We have an exciting opportunity to join our team as a Lead Management & Tax Accountant. This role is based at our head office in Portsmouth. The role offers hybrid working with a minimum of two days in the office. The office has great amenities with onsite parking and a lakeside shuttle bus service. 

We’re offering a permanent full-time role (39 hours per week).

In this role you will be supporting our Food Franchise and Cobra Coffee (Starbucks) business areas and leading a team of two colleagues. You'll lead the operational financial support, ensuring delivery of robust and timely management accounts, budgets, forecasts, and analysis. You'll ensure the Group’s direct and indirect taxes obligations (excluding payroll taxes) are administered and maintained on a timely basis and within all reporting deadlines.

What we’re looking for

Your day-to-day tasks will include:

• Oversight and management of the production of monthly management accounts. To include challenge, variance analysis, gap bridge, and commentary to support the numbers. 
• Oversee and review the production and delivery of robust and timely annual budgets and forecasts. Coordinate the process performed by the team beneath with their stakeholders. Be the finance lead on the coordination of sales, margin, and labour budgets/forecasts.
• Act as the senior finance contact for the day-to-day financial operation (tasks and processes) of the specified business areas, ensuring all financial queries are assigned and resolved on a timely basis.
• Attend monthly team meetings to present financial results and help drive performance. Influence internal and external stakeholders with regards to insight of performance themes and opportunities.
• Lead, coach, motivate and develop the team.
• Lead the team to develop and automate finance processes and regular analysis to enable development of roles for faster delivery and proactive analysis focus.
• Monthly review and challenge of balance sheet reconciliations performed by the team beneath.  Follow up on challenges for a timely and satisfactory resolution.
• Financial appraisal of new Franchise and Cobra sites, ensuring financial projections are sound and worthy of investment.  Provide relevant challenge to new site proposals.
• Preparation and production of the Group annual financial statement and associated audit deliverables. To include the management of collating all relevant financial and non-financial data to be disclosed in the financial statements.
• Oversee and review the production of all subsidiary annual statutory accounts, be the lead person for assigning the resolution of audit queries for Cobra & Franchise
• Ownership of all VAT tasks to include but not limited to: VAT returns, payments on account, partial exemptions, BRSA, opt to tax, S198, & reconciliations.
• Ownership of all Corporation Tax tasks to include but not limited to: CT computations, returns, payments on account, capital allowances & reconciliations
• Dealing with auditors, tax advisors and HM Revenue & Customs to respond to enquiries, both general and technical.
• Provide counsel to Colleagues and professional advisors regarding business acquisitions/disposals and property transactions

Key skills required

• An experienced finance professional, with a recognised accounting qualification and appropriate post qualification experience
• Strong commercial acumen
• Demonstrates a flexible approach to problem solving and ability to think strategically and autonomously
• Strong analytical ability with high attention to detail
• Confident communicator and able to influence colleagues at all levels
• Experience leading, motivating and developing a team.
• A proven track record in a commercial, fast-paced environment, preferably retail or hospitality
• Proficient in the use of Excel supported by generally high levels of IT literacy
• Able to plan and prioritise effectively, comfortable working to tight deadlines

Company Benefits

At Southern Co-op we offer a lot more than just a job. As we are completely owned by our 200,000+ members, we put people first. Become part of the family with Southern Co-op, who are proud to serve local communities and put people first.

We can offer you:

• 34 days of annual leave (incl bank holidays) increasing over time to a maximum of 39 days after 5 years’ service.
• 20% discount in stores
• Private medical insurance
• Critical illness insurance
• Group life assurance
• Share incentive plan
• NEST pension
• Hybrid working
• Cycle-to-work scheme
• Free onsite parking at our Lakeside Head Office
• Opportunities to develop your skills through apprenticeships and our own in-house training & development programmes

Referral Scheme

Refer a successful candidate and both parties will be rewarded with a £50 voucher.
The referee will need to provide the referrers name, colleague number and store location when submitting an application.