Retail Financial Accountant & Digital Lead

About us 

At Halfords, our mission is to inspire and support a lifetime of motoring and cycling. As a specialist retailer, we lead the market through customer-driven innovation and a distinct product range. We are dedicated to providing our customers with an integrated, unique, and convenient service experience, from e-bike and electric vehicle servicing to on-demand solutions. Our commitment is to foster customer loyalty by offering compelling reasons to keep coming back to our stores, ensuring a lifetime of motoring and cycling enjoyment. 

The teams at our Redditch Support Centre work with every other area of our business, putting them at the heart of the action and playing a key role in our success and growth. Everyone brings their individual knowledge and experience to work every day, working as one team to keep things moving smoothly. 

If you’re willing to get stuck in, you’ll love it here too. So put yourself at the heart of a dynamic, fast-paced working environment where expertise and focus take people far. 

The role 

This is a rare opportunity to step into a finance role sitting at the intersection of accounting, systems and automation. Joining a finance function in transition, you’ll work on the core Retail business within a £1.7bn listed group, helping to shape how financial data is extracted, understood and used. This is not a traditional controls role, it’s about turning complex system outputs into clear insight for the wider finance team and senior stakeholders. 

You’ll take ownership of key accounting areas including balance sheet reconciliations, P&L analysis, revenue recognition and technical journals, while working closely with SAP and other systems to understand data flows end to end. A core part of the role is identifying where processes, controls and reporting can be improved or automated, fixing issues at source and building scalable solutions using tools such as advanced Excel, Power BI and AI tools such as Copilot. You’ll also support audits, group reporting cycles and play an active role in finance transformation and upcoming ERP implementation. 

This role will suit a qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with strong ERP experience who enjoys digging into systems, improving processes, and driving meaningful change. You’ll be confident working autonomously, influencing stakeholders without line management responsibility, and operating in a fast-paced, evolving environment. In return, you’ll have real freedom to shape the role, high exposure to senior leaders, and the chance to leave a lasting mark on how finance operates across the business. 

Key responsibilities 

Ownership of balance sheet reconciliations and key P&L lines within a time-pressured reporting environment 

Support of finance transformation initiatives, including ERP implementation and systems change 

Preparation and posting of key technical accounting journals, including revenue recognition under IFRS 15 

Delivery of analytical reviews and deep dives into financial performance, identifying risks and opportunities 

Identification, design and implementation of process improvements, automation opportunities and control enhancements 

Investigation and resolution of system, process and automation issues at source 

Development of clear, repeatable financial outputs and reports for wider finance and senior stakeholders 

Collaboration with internal and external auditors during half-year and year-end cycles 

Ongoing engagement with stakeholders across Finance, Transformation and the wider Retail business 

About you  

Proven experience delivering process improvement and automation within a finance or accounting function 

Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA or CIMA) with strong technical accounting capability 

Demonstrable experience working with ERP systems (e.g. SAP), including data extraction, reporting and analysis 

Proven knowledge of using AI tools including Copilot 

Advanced Excel skills, with experience using data and analytics tools such as Power BI 

Strong understanding of revenue recognition and complex accounting treatments 

Ability to integrate data from multiple systems into clear, meaningful outputs 

Confident stakeholder manager, able to explain complex financial and system concepts to non-finance audiences 

Comfortable working autonomously in a fast-paced, evolving environment 

Detail-focused, analytical and naturally curious, with a drive to improve how things are done 

Reward & benefits  

A fair and competitive salary evaluated against market data, annual discretionary bonus scheme, pension, life assurance, 25 days annual leave plus bank holidays, a holiday buy and sell scheme and enhanced family leave. 

Commitment and dedication to your ongoing personal and professional development. We help you to own and grow your potential so you can be at your best in your current role and to support your future career aspirations. 

We offer hybrid working with a blend of working in our Support Centre and from home.   

You will have access to a wealth of employee discounts across the Halfords suite of products and services.  

Wellbeing and inclusion are at the heart of our colleague experience. We offer resources and ongoing support to enhance your wellbeing at work and active Colleague Networks supporting inclusion initiatives across Halfords. 

Not sure you meet all the criteria? We'd encourage you to take the wheel and apply anyway! At Halfords we are committed to creating an inclusive workplace for our colleagues. We're an equal opportunities employer and proud to welcome applications from all backgrounds and embrace diversity within our one Halfords Family. 

At Halfords, we operate a hybrid working policy with 2-3 days on site at our Support Centre in Redditch, Worcestershire.