Financial Accounting Manager; Maternity Cover

Location: Hybrid – two days per week in our Rochdale office
Contract: 14–16-month fixed-term contract (maternity cover)
Department: Group Finance

Marston Holdings is one of the UK's leading debt recovery and enforcement services providers, supporting local and central government, utilities and the private sector. Through its specialist businesses, the Group delivers technology-enabled solutions across debt collection, enforcement and recovery, alongside clean air and traffic management services.

Introduction into the position

We are looking for an experienced Group Management Accounting Manager to join our Group Finance team on a 14–16-month fixed-term contract, providing maternity cover.

Reporting to the Group Financial Controller, you will lead Group month-end reporting, balance sheet governance and financial control across a complex, multi-entity, PE-backed environment. You will play a key role in the external audit process, improving reconciliations and reporting processes, and supporting the Group's legal entity rationalisation programme. You will also manage a small team and work closely with finance teams across the business to ensure accurate, timely and reliable financial reporting.

What you will be doing:

• Lead the Group month-end close process, ensuring accurate and timely reporting against agreed deadlines.

• Own Group balance sheet integrity, leading reconciliation and clean-up activities, reviewing balances and resolving historical items and discrepancies.

• Develop and maintain robust balance sheet governance, including standardised templates, clear ownership, review sign-off, issue tracking and effective controls.

• Coordinate the external audit Prepared by Client (PBC) process, acting as a key contact for auditors and ensuring supporting evidence and audit queries are dealt with promptly.

• Ensure accounting policies and technical requirements are consistently applied, working with the Technical Reporting team on complex accounting matters.

• Analyse and explain balance sheet movements, oversee intercompany reconciliations, and review accruals, prepayments, provisions and other accounting adjustments.

• Oversee Group cost allocations and fixed asset accounting, ensuring accurate recording, reconciliation and allocation across entities.

• Drive continuous improvement through process standardisation, automation and stronger financial controls.

• Work with transactional finance, operational teams and Group FP&A to ensure accurate financial information and reporting.

• Support legal entity rationalisation, including balance sheet clean-up, intercompany reconciliations and transfers of assets and liabilities.

• Oversee payroll journals through D365 and TM1, ensuring entries are accurate, complete and appropriately reviewed.

• Manage and develop a Financial Accountant and offshore assistant, providing guidance, reviewing work and ensuring deadlines are met.

• Support ad hoc Group Finance projects and process improvement initiatives.

What we are looking for:

• A professionally qualified accountant (
  ACA, ACCA or CIMA
  ).

• A degree in finance, accounting or a related field, or equivalent experience.

• Strong technical knowledge of IFRS and UK GAAP
  , including IFRS 16, ideally within a multi-entity group.

• Demonstrable finance business partnering experience.

• Proven experience delivering accurate and timely month-end reporting in a fast-paced, deadline-driven environment.

• Experience in group consolidations, balance sheet reconciliations, statutory reporting and working with external auditors.

• A track record of improving finance processes, reporting and financial controls.

• Experience managing or supervising a small team, including reviewing others’ work; experience managing offshore teams would be advantageous.

• Experience in a PE-backed…