Finance Analyst - Employee Costs & Pensions

About the role

We are seeking a Finance Analyst to own the accounting and reporting of employee‑related costs for a large, multi‑entity organisation. The role sits at the intersection of payroll, pensions and technical accounting, offering high visibility and the chance to influence senior stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Own payroll accounting and ensure accurate posting into finance systems.
• Reconcile payroll data to the general ledger for pay, tax, pensions and NI.
• Review and sign‑off balance‑sheet reconciliations for payroll and employee costs.
• Partner with Financial Controls to maintain a robust, compliant control environment.
• Lead IAS 19 accounting for defined‑benefit pension schemes, working with technical specialists and external advisers.
• Support senior stakeholders with analysis on pension‑related commercial decisions.
• Act as the primary contact for IFRS 2 (share‑based payments) accounting.
• Manage incentive‑scheme provisions in collaboration with FP&A and Reward teams.
• Contribute to finance transformation and process‑improvement initiatives.

Required profile

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified (or equivalent).
• Strong technical grounding in IFRS, especially IAS 19 and IFRS 2.
• Background in a Big 4 firm or a large, complex organisation.
• Experience in financial reporting, technical accounting or central finance.
• Excellent analytical capability, including financial modelling.
• Confident communicator comfortable working across finance and non‑finance teams.

Required skills

• IAS 19 accounting
• IFRS 2 accounting
• Payroll accounting
• Financial modelling

What we offer

• Ownership of specialist technical areas such as pensions and share‑based payments.
• Exposure to senior stakeholders, group finance and external advisers.
• Opportunity to participate in finance transformation and system change programmes.
• Strong platform for progression into technical accounting, financial control or broader finance leadership roles.