Graduate Management Accountant

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.