Finance Operations Accountant

NATS is the UK’s leading air navigation service provider, handling over 2.4 million flights each year. We provide air traffic control services from two control centres and at airports around the UK. We also provide a wide range of commercial products and solutions internationally. Our people are at the heart of our purpose to advance aviation and keep the skies safe.  

Purpose of the Role 

The Accountant is responsible for the execution of comprehensive general accounting and period end closing activities. The role is responsible for supporting the Senior Accountants to provide accurate and timely general accounting, period end closing, and reporting activities. 

This person will also participate in ad hoc process improvement and technical accounting projects as part of continuous improvement activities. 

This role will support delivery of the wider finance vision, which seeks to shape the future of aviation as a trusted business partner focused on efficiency, collaboration and innovation.

Accountabilities 

• Work as a key member of the Finance Operations Team to deliver the common goal of a high-quality accounting service to the Senior Accountants, Business Partners, the wider finance team and operating level business area colleagues. 

• Interact with Senior Accountants, Business Partners, FP&A Team and operating level business area stakeholders on a daily basis in order to complete and deliver tasks relating to multiple business areas including: 

• • Budgeting and Forecasting 

• • Period end closing 

• • P&L preparation  

• • BS reconciliations 

• • Highlighting key information from reports to Senior Accountants  

• • Investigation of variances and trends to present to Senior Accountants 

• • Statutory and regulatory compliance (UK and Overseas) 

• • Audit requirements 

• • External funding  

• • Fixed assets  

• • External bid work and billing 

• • Cross company transactions 

• • Project work and ad hoc queries 

• Draft technical accounting material, researching and applying relevant accounting standards to situations arising on the business areas supported. 

• Identification of, and involvement in continuous improvement activities under the direction of the Senior Accountant. This includes identification of opportunities for automation, standardisation and digital improvement to increase control, efficiency and service quality. 

• Review variances and trends as delegated by the Senior Accountants. 

• Delegate tasks to Assistant Accountants and support the completion of these tasks ensuring sufficient awareness of GBF and wider finance policies and procedures. 

• Adhere to GBF specific and wider finance and business policies and procedures.  
   

• Provide line management coaching and mentoring to less experienced team members, when required, to support their performance and ongoing development. 

Qualifications, Professional Knowledge and Skills   

• The job holder must hold an appropriate accountancy or finance qualification and have a number of years post qualified experience.
• Excellent collaborative working skills and capable and willing to accept joint responsibility for delivery of a high-quality accounting service to both finance and business area stakeholders.
• Experience in using technology tools (e.g. SAP, Excel, AFO, SharePoint, Visual task management, Copilot, Power BI, Power Automate, VBA, Python) for day-to-day tasks, to solve problems and collaborate across teams. This should be paired with the ability and desire to learn, adopt and maximise the value of these tools.  
• Driven by working in a team environment where responsibilities, successes and failures are accepted jointly.
• Motivated to seek out, learn and use new skills across multiple business areas and to actively share knowledge with team members to drive capability, agility and resilience across the team.
• Essential ability to monitor a task management system, self-allocating work to ensure capacity is fully utilised and taking ownership of tasks even if those tasks have been completed by others in previous periods.
• Ability to actively participate in continuous improvement activities and support technical accounting projects as required by the Senior Accountants.
• Strong communication skills to support the successful delivery of accountabilities and tasks. 

Financial Dimensions 

This role has circa 3 direct reports (see 'Accountabilities').