Senior Accountant

ABOUT ZENOBE

Our mission is to make clean power accessible. We are passionate about making a positive impact on communities and the environment where we work. 

We’re designing, financing, building and operating the world’s most sophisticated battery systems to enable the take up of more renewable power, electrifying fleets for cleaner air, and providing clean, portable power including repurposed electric vehicle batteries. Our proprietary software and data analysis optimises operational performance for our customers to reduce emissions and costs. 

Since we began in 2017, we’ve raised over £2.7 billion in debt and equity funding and transformed it into >1.2GW of grid-connected batteries live or under contract and c.3,400 electric vehicles supported. We have operations in the UK, Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and the US and Canada, with a global headquarters in London. 

We’re the leading owner and operator of battery storage in the UK, supporting the National Grid with the uptake of renewable power. We also work with c.90% of the UK's major bus companies, powering 25% of the UK e-bus market. We’re also the number one owner and operator of e-buses in Australia and New Zealand, and are quickly expanding into light commercial vehicles and trucks. Our rapidly growing company is looking for highly talented and motivated people to join us. 

THE OPPORTUNITY

As a Senior Accountant, you'll sit at the heart of the Group Finance team reporting to the Senior Finance Manager, with a broad remit across the business and plenty of opportunity to get involved in things that go well beyond traditional financial accounting. You'll work closely with the wider Finance team - including FP&A, Treasury, Transactions and Tax - as well as colleagues across the wider business.

The trade-off for being asked to do a lot of different things is that you'll get to see a lot. You'll be exposed to new projects, acquisitions, international expansion, complex transactions, new systems and evolving processes. You'll have the opportunity to understand how the business actually works, rather than just accounting for it from a distance.

Zenobē is firmly in scale-up mode, expanding internationally and building the infrastructure and processes needed to support the next stage of its growth. That means things won't always be perfectly packaged up when they land on your desk - and that's rather the point. We're looking for someone who enjoys figuring things out, can manage competing priorities and wants to help build things rather than simply inherit them.

You'll also have the opportunity to make a genuine mark on how we operate. We're backed by Infracapital (ICP) and KKR, both of whom take a close interest in the development and performance of the business, so the quality of our financial reporting really matters.

A TASTE OF THE DAY TO DAY

• Be a key member of the Group Finance team, supporting and mentoring more junior colleagues and providing high-quality financial information and insight to senior management.

• Lead the preparation of the Group's annual consolidated financial statements, working closely with external auditors throughout the annual audit process.

• Keep us technically honest. Maintain a strong understanding of UK and international accounting standards and ensure the Group remains compliant with local reporting requirements across the countries in which Zenobē operates.

• Play a central role in month-end, working across the Finance team to deliver a timely, accurate and well-controlled close. This will include preparing journals and balance sheet reconciliations, reviewing transactions, challenging unusual items and making sure our processes are actually working as intended.

• Own global payroll accounting, including the associated entries, reconciliations and controls.

• Own acquisition and merger accounting, helping the Group accurately account for M&A activity as we continue to grow.

• Get stuck into the interesting stuff. Prepare technical accounting papers and recommendations for complex transactions, applying the relevant accounting standards and working with internal and external stakeholders to reach the right conclusions.

• Develop and implement Group accounting policies, making sure they work in practice as well as on paper.

• Continuously improve our consolidation and reporting processes and systems. We're growing quickly, so we're not interested in doing things simply because "that's how we've always done them". You'll have plenty of opportunity to improve how we work and put your own stamp on things.

• Work across the Finance function and wider business. You'll interact regularly with FP&A, Treasury, Transactions, Tax and other teams, as well as colleagues outside Finance. You'll often be helping to connect the dots between the accounting and what is actually happening commercially.

• Get involved wherever the business needs Finance expertise. This could include shareholder reporting, reviewing payment runs, ESG reporting, new business initiatives, systems projects, process improvements or the occasional piece of financial detective work.

