Financial Accountant

This is an exciting opportunity to join our Finance team at a pivotal point in its transformation. Reporting directly to the Financial Controller, you’ll play a leading role in shaping and implementing our new finance system, challenging established capital expenditure processes and delivering improvements that make a lasting difference to the business. Alongside this transformation work, you’ll take ownership of the role’s core responsibilities, including capex activity, the fixed asset register, rent reporting and reconciliations, and support with statutory accounts, audit and wider reporting requirements.

We’re looking for someone who is naturally curious, confident in questioning the status quo and motivated to turn ideas into practical improvements. You’ll lead projects from initial review and planning through to implementation, taking responsibility for outcomes and ensuring changes deliver lasting benefits.

For someone ready to take the next step in their career, there is scope to broaden your responsibilities, build experience in training and supporting junior team members, and progress towards a management role over time. Ultimately, this is a chance to do more than keep existing processes running. You’ll influence how the Finance team operates and help shape its future ways of working.

This is a hybrid role working 4 days a week from our Bristol HQ and 1 day working from home.

Getting into the detail

As Financial Accountant, your main responsibilities will include:

Systems, Projects, and Process Improvement

• Support the Financial Controller with the transition of fixed asset, rent and lease accounting processes to the new finance system.
• Review existing fixed asset policies and recommend improvements or changes to meet the current needs of the business.
• Support process improvements across rent and fixed asset accounting, bringing a fresh perspective to existing processes.
• Assist with IFRS 16 calculations for the Group and onerous lease provisions under IAS 17 accounting for the UK entity, including project work to support the transition between FRS 102 and IFRS.

Fixed Assets and Rent Accounting

• Oversee the fixed asset register and related period-end reporting.
• Take responsibility for period-end rent reporting and P&L accounting, including the posting and reconciliation of all key rent accounts, rent-free accruals, turnover rent accruals and any other necessary adjustments to the underlying rent postings.

Statutory, Subsidiary, and Tax Reporting

• Assist the Financial Controller with statutory accounting requirements, including preparing technical papers, liaising with auditors, and preparing the year-end consolidation and accounts.
• Prepare company submissions for government bodies and the ONS.
• Take responsibility for monthly and annual management accounts for small company subsidiaries.
• Provide ad hoc support with tax queries, including VAT returns, capital allowances and corporation tax.

What you’ll bring

• You’ll be a qualified ACA or ACCA accountant with strong technical knowledge and experience working in industry. Previous experience within hospitality or retail would be an advantage.
• You’ll be a motivated self-starter who is comfortable taking ownership, leading projects and delivering process improvements from initial review through to implementation.
• You’ll be naturally curious, proactive and confident in challenging established ways of working, with a practical and logical approach to solving problems.
• You’ll be able to manage competing priorities and respond to a range of queries while maintaining accuracy and control in a fast-moving environment.
• You’ll have advanced Excel skills, with the ability to manipulate, analyse and draw meaningful conclusions from large data sets.
• You’ll bring strong analytical skills and excellent attention to detail, with experience completing reconciliations and maintaining robust financial controls.
• You’ll be confident working with stakeholders across the business and able to explain complex financial information clearly and concisely to non-finance audiences.
• You’ll be comfortable sharing your knowledge and supporting or coaching junior members of the team as your responsibilities develop.

What’s in it for you?

• 25 days holiday (plus bank holidays)
• A culture that appreciates ideas and celebrates individuality
• Founder-led business - we might have 300+ sites, but we still maintain an entrepreneurial spirit through everything we do
• 50% off food at all Lounges, Cosy Clubs and Brightsides
• Up to 10% bonus
• Pension contribution
• 24/7 mental health support
• Amazing events including LoungeFest – our annual company festival - Christmas parties and more
• We want to work with kind people, so if you want to work hard, have fun and be part of the Loungers ride, we’d love to have you.

About us

Loungers is a substantial and growing operator in the UK hospitality sector, operating over 300+ sites in England and Wales across three distinct but complementary brands, Lounges, Cosy Club, and Brightside. Founded in 2002 by three friends who wanted to create a neighbourhood café-bar that they would want to go to, the Group is now the only growing all-day operator of scale in the UK and has consistently outperformed the wider UK hospitality sector over the past three years. Despite being the fastest growing café/restaurant group in the Country, Loungers has retained its entrepreneurial spirit and quirky ‘Loungey’ local community atmosphere.