Lease Accountant
| Posting date: | 26 January 2026 |
|---|---|
| Salary: | Not specified |
| Additional salary information: | Competitive |
| Hours: | Full time |
| Closing date: | 25 February 2026 |
| Location: | Birmingham, B45 9PZ |
| Company: | Compass Group |
| Job type: | Permanent |
| Job reference: | 209498 |
Summary
Job Title Lease Accountant
Responsible to Finance Manager (Fixed Assets, Leases & Property)
Location Parklands Court, Rubery
Sector/ Business area Financial Accounts team, Central Finance
Overall purpose of the role Reporting to the Finance Manager (Fixed Assets, Leases & Property), the Lease Accountant will take ownership of lease accounting and reporting, including ensuring that control accounts are reviewed regularly and all items in query are resolved. |
Financial Accounts team – Purpose and Context The Financial Accounts team performs a pivotal role within Compass UK&I, overseeing fixed assets, leases/IFRS16 accounting, property related transactions, intercompany, balance sheet reconciliations, Group reporting, audit and financial statements, below the line transactions, accounting for M&A and providing advice and guidance on accounting matters as required. We also support the Tax team on sales and employment taxes as well as other Central Finance teams. |
Key Accountabilities
PURPOSE
- Lease accounting and reporting
- Co-ordination and review of Compass One property work
- Approval and creation of fixed assets
PEOPLE:
- Working effectively as part of a team
- Building relationships with key stakeholders
- Liaising with colleagues from other teams for resolution of queries
- Coaching and guiding other team members
PERFORMANCE
- Carry out all steps required for month end lease processing and reporting
- Ensure that ALAE (lease accounting system) is complete and correct
- Prepare any manual journals required for missed ALAE transactions, to be posted into SAP
- Prepare IFRS16 HFM file for Group reporting
- Review all lease controls accounts monthly with preparers and ensure they are resolving any query items in a timely manner
- Identify new leases, modifications or disposals to be processed on ALAE and ensure change log is updated
- Ensure all lease related queries in the team mailbox are answered within agreed timeframes
- Assist with audit requests and statutory reporting for IFRS16
- Review the P&L for any short term/low value leases and assess correct treatment
- Oversight and co-ordination of all property work undertaken on behalf of Compass One – review of working papers/control accounts and ensuring productive meetings take place regularly with the sector finance team
- Approval of fixed asset creation/transfers where required and asset creation using Winshuttle
- Review of ONS surveys and carbon footprint reporting ahead of submission
- Maintain process notes for all business-as-usual work to enable cross training, cover and support within the team
- Cross train other team members and support with training and development of more junior colleagues
Candidate Requirements: Key Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Essential:
- Part-qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) [at least 3 years completed/4 or fewer exams remaining] and minimum of three years in a finance role.
- Must be willing to commit to actively studying and qualifying in a reasonable time frame
- Intermediate to Advanced Excel skills (complex formulae, pivot tables etc)
- Good organisational and presentational skills
- Flexible and adaptable in this busy, evolving environment
- Experience of balance sheet reconciliations
- Experience of month end (accruals, prepayments, variance analysis etc)
- Experience of ERP software, SAP preferred
- Continuous improvement mindset to question current processes
- Understanding of reporting standard and experience working with IFRS16 accounting
Desirable:
- Experience with property costs
- Line management experience
We ensure you\\'re rewarded for all your hard work, which is why we offer a comprehensive benefits package which includes but is not limited to:
• Exclusive travel discounts with TUI, Expedia, Booking.com and many more
• Save money on your food shop with discounts on Tesco, Sainsbury\\'s, Morrisons and more
• Up to 44% off cinema tickets to enjoy your favourite blockbuster
• Regular emails filled with the best discounts and savings available
• Receive Wow Points every time you spend and use them on a wide range of brands
• Un-wind with us with free wellness, mindfulness and exercise classes
• You can share all discounts and offers with your friends and families
• Contributory pension scheme
• Study support
• Grow your career with our Career Pathways and MyLearning programmes