executing payment runs on clients’ behalf using a variety of online banking platforms
• Preparing VAT returns
• Preparation of year-end financial statements and simple corporation tax computations
• Carrying out and reviewing ad hoc tasks such as cash flow forecasting, budgeting and providing information to third parties
• Maintaining relationships with clients and taking ownership of projects and tasks as appropriate
• Processing work on Xero, and other accounting software
• Responsibility for annual filing requirements, including with Companies House and the Charity Commission

As well as exciting client work, we offer excellent training and support for your studies. We use first-class tuition centres, alongside our own internally developed technical training programmes, to help you prepare for your examinations and to further your career. This is supported by our dedicated training team who will monitor your progress throughout your studies.

We promise to enable and empower you to develop personally and professionally throughout your career with us, ensuring future success as a trusted adviser to our clients.

The team

The accounts and outsourcing department has experienced high growth in recent years and offer an exciting variety of work with great development opportunities.

Those opportunities include the chance to work with clients in the sport and landed estates/rural sectors. Our sport sector work involves advising professional sportspeople on their image rights and employment contractual matters, as well as their wider business interests. We regularly advise our landed estate clients on complex tax issues, particularly around passing assets between family members and structuring of their businesses. We help our clients to identify issues and provide flexible and tailored solutions.

Entry requirements

• Expected or obtained 2:1 in any degree
• Minimum 120 UCAS points or equivalent, gained at one sitting

The qualification

We offer a 3 year training contract to our trainees with a view to becoming an ACCA qualified accountant.

As an apprentice levy paying employer, the firm will be utilising this levy when students start their ACCA qualification. You will be studying under the level 7 apprenticeship.

Studying as an apprentice won’t impact the time it takes you to complete the qualification, it just means that there is a defined study pathway in place to ensure you have the best chance of success. Not only will you gain technical knowledge through the course of the apprenticeship, but you will be introduced to key skills and behaviours required to help you develop in your role.

The office

The Manchester office has experienced significant growth in recent years and as a result of that growth, recently relocated to a new, purpose designed office on John Dalton Street. The team is comprised of a variety of departments and specialists who provide a wide range of services both locally and nationally.

The Manchester office currently has 4 partners and over 70 staff and continues to grow.

You

We are looking for individuals who share our values – those who are Collegiate and Enthusiastic, act with Integrity and strive for Excellence.

The successful applicant will be friendly and approachable with an ambitious and resilient mindset. 

We welcome people with a diverse range of skills who thrive when working in close knit teams and are willing to go the extra mile for clients.

You should be self-motivated, display a positive approach to work and strive for high quality in everything you do.

In addition, you should have an awareness of the wider economic context that our clients operate in, demonstrating your commercial awareness.

We expect our prospective trainees to have gained a thorough understanding of what the exams will involve, so please ensure that you have researched the ACCA qualification thoroughly and can convince us that you know what’s involved and the personal commitment that will be required.

Salary and Benefits

• A 35-hour working week with flexibility around the core hours of 10am-4pm, in line with the firm’s comprehensive agile working policy.
• Paid overtime or time off in lieu (pre-approved and only where required).
• Paid study leave (typically 6 weeks per year).
• 25 days annual leave with an additional day added after 5 years’ service. In addition, under the flexible benefits programme, employees are entitled to buy or sell up to 5 days holiday a year, subject to staff partner approval.
• Working from home allowance.
• Eligibility for the firm’s Profit-Sharing Plan that runs from October to September each year. The scheme enables staff to share in the profits of the firm.
• Salary reviews annually in October.
• 6 month probationary period.
• Life assurance cover of four times your salary.
• Contributory pension scheme (The firm will contribute 5% of salary on a matched basis with employee from their date of joining).
• Access to a number of additional benefits with preferential rates under the flexible benefit programme, which include; health cash plans, health screening/GP support, critical illness cover, dental and travel insurance, Techscheme, Cyclescheme, Gymflex and a Workplace ISA). More information will be provided on joining.
• As a firm, we are committed to embracing a diverse and multi-generational workforce. We have initiatives in place to ensure everyone is treated equally, irrespective of their background or any personal characteristics. We strive to ensure that every member of staff is able to work and develop to reach their full potential in an inclusive and respectful culture that celebrates each person’s unique abilities