Senior Management Accountant; Retail

Senior Management Accountant (Retail) – Cancer Research UK (CRUK)

Join to apply for the Senior Management Accountant (Retail) role at Cancer Research UK (CRUK).

Strong financial controls. Collaborating cross‑functionally. Resolving complex challenges.

• Salary: £47,000 - £54,000 (+ Benefits)
• Reports to: Retail Finance Manager
• Department: Chief Operating Office
• Contract: Permanent
• Hours: Full time 35 hours per week
• Location: Stratford, London – Office‑based with high flexibility (1‑2 days per week)
• Visa sponsorship: You must be eligible to work in the UK to apply for this vacancy. Cancer Research UK is not able to offer visa sponsorship.
• External closing date: 20 January 2026 23:55
• Internal closing date: 27 January 2026 23:55
• Recruitment process: One to two competency‑based interviews

• Owning and delivering timely, high‑quality, and accurate management accounts and other business‑critical reports for Cancer Research UK’s network of hundreds of stores and distribution hubs.
  • This includes retail fixed assets and stock accounting.
• Collaborating with your finance team and budget holders to understand major variances to plan/prior years, while ensuring budget holders understand and take responsibility for performance and variances to the financial plan.
• Reviewing management information to find efficiencies and improvements to ensure focus on the organisation’s top priorities.
• Training budget holders to ensure they can confidently interpret financial information (including self‑service accounts/transaction lists) and demonstrate strong budget control.
• Using your financial judgement and expertise to support budget holders in navigating a period of change and inform key decisions aligned with Cancer Research UK’s Trading Strategy.

• Collaborating with your finance team and trading budget holders to identify and process transactions needed to ensure accounts are complete and correct.
• Owning a range of accounting adjustments (including stock, fixed assets, and rent).
• Identifying and implementing improvements and efficiencies in Cancer Research UK’s management accounting processes while maintaining strong financial controls.
• Being a key finance point for Trading, while ensuring appropriate financial controls are being adhered to and challenging and offering solutions to stakeholders as appropriate.
• Supporting the year‑end audit and production of the annual report and accounts while ensuring accuracy and supporting with audit queries.

• Supporting the financial planning process (e.g., building budgeting/forecasting tools and templates).
• Acting as an advocate and role model for understanding cost drivers and cost control within Trading and the Finance team.

• Line managing and developing the Trading Management Accountant.
• Encouraging and reviewing the effectiveness of operational tasks from other members of your finance team.

• Qualified Management Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) who has delivered accurate management accounts, month‑end activities, and financial reporting within a large, complex organisation (e.g., retail, consumer, hospitality, charity etc). This includes:
  • Experience delivering and maintaining strong financial controls.
  • An awareness of annual budget and forecasting cycles.
• Has successfully built credible and collaborative stakeholder relationships with strong interpersonal, communication, influencing, and negotiating skills at all levels.
• Clear communication with a demonstrable ability to present and explain financial information and identify key themes to provide insight and tell ‘the story’ to non‑financial stakeholders.
• Supported in delivering year‑end audits and producing annual accounts.
• Can set and meet deadlines while maintaining strong attention to detail and effectively managing expectations.
• A proactive problem‑solver with a continuous improvement mindset for encouraging innovation while promoting best practices and strong financial controls.
• Proactive in identifying and striving for continuous improvement of processes, approaches, outputs, and financial controls.
• Strong Excel skills with…