Accounting team lead

Accounting Team Lead (Practice)
Coventry
£45k-£50k

A growing accountancy practice is seeking an experienced Accounting Team Lead to take full ownership of a delivery team. This is a hands-on leadership role where responsibility sits across team performance, client delivery, and operational oversight.

The role is a “player-manager” position, with around 50–60% of time spent on chargeable work. The remainder focuses on leading people, managing workflow, and maintaining consistent delivery standards.

Key Responsibilities

• Own team performance against fee targets, budgets, and profitability
• Manage workflow to ensure work is accurately scoped, tracked, and delivered on time
• Review live jobs, identify risks early, and take corrective action
• Lead regular 1:1s, performance reviews, and development planning
• Address performance issues promptly and uphold clear standards
• Act as escalation point for client and delivery issues
• Support recruitment and onboarding of new team members
• Maintain high standards across technical output, communication, and client service

About You
This role suits a senior or emerging manager within practice who has already been informally leading others or is ready to take full ownership of a team.
You will be confident balancing technical delivery with people leadership, able to identify issues early, and comfortable having direct conversations when standards slip.

Experience

• 5+ years in an accountancy practice
• Strong grounding in accounts preparation and corporate/personal tax
• Experience reviewing work and supporting junior staff
• Informal or formal leadership experience preferred
• ACA/ACCA qualified desirable but not essential

Benefits

• Competitive salary based on experience
• Clear progression into senior leadership roles within the firm
• Performance-related bonus structure
• Hybrid working and flexible arrangements
• Exposure to a broad client portfolio with real autonomy over delivery
• Opportunity to shape team culture, processes, and standards directly

This is a leadership-first role where accountability for people, performance, and delivery sits at the centre of the position.