Financial Accountant - Edinburgh

We have an exciting opportunity for a Financial Accountant to join our team in Edinburgh.

About us

CMS is a Future Facing firm with more than 80 offices in over 45 countries and 5,800+ lawyers worldwide. We combine deep local market understanding with a global perspective. We are passionate about building strong relationships with our clients, our people, and the communities we work in.

We take a bold, dynamic, and agile approach to ensure our clients are able to face the future with confidence. We are driven by emerging technologies such as generative AI and readily embrace the possibilities it opens up for developing new and better ways of working.  Our aim is to inspire, impact and support our clients and our people, helping them to maximize their potential and thrive.

About the role

The purpose of the role is to support the group finance function in controlling the Firm’s balance sheet on a monthly basis and  delivering annual statutory reporting and audit compliance, coordinating month end postings and other ad hoc tasks as required. 

In this role, you can expect to get involved in a variety of work including:

• Controlling UK balance sheet reconciliations as part of the financial accounting team, ensuring all deliverables are consistently met.
•  Monthly reconciliation of sub-ledger control account balances to the general ledger.
•  Preparing and posting month end journals in conjunction with the wider group accounting team.
• Preparing allocated UK balance sheet reconciliations, as part of the monthly month end cycle.
• Ensuring all balance sheet accounts and inter-company balances are routinely reconciled, analysed, challenged and fully substantiated in both unit and firm reporting currencies for the UK and overseas entities.
• Preparing, posting and supporting the routine cleanse of balance sheet accounts.
• Preparing statutory financial statements and applicable notes in accordance with FRS102.
  Be actively involved in the implementation of upcoming UK GAAP changes
• Running and reconciling FX routine for UK entities as required.
• Collating and providing information requests as part of the year end audit process to external auditors.
• The opportunity to be involved in new process and process improvement projects.
• Liaising with global finance teams to ensure timely delivery and quality of requests.
• Majorly contributing towards the revamping of working papers, controls, processes, and existing financial models.
• Supporting the team as required, providing cover for team members in times of absence.

About you

We will invest in your ongoing training and development to support your professional goals and help you to thrive in your role from day one. Our opportunities are open to all suitably qualified applicants, so to be considered for this role, you must meet the following skills and experience: 

•    Qualified Accountant – ICAS, ACA, ACCA or Equivalent (desirable).

•    Prior experience in a group accounting / financial control role (desirable).

•    Excellent analytical and MS Excel skills (essential).

•    Good practical knowledge of UK GAAP / FRS102 (essential).

•    Experience of Elite 3E and SAP Business Objects (desirable).

•    Good understanding of financial controls and practical application of policies.

•    Good planning and organisational skills with the ability to operate independently.

•    Ability to discuss and present issues in a confident, professional and appropriate way.

•    Disciplined approach to working under pressure in order to meet agreed deadlines.

What’s in it for you?

We want to reward you today and help you plan for tomorrow. We appreciate that everyone is different, therefore we have designed a benefits system that offers choice and flexibility based on individual needs and lifestyles. To name a few, these include:

•    Competitive basic salary (reviewed annually)
•    Flexible, hybrid working policy
•    Generous bonus scheme
•    Up to 25 days holiday (rising to 28 days with service)
•    Holiday exchange scheme
•    Private medical insurance
•    Enhanced parental leave

If you would like to read more information regarding our range of benefits, please visit our Rewards & Benefits page on our website.

Equal opportunities

At CMS, we place diversity and inclusion at the centre of our culture and the heart of our organisation. As a firm we recognise, celebrate, and embrace the diverse talent our society has to offer because we know that to solve big problems, we need the best and brightest minds available to us.  In support of this goal, we commit to actively breaking down barriers which stand in the way of those from diverse backgrounds and play our part in levelling the playing field. 
 
As a Future Facing Firm, we strongly believe that a career in law should be open to people from all walks of life, because not only does diversity of thought and experience make our firm a stronger and more sustainable business, but it also makes it a more rewarding place to work.
 
When recruiting, we prioritise attracting talented people and we actively promote a flexible working environment which enables all our team members to thrive. If you see a role you are interested in, but don’t feel you meet 100% of the criteria we encourage you to still consider making an application. We also welcome applications from those who may be looking to return to the workforce after a career break. 
 
We are proud to say our leadership in creating an inclusive working culture has been celebrated and recognised externally, including being listed for a number of years in the Times Top 50 Employers for Women and the Social Mobility Index.
 
We are a Level 2 Disability Confident Employer, and we actively encourage applications from people with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. We are committed to promoting equality of opportunity throughout our recruitment process and in every element of the employee life cycle. If you require assistance, or if you would like to discuss any accessibility requirements or adjustments as part of the recruitment process, please contact a member of the Talent Acquisition team at TalentAcquisition@cms-cmno.com who will be happy to support you.

Ready to apply? Here are the next steps.

We look forward to receiving your application online via the CMS careers site. Please contact our Talent Acquisition team if you have any questions. 

Please note that we have a preferred agency panel in place. Only applications submitted via the portal at the point of instruction will be accepted.

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