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Your new company
Hays is delighted to be working with an established Scottish accountancy and business advisory firm to recruit an Accounts Manager for its Melrose office.

This is a firm that looks to build long-term relationships with its clients, supporting them not only with their year-end accounting and tax requirements but with the wider financial and commercial decisions that come with running and developing a business.

For someone who enjoys the relationship side of practice, this is an opportunity to move into a role where you can take real ownership of a portfolio, get closer to your clients and combine technical work with more proactive conversations and advisory support.

Your new role
As Accounts Manager, you will take responsibility for a varied portfolio of clients, developing strong relationships and becoming a key point of contact for their accounting, tax and wider business requirements.
You will oversee the preparation and review of annual accounts and tax returns, ensuring work is accurate, compliant and delivered within agreed deadlines. You will also become involved in one-off advisory assignments, giving you scope to understand individual clients' objectives and provide appropriate advice rather than working solely within a compliance-focused remit.

A significant part of the position will be client-facing. You will organise and attend meetings, deal with queries and build an understanding of the commercial challenges and objectives facing the businesses you support. The emphasis is on developing trusted, long-term relationships and identifying where the wider practice can provide relevant support.
Alongside managing your own client responsibilities, you will support and mentor junior colleagues, sharing knowledge and helping to maintain the quality and timely delivery of work across the team.

What you'll need to succeed

• Previous experience in a similar role within an accountancy practice.
• Strong working knowledge of accounting principles and taxation, with the technical ability to oversee annual accounts and tax work.
• The ability to manage client relationships and communicate technical matters clearly.
• Experience managing deadlines and taking responsibility for the quality and timely delivery of client work.
• Confidence working collaboratively with colleagues and supporting more junior members of a practice team.
• Proficiency in accounting and tax software.
• Part or full completion of a relevant professional accountancy and/or tax qualification.
• Experience of handling client meetings and acting as a regular point of contact for a portfolio.
• Exposure to advisory or project-based work alongside more traditional compliance responsibilities.
• An interest in understanding the wider commercial objectives behind a client's accounts rather than concentrating purely on year-end delivery.

What you'll get in return
You'll receive a competitive salary and join a well-established practice where the Accounts Manager role offers a genuine mixture of technical, client-facing and people responsibilities.

The position should particularly suit someone who wants to stay close to their clients and technical work while developing broader experience in relationship management and advisory assignments. Alongside the day-to-day role, you'll join a business that places emphasis on learning, mentorship and professional development. A wider benefits offering includes enhanced family-friendly policies, holiday entitlement and paid volunteering time.

Ultimately, the attraction here is the breadth of the position. Rather than moving away from client work as you develop at manager level, you'll have the opportunity to remain directly involved with clients while taking greater responsibility for delivering the work and supporting the wider team.

What you need to do now
If you're interested in this role, click 'apply now' to forward an up-to-date copy of your CV, or call us now.
If this job isn't quite right for you, but you are looking for a new position, please contact us for a confidential discussion about your career.

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