Assistant Operations Accountant

About the role

Robert Half is partnering with a leading global manufacturing and retail business to hire a permanent Assistant Operations Accountant in Banbury. Reporting to the Financial Controller, you will act as the financial voice at the operations table, providing insight, challenging performance and driving improvement across cost, productivity and inventory.

Key responsibilities

• Own the monthly close for operations finance, including accruals, cost centre reviews and control checks.
• Lead variance analysis of the operations P&L versus budget, forecast and prior year, delivering clear commentary.
• Prepare monthly operations scorecards and support performance reviews with senior leadership.
• Analyse manufacturing cost performance (labour, materials, overheads, scrap, absorption) and drive efficiency actions.
• Maintain the Fixed Asset Register and conduct post‑investment reviews on capital expenditure.
• Manage manufacturing inventory control, valuation, variances, write‑offs and provisions.
• Lead operations forecasting cycles and annual budget inputs, challenging assumptions with stakeholders.
• Partner with Production, Engineering, Quality and Continuous Improvement teams to quantify and track cost‑saving opportunities.

Required profile

• Part‑qualified CIMA, ACCA or ACA (QBE also considered).
• Solid operations accounting background with experience in standard costing, variance analysis and inventory valuation.
• Experience in a manufacturing or consumer goods environment is desirable.
• Strong communication skills and ability to translate financial insight for non‑finance audiences.
• Proactive, self‑driven and a genuine team player.

Required skills

• SAP
• Microsoft Excel
• Power BI (advantageous)

What we offer

• Salary £40,000‑£45,000 per year, dependent on experience.
• Hybrid working after onboarding, with an initial fully onsite period.
• 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, increasing with length of service.