Temp / Contract Financial Accountant - Part or Full-Time

Immediate Start. Own the Numbers. Keep the Close on Track. Are you a hands–on Financial Accountant who can land in a business, pick up the accounting cycle quickly and run a clean month–end without a long run–up? Are you available now, or within a couple of weeks? Aldenham Estate needs an experienced pair of hands to take ownership of operational accounting across a varied, multi–entity family–owned business for the next two to three months. It's a practical brief: monthly close, reconciliations, VAT, payroll administration, banking controls and cash flow. Full qualification isn't essential. If you're part–qualified or qualified by experience and you've done this work properly before, we want to hear from you. Experience within property, estates, rural businesses or another family–owned organisation would be useful, but isn't a requirement. The Role at a Glance Financial Accountant Interim Aldenham Estate Elstree, Hertfordshire Predominantly onsite with flex c.GBP350 per day outside IR35 / GBP400 GBP420 per day inside IR35 (Pro Rata) 2–3 month contract Immediate or short–notice start Full Time or Part Time Reporting to: Head of Finance Direct Reports: Bookkeeper / Finance Administration Support as appropriate Business: Diversified Family–Owned Estate Property Aerodrome Glamping Farming Sustainable Land Management Your Background / Skills: Financial Accounting, Month–End, Management Accounts, Balance Sheet Reconciliations, VAT, Payroll, Cash Flow, Financial Controls, Multi–Entity Accounting, Finance Systems, Excel. ACA, ACCA, CIMA qualified, part–qualified or QBE. Culture: Informal, flexible and family–friendly, with an emphasis on outcomes, collaboration and connection to the wider estate. About Aldenham Estate Aldenham Estate is a diversified family–owned estate based in Elstree, Hertfordshire, with activities spanning residential and commercial property, London Elstree Aerodrome, Home Farm Glamping, farming and environmental land management. Operating through a number of companies, partnerships and trusts, the Estate is currently strengthening its financial systems, reporting and controls. The Assignment We need a technically capable, hands–on Financial Accountant to be the operational accounting backbone of the finance team over the next few months. Reporting to the Head of Finance, you'll own the accuracy and integrity of the Estate's underlying financial records: the monthly close, reconciliations, VAT, payroll administration, banking controls, cash–flow preparation and day–to–day finance systems administration. Sitting between the internal bookkeeping function and external accountants, you'll make sure financial information across multiple entities is accurate, complete and in the right format. The immediate priority is operational continuity and robust financial control. Alongside that, you'll support the Head of Finance on the replacement of Sage 50 and integration with Re–Leased, and document clear, consistent finance procedures so the function is in better shape and less dependent on any one person by the time the contract ends. Where You'll Add Value Financial Accounting & Control Run the monthly close across all entities journals, accruals, reconciliations, fixed assets and reporting support keeping the underlying records accurate, consistent and audit–ready. VAT, Year–End & Compliance Prepare VAT returns and year–end schedules, maintain the finance compliance calendar and be a dependable point of contact for external accountants, auditors and advisers. Cash Flow, Working Capital & Banking Prepare short–term cash–flow forecasts, monitor working capital and credit control, and maintain robust banking, payment and access controls with clear approval responsibilities. Payroll & Operational Finance Work with the outsourced payroll provider and Bookkeeper so payroll, pensions, invoicing, payments, reconciliations and transaction processing run accurately and on time. Systems & Process Improvement Support the finance system replacement and Re–Leased integration, including data preparation, testing and reconciliation. Document key procedures and introduce practical improvements to control and resilience. About You You're a practical, hands–on accountant who enjoys doing rather than reviewing and you're used to arriving somewhere new and getting productive inside a week. You like getting beneath the numbers: making sure balance sheets reconcile, controls work and financial information can be trusted. Curious and pragmatic, you're comfortable with multi–entity complexity, investigating issues and finding workable solutions when things don't fit neatly into a standard box. You'll be confident taking ownership within a small finance team, balancing competing deadlines and working independently while building good relationships with finance colleagues, operational teams and external advisers. You'll likely bring • Strong technical accounting capability ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified, part–qualified or qualifie