• Be adaptable. There will be competing deadlines, changing priorities and things that need doing at short notice. We need someone who can work out what matters, keep multiple plates spinning and still produce high-quality work.

Health and Safety

• Actively contribute to Zenobe's commitment to health and safety, wellbeing and sustainability by; integrating these principles into daily responsibilities, ensuring a safe and supportive work environment, promoting both the physical and mental health of self and colleagues, and adopting sustainable and energy-efficient practices to minimize environmental impact. By doing so, each employee at Zenobe plays a vital role in fostering a culture that prioritises overall safety, holistic wellbeing, environmental sustainability in our business operations.

WHAT WE’RE LOOKING FOR

We realise that certain groups of people are less likely to apply for a role if they don’t meet 100% of the job requirements. To be absolutely clear: if you like the look of this job and think you could do it well, we encourage you to apply with a CV that highlights your transferable skills and experience. Above all, Zenobē is looking for collaborative, flexible, empathetic people who are interested in creating and promoting practical routes to a zero carbon world.

We're looking for someone who is technically strong, commercially curious and comfortable operating in an environment where the answer isn't always sitting neatly in a procedure manual.

You'll probably be someone who:

• Is a qualified accountant with preferably 2+ years of post-qualification experience – not mandatory so please apply if you fit the brief otherwise. Has a strong grounding in financial accounting and UK GAAP / IFRS, with experience working in a complex or growing organisation (preferably with international exposure).

• Is comfortable taking ownership rather than waiting to be told exactly what to do.

• Can manage multiple priorities and deadlines without losing sight of the detail.

• Enjoys getting to the bottom of problems and isn't afraid to ask, "why are we doing it this way?"

• Can communicate clearly with both Finance and non-Finance colleagues.

• Is comfortable working with ambiguity and changing priorities.

• Enjoys working collaboratively and knows when to involve others.

• Wants to understand the commercial story behind the numbers, not just produce the numbers.

• Is keen to develop and take on more responsibility as the business grows.

• Has the personality and resilience to thrive in a fast-paced scale-up environment.

Most importantly, we're looking for someone who wants to get involved!

If you're looking for a role where you can narrowly own one area, follow an established process and know exactly what your week will look like, this probably isn't it. If you'd rather join a growing international business, work across a genuinely broad range of finance topics, get exposure to EV infrastructure and large-scale battery projects, work alongside different parts of Finance and the wider business, and help shape how the function develops as Zenobē grows - this could be a very good fit.

WORKING AT ZENOBE

We’re passionate about sustainability and are proud to offer Team Zenobē a pioneering and collaborative working environment. We encourage our people to take ownership of their career progression and celebrate those that can think outside the box.

If you’d like to join our community of likeminded people hit the apply button now, we’d love to hear from you!

WHAT WE OFFER

Charge your career at Zenobē and receive

• Up to 33% annual bonus for being awesome

• 25 days holiday, increasing with length of service up to 30 days, plus bank holidays

• Private Medical Insurance

• £1,500 training budget per year, to ensure you grow as we do

• EV Salary Sacrifice Scheme

• Pension scheme, up to 8% matched contributions

• Enhanced parental leave

• Cash back health plan

• Fertility Leave

• Payroll giving, charitable donations

• Plus more

Lots of our people work flexibly in many different ways, including part-time, flexitime and hybrid working. We can’t promise to give you exactly what you want, but please talk to us about the flexibility you need and let’s see how we can make it work.

Please note: Unfortunately, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship or financial support towards visa-related costs for this role. Including indefinite leave to remain (ILR).

OUR APPROACH TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Our people are our strongest asset and the key determinant of our success, and we value a range of skillsets and perspectives. As an equal opportunity employer, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected attribute. We work to provide equal opportunities and an inclusive work environment, where everyone is fairly treated in the application process and through their career at Zenobē. If there are any adjustments that would help improve your experience with Zenobē, please let us know when you apply.