Payroll, Tax and Intercompany 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: | 209495 |
Summary
Job Title Payroll, Tax and Intercompany Accountant
Responsible to Finance Manager (Payroll, Tax and Intercompany)
Location Parklands Court, Rubery
Sector/ Business area Financial Accounts team, Central Finance
Overall purpose of the role Reporting to the Finance Manager (Payroll, Tax & Intercompany), the Payroll, Tax and Intercompany Accountant will take responsibility for ensuring all pension related costs are correctly recorded and that key payroll balance sheets are fully reconciled. They will ensure VAT and PSA returns are complete, accurate and timely, and providing information on PSA to the business. They will also look after Intercompany recharges between UK and Ireland. |
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
- VAT and PSA reporting
- Balance sheets/control accounts
- Process improvement
- UK/Ireland intercompany
- Pension related costs
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
- Prepare regular VAT returns for UK, Ireland and Netherlands based companies and load into tax software for upload
- Check and post VAT clearance journals provided by the Tax team
- Prepare quarterly PSA information which will feed into annual returns, liaising with sector FD’s for their review and comments in order to streamline preparation of annual returns, use information to prepare budgets and forecasts
- Prepare annual PSA returns for CGUKI and Compass Group plc, complete online submissions and ensure payment obligations are met
- Post monthly PSA charges to sectors and central functions based on budgets and forecasts
- Post forecast pension/SBP costs on a monthly basis, true-up on a 6-monthly basis
- Take ownership of and reconcile various balance sheets on a monthly basis, highlighting any risks and opportunities and providing a clear plan to resolve any items which have not cleared as expected, liaise with Payroll team to clear historic queries and look at how this process can be improved
- Post and reconcile UK to Ireland intercompany recharges
- Maintain process notes for all business-as-usual work to enable cross training, cover and support within the team
- Cross train other team members
Candidate Requirements: Key Skills, Knowledge & Experience
Essential:
- Part-qualified Accountant (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) [approx. 2 years completed] and minimum of two years in a finance role.
- Must be willing to commit to actively studying and qualifying in a reasonable time frame
- Intermediate Excel skills (common 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
Desirable:
- Prior experience of preparing VAT returns
- Prior experience of preparing PSA returns
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