Systems Accountant

• Location: London, Harold Hill (Romford) | Hybrid – 2 days in the office, 3 days from home
• Reporting to: Head of Finance or Director of Finance and Chief Commercial Officer
• Team: Finance & Business Services | Finance

Key Responsibilities

• Lead the maintenance, administration and continuous improvement of NatCen’s finance systems so they remain accurate, reliable and useful to the business.
• Act as a key point of contact for finance systems queries, supporting both finance and non-finance users and helping resolve issues in a timely, practical way.
• Own and manage the purchase order system, including workflows, approval hierarchies, controls and improvements linked to finance policy and process efficiency.
• Design, develop and maintain SQL stored procedures, views and scripts to automate financial processes including month-end, data extraction, uploads and reconciliations.
• Support stronger reporting, reconciliations, analysis and data integrity through effective use of finance systems and backend data.
• Work closely with Finance, IT and wider stakeholders on system upgrades, enhancements, testing, process improvement and future automation opportunities.

Skills, Knowledge & Expertise

• Strong MS SQL experience, including stored procedures, query optimisation and data transformation.
• Good understanding of accounting principles, financial processes, controls and reporting requirements, especially around general ledger, purchase orders and month-end close.
• Experience supporting, maintaining, implementing or upgrading finance or ERP systems.
• Strong systems mindset, with logic, attention to detail and confidence working with system data and backend workflows.
• Ability to investigate issues, improve processes and deliver practical automation that reduces manual effort and improves reporting quality.
• Comfort working across Finance, IT and wider business stakeholders, with clear communication and a service-oriented approach.

Job Benefits

• 25 days holiday (plus 8 bank holidays), rising to 30 days after 3 years
• Flexible working
• Generous pension scheme
• Life insurance and health cash plan
• Cycle to Work scheme and season ticket loan
• Career development and professional development support

• Uses data to improve field performance and delivery
• Explores new approaches to workforce management

• Drives delivery against operational targets
• Aligns workforce planning to demand

• Ensures fair and compliant field practices
• Maintains quality and ethical standards