Assistant Accountant Scotland 2024

An Assistant Accountant opportunity has arisen in the Financial Reporting and Analysis team, within Financial Control. 

You will work alongside our Management Accountants to provide clear and relevant financial information and analysis to Scottish Water’s business teams to enable them to track, understand, forecast and effectively control costs. 

You will

• Prepare and post financial transactions. 
• Provide regular and ad-hoc financial reports to track and explain operating costs, and communicate this information regularly to the business team. 
• Support the business teams in planning ahead and setting financial performance targets for annual budgets and quarterly forecasts. 
• Support and coach the business teams in financial policy, processes and controls. 

You must be able to

• Explain financial concepts and information to business people in language they will understand and conversely grasp business processes, terminology and application. 
• Analyse data and turn it into information – you’ll need to review cost data, relate it to what’s driving those costs, look for trends and correlations and make sure that your conclusions are robust and clearly articulated. 
• Use IT tools effectively in most things you do, and ideally, have at least intermediate excel skills. 
• Work independently & proactively to meet strict deadlines. 

We expect applicants to have experience of financial processes and procedures having worked in a similar role. The role may suit a part-qualified accountant looking to complete their professional qualifications. 

You will work as part of a Finance team who provide this service across Scottish Water, but you will also work closely day to day with business colleague’s out-with the Finance Directorate. 

This is a full-time position with a flexible base location, though some travel to our main offices will be beneficial to collaborate with other members of the Finance team, particularly when learning the job.  We also continue to have occasional face to face interaction with the business teams we support across multiple locations - all to be determined as hybrid working develops across Scottish Water. 

Looking out for you 

While the work we do is important, we know it’s not the only thing that matters. That’s why we make sure you have everything you need to find a good work-life balance.   

The normal working hours for this role are Monday to Friday from 9-5. But you’ll get plenty of time to recharge with 38 days of holiday every year (including public holidays). And you can even buy five more if you need a little extra time. You can also take paid time off to volunteer in your community.   

When it comes to major life events we have family-friendly policies around adoption, maternity, and parental leave. And for the everyday? We embrace flexible working.   

For your future, there’s our pension (the ‘know-what-you’ll-get-when-you-retire’ kind), as well as life assurance. 

As for some nice extras? You can expect an annual company bonus. Not to mention access to SW Splash – handy rewards that can save you money on holidays, bills, and shopping.  

The not-so-small print  

From 1st April 2024 Scottish Water is moving to a new grading and pay structure. This role will be a Grade 5, with a salary range from £29,800 to £35,760. New external hires will normally be expected to join on the minimum salary.

If you’re interested in this role – or know someone else who might be - we’ll be accepting applications until midnight on Friday 5th of April 2024.

Job offers at Scottish Water are conditional, and will be confirmed on completion of our pre-employment screening, e.g. referencing, criminal record checks, license checks, etc. These checks are conducted on our behalf by a third party. Don’t worry - we’ll ask your permission before starting these checks.  

A few final things worth knowing

Research shows that some people avoid applying for jobs unless they can meet every single criteria. If you’re interested in this job, but don’t tick all the boxes, apply anyway! We hardly ever hire people who can do every part of a job from Day One. Everyone has a learning curve. So don’t rule yourself out!

Let us know if there are any changes we can make to our recruitment process to help you perform at your best. Lots of our people have disabilities or neurodiverse conditions (including some of our recruiters!). We're also aware that some people might be experiencing temporary challenges because of life events, like menopause. We’re very used to making adjustments, so please don’t be afraid to ask.

As part of our commitment to developing a flourishing Scotland, it’s important that all our employees are Scottish taxpayers. If you join us, your home address will need to be in Scotland. If you don’t already live here, you'll need to commit to moving here within your first three months.

Finally (finally!), candidates who haven’t submitted an application in the last 12 months will have their records removed from our recruitment database. You won’t need to do anything. Your data will be automatically deleted.