Financial Accountant

Position: Financial Accountant – Back-Roads/Topdeck

Reporting to: Financial Controller

Location Base: Chiswick, London, UK (3 days office, 2 days remote)

Contract: Permanent

Here at Flight Centre Global Touring, we’re a travel company specialising in group tours and inspiring people through life-changing travel experiences. Through our brands Topdeck Travel, Back-Roads Touring and Grasshopper Adventures we are ever developing our product range, driving growth in key sales markets (Australia, New Zealand & North America), innovating product delivery and ensuring we deliver a first-class customer experience.

Don’t worry if you can’t find Global Touring when you search online – this is our internal brand, externally we only use our customer facing brands.

Topdeck, Back-Roads and Grasshopper serve different customers, however our ‘one best way’ approach is consistent and effective in supporting the specific strategy and activity for each brand. At Global Touring, each team member works across both of our brands with equal commitment.

We’re looking for someone to join our team that aligns perfectly with our brand and values... if this sounds like you then keep reading!

The Financial Accountant role is a crucial part of the Finance team working together with the Management Accountant and Transactional Finance team to deliver Monthly and Annual Financial results.

We’re looking for a Proactive, self-motivated, detail-oriented financial accountant, who is not afraid to extend their skill set into any aspect of finance. We are a growing team so the scope of the role will be broad from the outset, with emphasis on leading the Period End reporting, Audit support, Report building, System Testing, Team Mentoring, strong Commercial Business Partnering with a focus on Financial Control aspects.

• Responsible for the delivery of accurate month end reporting for Global Touring to our shareholders, the Flight Centre Travel Group in line with the agreed timetable consisting of Day 1 and Day 4 reporting, the production of the management accounts, the HORP, and upload of information into SUN (the global reporting system).
• Ensuring balance sheet accounts are reconciled monthly, accounting is in accordance with IFRS, and risks / opportunities are identified.
• Working with the Management Accountant and Financial Controller to understand variances between actual month end results, forecast, budget and prior year.
• Together with the Management Accountant delivering all monthly, quarterly and annual local Sales Taxes, CAA, ABTA and other regulatory returns, including a detailed understanding of TOMS VAT rules.
• Cost centre construction and reporting with specific focus on Overheads.
• Responsible for the management of FX accounting and derivative postings.
• Review of the loan / intercompany accounts ensuring all transactions are correctly recorded and balances agreed on a monthly basis.
• Key player in acting for Global Touring with EY, our external auditors. Responsible with the Financial Controller for the smooth running of the year end audit and delivery of statutory accounts data.
• Helping to identify areas of potential control risks and developing solutions.
• Focus on improving processes, not just in your own role but across Finance and the wider business.

• Qualified accountant with a minimum of 3 years’ experience in a high volume, low margin business within a listed group.
• Hands-on with a keen eye for detail and a passion for getting the accounting right.
• Genuine, practical experience of completing complicated reconciliations.
• Excellence with Excel, with a systems orientated mindset. Key focus in providing facts and data to the team and the wider business.
• Able to explain complicated accounting concepts in a clear and straight-forward manner.
• Good knowledge of accounting best practice and IFRS.
• Experience of working within a tour operator and with FX accounting knowledge would be an advantage.
• Proactive in dealing with issues and a desire to make changes that continuously improve their processes, their team and themselves.
• Used to managing stakeholders across a variety of time…