Hayward Hawk is delighted to be partnering with a scaling manufacturing business to recruit an Assistant Accountant to join their team. This is a newly created role due to a period of sustained growth and PE investment. A fantastic opportunity develop experience in a fast paced PE environment. The Role Playing a key role in delivering a disciplined, high-quality month-end close in a PE environment Preparing and analysing management accounts with a strong emphasis on cost performance and margin drivers Producing clear, decision-focused variance analysis for senior management Supporting monthly, quarterly and annual performance reporting aligned to PE expectations Owning and maintaining robust cost accounting across production, inventory and work-in-progress Performing detailed cost and margin analysis, including standard vs actual, estimate vs actual and yield variances Supporting continuous improvement of costing models, stock valuation and inventory controls Reviewing production and operational data to ensure financial outputs reflect commercial reality Supporting the development and optimisation of ERP, stock and management information systems Improving visibility and consistency of operational KPIs used in financial reporting Supporting budgeting, forecasting, working capital management and liquidity reporting Supporting statutory accounts preparation and audit processes Preparing VAT, Intrastat and other regulatory returns Managing R&D cost tracking, grant claims and statistical submissions Supporting credit control activity and financial investigations where required The Person Part-qualified (or actively studying) CAI, ICAEW, CIMA or ACCA 3 years experience in a finance role with strong exposure to costing and month-end Proven experience in cost accounting, ideally in a manufacturing or production-led environment Track record of working with integrated finance / ERP systems Experience in PE-backed, fast-paced or change-driven environments highly desirable Please contact Gemma Murphy in confidence for more information. Skills: Cost Accounting management accountant