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Are you an experienced Financial Accountant looking for a new role?

Sovereign is a leading Housing Association, committed to providing quality, affordable homes and services within sustainable, successful communities. We're led by our values and driven by a strong social purpose, placing our customers at the heart of everything we do.

We have a fantastic opportunity to join our Finance Business Partnering and Reporting team as a Senior Financial Accountant on a fixed term basis for 12 months. Based from our head office in Basingstoke, you'll combine office and home working in line with our hybrid approach.

The role

• You'll support the Group Financial Controller to ensure the team provides a highly specialised accountancy support service to Sovereign, covering the full range of complex financial accounting responsibilities. You'll develop close links to senior Management and the relevant directorates, becoming a trusted partner. Responsibilities include:

• Full responsibility for the accuracy of the General Ledger, ensuring effective procedures are in place and any errors are identified and corrected
• Responsibility for ensuring robust inter-company accounting procedures are in place and adhered to across Sovereign and that all inter-company accounts are reconciled with other subsidiary companies
• Working closely with the Finance Manager – Financial Accounting on the production of the monthly management accounts for all of Sovereign's activities to ensure timely and accurate submission to the Executive Board
• Preparing and producing annual statutory accounts for subsidiary companies, liaising with external auditors to ensure accurate and timely completion
• Working closely with the Finance Manager – Financial Accounting on the production of year-end statutory accounts together with consolidated statutory group accounts for Sovereign
• Proactively providing advice, support, guidance and opinion on accounting standards to senior stakeholders as well as providing information, analysis and reporting on actual results as required to help drive the business
• Taking the lead in driving projects and initiatives through to completion with support from the rest of the team

What we're looking for

You'll be a fully qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent), with demonstrable experience in a similar financial accounting role. You'll need to have strong technical and practical knowledge of the principles of financial accounting and financial statements e.g., FRS102, with strong reporting and accounting experience. You'll also need:

• A strong, clear working knowledge of financial processes and controls surrounding financial accounting and management account preparation
• A professional and logical approach to problem solving with strong analytical skills
• Strong initiative, curiosity and drive with the ability to work to deadlines and maintain high attention to detail
• A strong, clear working knowledge of management information report writing and design, including detailed variance analysis
• Proven track record of senior stakeholder management, with the ability to build lasting relationships with stakeholders and demonstrate strong influencing skills
• To be highly numerate and computer literate with strong Microsoft skills covering Word and Excel, e.g., VLOOKUPS, PivotTables, Macros
• Knowledge of SORP for Housing Associations would be beneficial but is not essential
• Good knowledge of working with ERP systems and ability to assimilate new software quickly; knowledge of Agresso Accounting system would be advantageous but not essential

What you'll receive from us

We have some fantastic benefits on offer at Sovereign, including:

• £450 flex-pot annually, discounted shopping & cycling scheme
• 25 Days Holiday + Bank Holidays (with an extra day every year up to 30 days)
• Company pension scheme matched up to 12%, life cover at 4x your salary
• Flexible working - we're committed to giving people flexibility as widely as possible
• Options for private medical insurance, dental insurance & critical illness cover

We are committed to our Equality Diversity and Inclusion strategy and believe that you can truly be yourself at Sovereign. Take a look at our careers site to learn more about us and our values.

This is a great opportunity to join the team as we progress through an exciting period of change. What we do makes a real difference to people's lives and by joining us you can share the satisfaction of doing something that really matters.