Management Accountant - Finance Operations

Job Description:
Come and join one of the world’s leading luxury travel brands.
A&K Travel Group is a dynamic collection of travel and cruise companies, including Abercrombie & Kent, Crystal, and the world’s oldest travel agency, Cox & Kings. We create unique, immersive travel experiences worldwide. Our people make us a great place to work, fostering a supportive environment with ongoing training and global career opportunities. We also make a difference: Abercrombie & Kent Philanthropy has supported communities for 40 years, and we were recognised by Which? for exceptional client care during the pandemic
Role: Management Accountant - Finance Operations
Location: St Georges House, Cheltenham
Reports to: Finance Manager
Role Overview
Join us as Management Accountant - Finance Operations and lead a dedicated team of five within our core finance department. In this pivotal role, you will take full ownership of Accounts Payable, Bank, Credit Cards (physical & virtual), Prepaid Cash Cards, Intercompany reconciliations, and maintain robust financial controls across the A&K, C&K and Crystal brands. Reporting directly to the Finance Manager, you will act as the bridge between day-to-day transactional processing and month-end management accounting.
Key Responsibilities
Team Leadership & Management
Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing transactional finance team of five, conducting regular 1:1s, annual appraisals, and weekly workload planning meetings.
Act as the escalation point for complex internal and external queries, supporting the team in overcoming operational bottlenecks.
Financial Operations & Control
Oversee and execute core reconciliations, including daily/monthly bank accounts, credit card expenses, Equal prepaid cash cards and intercompany ledgers to ensure absolute control within the accounting systems.
Oversee the end-to-end processing of direct cost invoices, ensuring accurate validation against travel booking systems before authorising payments.
Manage the weekly payment run, distributing approved runs to the team and managing final banking approvals for supplier payments and customer refunds.
Maintain a clean creditor ledger by monitoring supplier statement reconciliations, allocation of accounts, and resolving debit or historic balances.
Supervise incoming request pipelines, including the purchase ledger inbox and service desk ticketing system.
Month-End, Systems & Intercompany Reconciliation
Deliver timely intercompany reconciliations between the A&K entity and MSBC system, uploading monthly reports to the Group Prophix database.
Validate and upload daily integration exports from two product databases into the MSBC accounting system.
Ensure all direct cost invoices are posted on time, allowing the wider Management Accounting team to run accurate monthly accruals.
Own month-end balance sheet reconciliations and general ledger account revaluations.
Provide key support during peak month-end periods, year-end external audits, and finance transformation projects.
What we are looking for
Proven experience managing or supervising a transactional finance or Accounts Payable team.
Strong system literacy, with experience utilising ERP systems (like MSBC / Microsoft Business Central) and reporting tools (like Prophix) highly advantageous.
Excellent reconciliation skills, with exposure to intercompany accounting and multi-currency transactions.
Prior industry experience within travel or tourism is beneficial but not essential.
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Qualified or Part-Qualified Accountant – working towards CIMA, ACCA, ACA or similar accountancy qualification.
What we offer
Competitive salary plus annual bonus plan
Company pension salary exchange plan from start of employment, with employer contributions increasing after 5 and 10 years of service
25 days annual leave – in addition to bank holidays, plus the ability to buy an additional 5 days or sell 5 days
Discounted trips through A&K Travel Group Travel Benefit Program (includes friends and family)
Discounted Gym Membership – we offer a contribution of up to £35 a month at either Virgin Active Gym (London) or to other gyms through GymFlex.
Private Healthcare through BUPA – individual and family cover, at your own cost
Life Assurance (4x base salary paid out as a tax-free sum)
Hybrid working – we value collaboration and ask employees to come to the office for a minimum of 4 days per week
Enhanced Paid Parental Leave
Employee Assistance Program – includes access to wellbeing resources and counselling
£1,000 Recruitment Referral Bonus
Cycle to work scheme
Season Ticket Loans
Regular Social Events
EEO Statement
Abercrombie & Kent is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees.