Not every ACA should apply for this. This role is designed for someone with a strong technical audit grounding, who understands not just how numbers are produced, but how they stand up to scrutiny. Someone who is comfortable operating in a regulated environment, where accuracy, judgement, and technical compliance are non-negotiable. If your strength is purely transactional or process-driven accounting, this won’t be the right fit. If you come from an ACA audit background and want to apply that rigour in a commercially relevant environment, keep reading. What this role really is Yes, you’ll take ownership of the management accounts process. But that’s only the starting point. The real focus is on applying audit-level thinking to financial reporting and business performance: Producing management accounts with a clear understanding of audit trails, controls, and balance sheet integrity Reviewing and challenging financial data with the same level of scepticism expected in external audit Ensuring alignment between management reporting, statutory accounts, and audit requirements Supporting the year-end audit process, acting as a key contact for auditors and preparing robust supporting documentation Interpreting variances with a focus on underlying accounting drivers, not just movements Maintaining strong oversight of technical accounting areas and ensuring compliance with relevant standards Working closely with FP&A, ensuring outputs are both technically sound and decision-useful Supporting M&A activity, including financial due diligence and review of accounting treatments Operating in a regulated environment, where liquidity, controls, and reporting accuracy are critical This is a role where your audit training is directly relevant and actively used. The standard This is a quality-driven environment. You’ll be working with people who are: Technically strong Detail-focused, without losing perspective Comfortable operating under scrutiny Able to defend their numbers with confidence There’s an expectation that you: Apply professional scepticism to financial information Understand the “why” behind the numbers, not just the output Can engage confidently with auditors and senior stakeholders Maintain high standards of accuracy, documentation, and control This is not a role where work is simply accepted, it is reviewed, challenged, and expected to stand up to audit-level scrutiny. Who tends to succeed here People who: Are ACA-qualified (or equivalent) with a strong audit background Have trained in practice or a technically rigorous environment Are confident with financial reporting, controls, and audit processes Take ownership of their work and stand by it Are comfortable being challenged and challenging others Want to move beyond audit, but still apply its discipline This isn’t about time served. It’s about technical strength and mindset. What you get in return Up to £70,000 salary Direct exposure to senior leadership and Board-level thinking Involvement in M&A and strategic finance work most roles never touch A genuinely high-performing peer group