Graduate Management Accountant

Location: Rotherham Salary: Competitive, depending on experience Job Type: Full-time, Permanent

Are you a recent graduate with 2:1 or above, looking to build a career in finance and work towards becoming a qualified accountant?

We’re working with a successful manufacturing business in Rotherham that is looking for a Graduate Management Accountant to join its Finance team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone who is ambitious, analytical and keen to develop a long-term career in management accounting, with support towards a professional qualification such as CIMA, ACA or ACCA .

You’ll work closely with the Financial Controller and wider business, gaining hands-on experience across management accounts, budgeting, forecasting, commercial analysis, costing and financial systems.

As a Graduate Management Accountant, you’ll become a key part of the Finance team, supporting the production and analysis of accurate management information and helping the wider business understand its financial performance.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Preparing elements of the monthly management accounts, including responsibility for a business unit and central cost centres.
• Analysing financial results, investigating variances and providing clear commentary on performance.
• Working closely with operational teams to understand the reasons behind financial performance and challenge assumptions where the data supports it.
• Developing a strong understanding of the manufacturing process, including regular visits to the factory to understand how production impacts financial results.
• Supporting standard costing and product profitability, working closely with production colleagues to ensure costs accurately reflect what is happening on the factory floor.
• Reviewing costs and product profitability with operational teams on a weekly basis.
• Supporting the preparation of annual budgets and interim forecasts, including analysis of movements between budgets and forecasts.
• Assisting with CAPEX proposals, ensuring the financial justification is accurate and robust.
• Contributing to continuous improvement projects across Finance and the wider business, identifying opportunities to make processes, systems and reporting more efficient.
• Supporting the day-to-day operation and development of financial systems and maintaining accurate system documentation.
• Assisting with foreign currency hedging and cashflow preparation.
• Supporting the preparation of VAT and other indirect tax returns across the UK and overseas operations.
• Maintaining accurate finance master data and records.
• Providing general support to the Finance team and taking on additional responsibilities as your experience develops.

This role would suit a graduate who is commercially minded and genuinely wants to build a career in accountancy.

You'll need:

• A 2:1 or above degree or equivalent.
• A clear ambition and commitment to becoming a qualified accountant, with CIMA preferred, although ACA/ACCA will also be considered.
• A genuine interest in working within a manufacturing environment and understanding how finance connects with production and operations.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the confidence to question information rather than simply accept it at face value.
• Strong Excel skills, or the ability and willingness to quickly develop advanced Excel capability.
• An understanding of basic accounting principles.
• Good attention to detail and a methodical approach to working with data.
• The ability to manage deadlines, prioritise workloads and take ownership of your responsibilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• A proactive attitude towards learning, development and continuous improvement.
• Resilience and the ability to work effectively in a fast-paced environment.
• The ability to work independently while also contributing positively as part of a wider Finance team.

This is more than a graduate accounts role. You'll have the opportunity to gain broad commercial exposure across a manufacturing business , working directly with Finance and operational teams and seeing how financial decisions translate into real-world business performance.

You'll develop experience across: Management Accounts | Commercial Finance | Budgeting & Forecasting | Product Costing | Business Partnering | Financial Systems | Continuous Improvement

With a clear route towards professional accountancy qualification, this is an ideal opportunity for a graduate who wants to develop into a well-rounded management accountant and build a long-term career within Finance.

We're looking for someone who is curious, commercially aware and keen to make an impact .

If you're ambitious, analytical and ready to take the first step towards becoming a qualified accountant, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply now to find out more.