Temp​/Financial Accountant

Immediate Start. Own the Numbers. Keep the Close on Track.

Are you a hands‑on Financial Accountant who can land in a business, pick up the accounting cycle quickly and run a clean month‑end without a long run‑up?

Are you available now, or within a couple of weeks?

Aldenham Estate needs an experienced pair of hands to take ownership of operational accounting across a varied, multi‑entity family‑owned business for the next two to three months. It's a practical brief: monthly close, reconciliations, VAT, payroll administration, banking controls and cash flow.

Full qualification isn't essential. If you're part‑qualified or qualified by experience and you've done this work properly before, we want to hear from you.

Experience with in property, estates, rural businesses or another family‑owned organisation would be useful, but isn't a requirement.

• Financial Accountant — Interim
• Aldenham Estate | Elstree, Hertfordshire
• Predominantly onsite with flex
• c.£350 per day outside IR35 / £400 – £420 per day inside IR35
• 2‑3 month contract | Immediate or short‑notice start
• Full Time
• Reporting to:
  Head of Finance
• Direct Reports:
  Bookkeeper / Finance Administration Support as appropriate
• Business:
  Diversified Family‑Owned Estate | Property | Aerodrome | Glamping | Farming | Sustainable Land Management

• Financial Accounting, Month-End, Management Accounts, Balance Sheet Reconciliations, VAT, Payroll, Cash Flow, Financial Controls, Multi‑Entity Accounting, Finance Systems, Excel.
• ACA, ACCA, CIMA — qualified, part‑qualified or QBE.

Culture:
Informal, flexible and family‑friendly, with an emphasis on outcomes, collaboration and connection to the wider estate.

Aldenham Estate is a diversified family‑owned estate based in Elstree, Hertfordshire, with activities spanning residential and commercial property, London Elstree Aerodrome, Home Farm Glamping, farming and environmental land management. Operating through a number of companies, partnerships and trusts, the Estate is currently strengthening its financial systems, reporting and controls.

We need a technically capable, hands‑on Financial Accountant to be the operational accounting backbone of the finance team over the next few months. Reporting to the Head of Finance, you'll own the accuracy and integrity of the Estate's underlying financial records: the monthly close, reconciliations, VAT, payroll administration, banking controls, cash‑flow preparation and day‑to‑day finance systems administration. Sitting between the internal bookkeeping function and external accountants, you'll make sure financial information across multiple entities is accurate, complete and in the right format.

The immediate priority is operational continuity and robust financial control. Alongside that, you'll support the Head of Finance on the replacement of Sage
50 and integration with Re‑Leased, and document clear, consistent finance procedures so the function is in better shape — and less dependent on any one person — by the time the contract ends.

• Run the monthly close across all entities — journals, accruals, reconciliations, fixed assets and reporting support — keeping the underlying records accurate, consistent and audit‑ready.
• Prepare VAT returns and year‑end schedules, maintain the finance compliance calendar and be a dependable point of contact for external accountants, auditors and advisers.
• Prepare short‑term cash‑flow forecasts, monitor working capital and credit control, and maintain robust banking, payment and access controls with clear approval responsibilities.
• Work with the outsourced payroll provider and Bookkeeper so payroll, pensions, invoicing, payments, reconciliations and…