Senior Practice Accountant

The opportunity This is a senior accountancy role with real leadership built in from day one - not promised in a year, not dependent on someone else leaving. You'll join an established independent practice in Wiltshire as their most senior hire, working directly with the owner to run the day-to-day, raise standards, and develop the team around you. The practice has a loyal SME client base, a tight-knit team, and a clear succession plan - and they're now looking for the right person to be part of it long term. What you'll actually be doing • Managing a varied portfolio of SME clients across accounts, advisory and review work • Leading and developing the team - setting clear standards and holding people to them • Overseeing workflow, deadlines, output quality and client experience day to day • Identifying and sorting problems early before they become bigger issues • Partnering with the owner on operational decisions, culture and long-term strategy • Driving process improvement and moving the practice forward What we're looking for • Fully qualified ACA or ACCA with solid post-qualification practice experience • Genuine people management experience - you've led a team, not just supervised juniors • Technically strong across accounts and advisory for UK SME clients • Someone who can have a difficult conversation without it becoming a drama • Calm, credible and structured - especially when things are changing • Ready to take on real leadership now, not in a few years What you'll get • £55,000–£70,000+ depending on experience • A clear, genuine route to Directorship within 3-5 years • Real influence over the culture, operations and future of the practice • The chance to work directly with the owner - no corporate layers • Long-term ownership potential for the right person This role won't suit you if • You want mostly heads-down technical work with no leadership responsibility • You prefer remote-first or hybrid-first working • Your management experience is limited to mentoring or supervising juniors