Financial Accountant - #1799012

UK Job Description

We are looking to recruit a Financial Accountant to drive financial success within a dynamic team. As a key member of our Accounting & Finance department, you will play a pivotal role in shaping our financial strategy and contributing to our continued growth and success.

This challenging and rewarding position will have responsibility for the delivery of high quality, accounting processes within the UK Accounting team, and improved management reporting. The role will support the business with complete and robust accounting procedures as well as responsibility for certain key control activities through the calendar year, across our global centres. The position will undertake routine monthly reporting and help to enable the preparation for annual audits and statutory reporting. There will be exposure to aspects of project work, as well as systems and process implementation. To excel in this role, you should possess, above all, strong accounting skills and the ability to communicate effectively with various stakeholders at all levels in the organisation.

The Firm

Reed Smith is a global law firm with more than 1,700 lawyers in 30 offices throughout Europe, the Middle East, Asia and the United States.

Operating as one global partnership, we represent leading international businesses from FTSE 100 corporations to mid-market and emerging enterprises; advising clients on cross border transactions, international commercial disputes and regulation. We specialise in industries including financial services, life sciences, health care, energy and natural resources, entertainment and media, shipping and real estate.

We all share a common culture, with core values supporting the firm’s commitment to add value, achieve excellence, and promote professional development. London is our largest office with approximately 700 people, including over 350 fee earners across the full range of commercial practice areas. Consistent with the firm’s strategy, the office has grown significantly over the past five years. Key to this growth has been our ability to successfully integrate new hires into our business and give them a platform to flourish. We place a huge significance on listening to our people and incorporating their ideas wherever possible .

Responsibilities

• Reporting to the Finance Manager, the primary purpose of the role is to provide accounting support across a range of responsibilities, delivering accurate accounting reports in a timely and reliable manner.
• Take ownership for aspects of management reporting and balance sheet controls, taking ‘end to end’ responsibility for certain month/Year end activities:
• Creating process improvements, suggesting changes to enhance the control environment and improve decision making insight
• Provision of reliable quarterly management accounts for the UK group and group of companies, and the Singapore entity
• Compilation of annual TB and financial statements for the UK group and the Singapore entity, ready for both Finance Manager’s review and subsequent external audit, ensuring accuracy and complete analysis.
• Reconciliation of all balance sheet accounts for the UK group and Singapore, as well as other key accounts including distributions and payroll costs.
• Preparation of quarterly UK VAT returns and the associated “net-down” journal.
• Assistance with provision of data to external statutory auditors in UK and Singapore during their audits.
• Preparation and delivery of various regular reports to internal stakeholders.
• Preparation/input of various monthly journals for month-end routine.
• Calculation and billing of certain shared overhead costs to fellow group entities.
• Co-authorisation within banking portals of office and client payments, with the latter in compliance with SAR
  
  

Key Skills, Attributes and Experience

• Energetic, ambitious and focused
• Qualified, newly qualified (or part qualified) ACA, ACCA or CIMA Accountant
• Clear and concise communications skills, both verbal and written
• Significant experience in similar accounting roles.
• Solid, demonstrable skill in the technical aspects of accounting procedure
• Ambitious / Pro-active – delivers the expected result and offers suggestions for improvement
• Strong team player, able to build strong relationships with team members and business stakeholders; Sense of fun, energy and team building.
• Strong analytical skills
• Highly computer literate; competent in using excel and complex accounting systems; capacity to learn other applications.
  
  

At Reed Smith, we welcome direct applications either in response to one of our advertised vacancies or on a speculative basis. Please click on the “Apply Now” button to submit your details and we will be in touch.

No search firms/agencies please.

Reed Smith's success depends heavily on the effective utilization of qualified people, regardless of their race, ancestry, religion, colour, sex, age, national origin, sexual orientation, gender identity and/or expression, disability, veteran's status, or any characteristic protected by law. As a firm, we adhere to and promote equal employment opportunity for all.

We are committed to making all stages of our recruitment process accessible to candidates with disabilities or long-term health conditions. If you have a disability or a long-term health condition and require adjustments to be made for you within the recruitment process, please contact a member of the Recruitment team. For more information on our approach to diversity and inclusion please visit our website .