Senior Financial Accountant

Posted 28 Oct 2026

To provide autonomous senior accounting, statutory, tax-credit, control and project support across Opera North and its affiliated entities. The role will retain responsibility for theatre and orchestra tax-credit work and take on defined additional responsibilities for statutory accounts, audit, complex reconciliations, intercompany accounting, financial controls and finance projects. The role has no line‑management responsibility but works closely with the Head of Finance and finance staff to deliver agreed outcomes.

• Prepare theatre and orchestra tax-credit calculations, forecasts, supporting evidence and claims information, liaising with production teams, advisers and other stakeholders.
• Monitor relevant tax-relief developments and maintain processes that capture qualifying expenditure throughout the year.
• Prepare draft statutory accounts and supporting schedules and act as a key day-to-day contact for the external audit.
• Complete or review agreed balance-sheet and control-account reconciliations, complex journals and year-end adjustments.
• Support the monthly and year-end close through agreed technical tasks.
• Lead agreed elements of the financial relationship with the Howard Assembly Room trading company, including intercompany charging, reconciliations, settlements and balance confirmation.
• Support VAT, Gift Aid, corporation tax and other compliance activities as allocated by the Director of Finance.
• Be the lead contact with Access (our finance software) both in terms of issues management and maximising it’s capabilities.
• Support the operational application of procurement-policy limits and evidence requirements, including review of exceptions and improvement of the audit trail.
• Lead or support defined finance, costing, systems and wide organisational projects.
• Develop and document proportionate controls, reconciliations, procedures and working papers.
• Provide technical advice and support to the Head of Finance and Director of Finance.
• Work with the Head of Finance to agree the timing and resource requirements of work involving members of the Finance Team.
• Identify emerging accounting, control, compliance or delivery risks and raise them promptly with the Director of Finance.
• To assist with other work as required, which may include, but is not limited to:

• Gender pay gap data preparation and reporting.
• Improvement of financial processes to ensure efficiency.

Qualifications:

• Full professional accounting qualification, for example ACA, ACCA or CIMA, or equivalent experience appropriate to the role.

Experience/

Skills Required:

• Strong experience of preparing statutory accounts, liaising with auditors, balance-sheet control and period-end accounting.
• Ability to deliver complex technical accounting work to competing deadlines.
• Strong spreadsheet and financial-systems skills.
• Experience of tax reliefs and charity accounting, multi-entity accounting or project work is desirable.
• Strong collaborative and influencing skills, including the ability to lead on specific tasks.
• Experience of using Access is desirable.
• Knowledge of the SORP accounting rules for charities is desirable.

Contract type: Permanent, part time OR full time considered (minimum of 28 hours per week)

Hours of work: 28-35 hours per week (part-time or full-time considered)

Holiday entitlement: 33 days inclusive of 8 statutory holidays, per annum (pro rata)

Pension: Opera North will automatically enrol you into the company pension scheme upon appointment and after 3 months’ service will contribute equivalent to 5.5% of your basic pay, should you meet the current legislative criteria. You will be required to make a personal contribution of 2.5% of…