External Reporting Accountant - Warrington

Altrad are currently looking for an External Reporting Accountant to join the team based the Warrington.

The successful candidate will be responsible for statutory and Group reporting, legal entity control and technical accounting across the UK. It currently consists of the External Reporting Manager and two direct reports, delivering a statutory consolidation of more than £1bn covering around 40 subsidiaries. The team is expanding as the UK business grows.

Key Deliverables

• Own and review the technical balance sheet and non-operating items for allocated entities, including pensions, provisions, impairment, investments, joint ventures, intercompany and financing.
• Lead the monthly legal-entity review and certification process, ensuring reconciliations, supporting schedules, movements and accounting judgements are complete, clear and audit ready.
• Review journals, account mappings and reconciliations, challenge unusual or unsupported positions and follow agreed actions through to closure.
• Work with Management Accounts, Tax, Treasury and entity finance teams to resolve issues ahead of half-year and year-end submissions.
• Prepare and review statutory accounts and supporting schedules for allocated entities in line with Group policy, IFRS and the relevant UK reporting framework.
• Manage day-to-day audit delivery for the allocated portfolio, coordinating evidence and responses and maintaining clear ownership of issues, actions and deadlines.
• Prepare technical accounting papers and contribute to key half-year and year-end judgements, disclosures and analytical review.
• Own assigned half-year and year-end reporting submissions to Group, ensuring they are complete, accurate and delivered to timetable.
• Lead assigned workstreams within the UK Services and Cape plc consolidation processes, including intercompany positions, consolidation journals, account mappings and analytical review.
• Investigate unusual movements and flows, and ensure conclusions are clearly supported.
• Lead the integration of newly acquired or changing businesses into Altrad’s external reporting framework, establishing clear ownership, consistent processes and robust controls.
• Standardise workpapers, schedules and review evidence, and identify practical opportunities to automate or simplify recurring reporting.
• Use ERP, consolidation and reporting tools effectively, maintaining the quality and traceability of data from source systems through to external reporting outputs.
• Maintain up-to-date knowledge of IFRS, FRS 101 and FRS 102 developments and translate relevant changes into practical actions for the UK business.
• Provide practical guidance to colleagues and stakeholders on technical accounting and legal-entity reporting requirements.

Key Requirements / Qualifications

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or equivalent).
• Strong statutory accounts and external reporting experience, gained either in practice audit or within a multi-entity group.
• Up-to-date knowledge of IFRS and UK reporting frameworks, including FRS 101 and FRS 102, with evidence of practical application.
• Ability to analyse complex transactions, journals and balance-sheet movements and reach a well supported conclusion.
• Strong Excel and analytical skills, with the ability to work confidently across large or complex data sets and turn findings into clear actions.
• Clear written and verbal communication, including the ability to explain technical matters to non-specialist stakeholders.
• Group reporting or consolidation experience in a multi-entity environment, ideally including multi-currency reporting.
• Understanding of general ledger and sub-ledger transactions, period-end close, balance-sheet reconciliations and supporting financial controls.
• Experience supporting integration, acquisition or reporting-change activity.
• Experience using ERP, consolidation or reporting systems; familiarity with Business Central, Power BI or similar tools.
• Experience leading cross-functional reporting workstreams or coaching colleagues.
• Takes personal ownership, works independently and prioritises effectively across competing reporting deadlines.