Company: C A Design Services Limited (CADS), part of Forma Innovations Group

Location: Great Yarmouth, Norfolk (hybrid)

Reporting to: Finance Director

Contract: Full time, permanent

Working pattern: Office based during your induction, then one day a week in our Great Yarmouth office (Thursdays) and the rest of the week from home.

Ready to make your mark on a growing group?

This is a rare chance to join a private equity-backed group at an exciting stage of its development. You’ll be employed by CADS, but your remit spans every business in the Forma Innovations Group, giving you real variety, real visibility and the opportunity to shape how a developing finance function works. If you love getting under the skin of the numbers, bringing order to multi-party reporting and seeing the difference your work makes, we’d love to hear from you.

About CADS

C A Design Services has been creating, managing and publishing design and building data since 1984. From our head office in Great Yarmouth, our teams deliver architecture, design, drafting, visualisation, surveying and software services, with particular expertise in retail space planning and laser site surveys. We work with clients across retail, commercial, industrial, health, education and residential sectors, and we’re proud of the long-term relationships we’ve built with them.

We’re a collaborative, friendly business where people know each other by name and good ideas are welcomed, whoever they come from.

About Forma Innovations Group

CADS is part of Forma Innovations, a private equity backed group made up of a holding company, Forma Innovations Limited, and five specialist businesses: CADS, Made by Prosper, Retail Manager Solutions, Sofco and StoreSpace Insights. Together we work across retail design, surveying, architecture, workforce management and retail analytics, with a healthy mix of project based, consultancy and recurring software revenue. It’s a group with ambition, and finance sits right at the heart of it.

The role

Reporting to our Finance Director, you’ll make sure the Group has accurate, complete and timely financial information it can rely on.

Your first priority will be a focused project: reviewing, updating and reconciling the Group’s EBITDA, balance sheet and cashflow forecasts ready for formal sign off. From there, you’ll take ownership of the monthly management accounts, consolidation, VAT, balance sheet reconciliations and historical reporting, freeing up the Finance Director to focus on forward planning, cashflow and strategy.

It’s a hands on role for someone with strong technical skills, a sharp eye for detail and the confidence to work independently across several companies.

What you’ll be doing

Financial forecasting (initial project)

Review and update the integrated P&L, balance sheet and cashflow forecast models for each Group company, including EBITDA assumptions
Reconcile forecast balance sheet movements to profitability, working capital and cashflow, resolving any issues with formulas, intercompany balances and consolidation adjustments
Work with operational managers to validate information and prepare supporting schedules for sign off
Leave behind a documented, reliable forecast baseline

Monthly management accounts and consolidation

Prepare monthly management accounts for each Group company to agreed deadlines
Complete the monthly Group consolidation, including intercompany reconciliations and eliminations
Review performance against budget, forecast and prior periods, with clear commentary on material variances
Ensure consistent treatment of accrued and deferred income, WIP, accruals, prepayments and revenue recognition across the Group

VAT and tax

Prepare, reconcile and submit VAT returns across relevant Group companies, including international transactions and reverse charges
Keep clear audit trails and resolve any discrepancies
Prepare corporation tax schedules for our external advisers

Balance sheet and financial control

Own monthly balance sheet reconciliations across the Group, including bank, control accounts, intercompany, payroll and pension balances
Maintain fixed asset registers and review depreciation, amortisation and capitalised spend
Investigate aged balances and unusual entries, and help strengthen our financial controls

Reporting, year end and audit

Produce monthly analysis of revenue, margins, overheads, project profitability and working capital
Provide accurate historical information to support Board, investor and lender reporting
Prepare year end schedules, support the statutory accounts and coordinate with our auditors

Process improvement

Standardise and document month end procedures and key controls across the Group
Help develop our finance systems to cut down on manual processing

Your first 90 days

Days 1 to 30: Get to know the Group, our systems and reporting, review the forecast models and agree a prioritised plan with the Finance Director
Days 30 to 60: Complete and reconcile the forecasts for sign off, and start taking on the management accounts, consolidation, VAT and reconciliations
Days 60 to 90: Take primary ownership of monthly accounting, consolidation and VAT, with deadlines and review procedures agreed

What you’ll bring

Essential

AAT, ACCA, CIMA or ACA qualified or part qualified, or qualified by experience in management accounting
Proven experience preparing monthly management accounts, ideally in a multi company environment
Strong technical knowledge of reconciliations, accruals, prepayments and financial controls, plus hands on UK VAT return experience
Strong Excel skills and a solid understanding of how the P&L, balance sheet and cashflow link together
Excellent attention to detail, and the ability to work independently and juggle competing deadlines
Confident communication with finance and non finance colleagues alike

It would be great if you also have

Group consolidation and intercompany accounting experience, ideally in a private equity backed business
Project accounting, WIP and revenue recognition experience in SaaS, software or professional services
Sage or similar, plus statutory audit, year end and process improvement experience

You’ll be technically strong, detail focused, proactive and accountable, well organised across multiple companies, collaborative, and excited by the chance to help shape a developing finance function.

What we offer

Competitive salary
30 days holiday including bank holidays, increasing with length of service
Hybrid working with just one office day a week, plus a flexitime policy
Contributory pension scheme
Private medical insurance and Medicash plan (after a qualifying period)
Generous sick pay that increases with length of service (after a qualifying period)
Long service awards every five years
Training and development opportunities
Free car parking

Interested?

If this sounds like the next step for you, apply with your CV and a short covering letter telling us why you’d be a great fit. The closing date for applications is Friday 20 November 2026.

CADS is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified candidates. If you need any adjustments during the application process, just let us know.

Management Accountant