Management Accountant (12-month FTC)

Ever wondered what the finances behind a space exhibition, a museum café and a corporate hire have in common?

About us

The Science Museum Group (SMG) is an exciting organisation at an exciting point in its development. We are a group of six sites - five national museums and one collections storage site - running visitor attractions and looking after our collections. We are currently working on an ambitious programme of new galleries and temporary exhibitions on subjects ranging from space exploration to the future of food, from video gaming to the future of the railways. There is always something different going on across the group.

In the finance department, we are investing in our capabilities and looking to increase automation and self-service functionality for our budget holders, so that it's easy and efficient for them to manage the finances of their activities.

About the role

You will join our Business Support team alongside three other colleagues. The Business Support team supports our team of finance business partners and our wider stakeholders with a range of accounting tasks, for example posting adjustment journals (accruals, prepayments and transfers) and answering common queries from budget holders. The team is crucial to ensuring that we have accurate, timely and complete information in our finance system, to support decision-making.

This role will have a particular focus on supporting our income-generating areas across fundraising and commercial departments. You will have exposure to our retail, catering and commercial experiences offers (like our IMAX cinema), to our corporate events business line, and to our fundraising activities. This covers a variety of accounting principles and processes.

Our departmental operating model emphasises business understanding, gained from spending time with operational staff, good communication and technical expertise. We are an ambitious function and we provide opportunities to develop your skills in areas including automation, data analysis and visualisation, and relationship-building and training non-finance colleagues across the organisation.

This is a full-time role of 35 hours per week on a 12-month fixed-term contract, working a hybrid pattern of two days per week in the office. The role can be based at any Science Museum Group site, so wherever you're closest to us - London, Manchester, York, Bradford - we'd be glad to hear from you.

Qualifications, training and development

As a department, we provide a wide range of both formal and informal training opportunities for all staff within the finance department. We have a number of team members undertaking formal accountancy qualifications as part of our commitment to developing technical skills across the team; support to commence or continue a qualification is subject to availability and can be discussed on appointment, or at any point during your career with us.

As a colleague at SMG, you will also learn about our Health and Safety Policies, procedures and risk assessments, allowing you to take care of your own personal safety and that of others. You will continuously demonstrate inclusive behaviours, valuing everyone's contribution, and promoting a culture of openness.

About You

You'll have worked in a finance operations or management accounting team and be comfortable with the day-to-day mechanics of the job - posting journals, handling accruals and prepayments, processing cost transfers and completing reconciliations. You don't need to be qualified or part-qualified. If you're AAT-qualified, studying towards CIMA, ACCA or CIPFA, or you've built your knowledge through experience rather than exams, we're equally interested. What matters is that you've done this work hands-on and understand why accuracy in the ledger matters to the people relying on the numbers.

Accuracy and organisation are at the heart of this role. You'll be someone who spots the entry that doesn't look right, keeps clear records, and can plan your own workload around the finance calendar - including the busier stretches around month-end, when the pace steps up. You'll be confident enough with Excel to work efficiently, and comfortable explaining financial processes to colleagues who don't have a finance background, since you'll often be their first point of contact. Experience of charity or government accounting is useful but not essential; we can teach you that side.

Don't feel you meet all the criteria? We welcome you to apply even if your experience doesn't match directly. With your transferable skills, you could be the right candidate for this, or other opportunities that we have.

Applying

View the Vacancy Information Pack listed under 'Attachments' on the vacancy listing on our website for more details about the role and the application process or click 'Apply Online' to apply.

What we offer

Working with a world-leading museum group that offers access to truly unique environments and collections, you'll benefit from the perks listed below, as well as full support for life events such as parental and adoption leave, sickness, and career breaks.

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Meaningful work. We're a mission-led organisation where the work you do supports us in Inspiring Futures.

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Career growth. We offer enhanced support with personal and professional development.

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Work/life balance. We offer 27 days annual leave in addition to bank holidays, along with flexible policies which support you and your home life.

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Healthcare cash plan. Digital health tools, gym discounts and cashback towards your everyday healthcare costs.

• All our colleagues can access an employee assistance programme and other wellbeing support.

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Colleague networks. Our colleague-led networks are an informal forum for colleagues to come together to discuss topics of shared interest and lived experience. They create a space for people to exchange ideas, discuss best practice, socialise and build a sense of community.

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Enhanced contributory pension. To support you in saving for the future.

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Interest-free loans. When you need a little extra cash for life events or home improvements.

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Great discounts. Free entry to exhibitions, discounts in our shops and cafes, and access to other museums in the NMDC network.

Open for All is one of the Science Museum Group's five core values and sets out our important aspiration to be a place for everyone. We are working hard to understand our organisation better and to develop a culture that recognises and values different backgrounds, mindsets, skills, experience, knowledge, and expertise. By having greater diversity, we believe that we will be a stronger and better organisation, capable to continue to

Inspire Futures.