Senior Accountant

Location: Hybrid (Johannesburg) | Work Model: Remote | Supporting: A UK Accountancy Practice

The Opportunity

Build on your UK accounts and tax experience while working as an embedded member of an established UK accountancy practice.

GCO Partners is looking for an experienced, all-round Accountant to support a UK practice's portfolio managers across annual accounts, management accounts, Corporation Tax and VAT work for a varied portfolio of small-to-medium sized limited companies.

The role is particularly suited to someone who enjoys getting to grips with a business's numbers end-to-end – from the underlying bookkeeping and working papers through to the finished set of accounts and the tax return that follows it. You will work across a broad compliance caseload, picking up new clients and industries with minimal hand-holding.

This is therefore not a narrow, single-task role. The successful candidate must be comfortable moving between accounts preparation, tax compliance and management accounts, applying strong accounting knowledge and maintaining a high standard of work across all three.

You will work with a range of small and medium sized limited companies across varied industries, gaining exposure to UK clients, UK compliance standards and practice-based accounting work while remaining based in South Africa.

What We're Looking For

You should have:

• Strong practical experience in UK accounts preparation and tax compliance, ideally within an accountancy practice.
• Solid experience preparing management accounts for small and medium sized clients.
• Strong accounting and financial reporting knowledge (UK GAAP, FRS 102 / FRS 105).
• Experience preparing and reviewing Corporation Tax computations and returns.
• Experience preparing and submitting VAT returns.
• Strong Excel and financial analysis skills.
• Experience preparing detailed working papers and supporting schedules.
• The ability to identify unusual trends, risks and issues within financial information.
• Experience working across multiple clients or assignments with competing deadlines.
• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to reviewing financial information.
• Clear, professional written and verbal communication.
• The confidence to work directly with clients and internal stakeholders, under manager oversight.
• The ability to work independently while knowing when to escalate technical or client issues.
• A "pick up and go" mindset – able to work with minimal training across a varied client portfolio.

Qualifications

A relevant professional accounting qualification, or progress towards one, would be advantageous, such as:

• CA(SA) / SAICA
• ACCA
• SAIPA / Professional Accountant – PA(SA)
• AAT / AT(SA)
• CIMA / CGMA
• An equivalent recognised accounting qualification, or a qualified-by-experience (QBE) background

For this role, practical UK accounts, tax and VAT experience is more important than the specific professional body through which the candidate qualified.

Systems Experience

Strong Microsoft Excel skills are essential, along with solid working knowledge of Xero and QuickBooks.

Experience with the following would be advantageous:

• Excel
• Xero
• QuickBooks
• TaxCalc
• Engager (practice management CRM)
• Other cloud accounting or practice management software

Experience with data analysis tools or advanced Excel functions would be beneficial.

Who Thrives in This Role

Senior Accountants who are:

• Technically strong and enjoy taking a set of accounting records through to a finished set of accounts and a filed tax return.
• Comfortable working across different clients and industries.
• Equally comfortable with statutory compliance and the ongoing relationship involved in management accounts work.
• Confident moving between accounts preparation, tax and management accounts.
• Able to adapt to shifting client deadlines and wider team workloads.
• Proactive and able to pick up a new client file and get on with it with minimal instruction.
• Methodical, detail-oriented and able to explain their work clearly.
• Comfortable working with a varied portfolio of small and medium sized limited companies.
• Able to identify what needs attention and flag it to their manager and, where appropriate, the client directly.
• Interested in working with a UK team and gaining further exposure to UK businesses and accountancy practice standards.

Why GCO Partners

GCO Partners connects high-performing professionals from Africa with meaningful international work.

As a GCO professional, you will have the opportunity to:

• Apply your accounts, tax and VAT expertise in an international environment.
• Work directly with an established UK accountancy practice.
• Gain exposure to UK clients, UK compliance standards and practice-based accounting work.
• Develop your experience across accounts, tax compliance and management accounts.
• Build long-term international experience without relocating.
• Join a people-first organisation that values quality, accountability and professional growth.
• Remain connected to the wider GCO community while working as an embedded member of the client team.

At GCO, our work is guided by three passions: People, Performance and Progress. We invest in strong relationships, hold ourselves to high standards and continuously look for better ways to work.