Salary: £55,000 - £60,000 (depending on qualifications and experience)

Benefits: 25 days paid holiday (plus bank holidays), Life Assurance scheme (4*annual salary), 3% IFS pension contributions (on full salary, if opted in), salary sacrifice scheme, free breakfast at work, cycle scheme, AI tool license

Deadline for applying: 31st October 2026

Interviews are expected to be held on 9th and 10th November 2026

Contract: 12-16 month contract (maternity cover) – guaranteed 12 months (subject to performance) plus a further 4 months if the incumbent management accountant doesn’t return to work early.  Should they return early, IFS will provide at least 3 months’ notice.

Start date: 4 January 2027

The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) is the UK’s leading economics research institute. Our job is to analyse and inform economic and policy decisions and to help policymakers – and those who hold them accountable – understand the impact that their choices will have on individuals, households and businesses.

About IFS

We are a team of economists and professional services staff working in collaboration with other academic institutions and experts from the public sector, third sector and business. We count several of the world’s leading economists among our staff, and many of our experts go on to make up the next generation of policymakers, academic scholars and business leaders.

About the role

The purpose of the role is to provide cover for IFS’ well-regarded management accountant whilst they are away on maternity leave.  The role will have up to three months handover.  As part of a small finance team (Finance Director, Management Accountant, Finance Officer) the successful candidate will ensure that the organisation’s finances are managed efficiently, with improvements over time, and understood by key stakeholders within the organisation.

This role is a key component in a small high performing team that works closely together – getting work done efficiently, solving problems, making improvements, going home satisfied. 

The core duties are being responsible for month end processes including management accounts, managing payroll with the assistance of our external provider, supporting budget committee leads with regular financial analysis, driving process improvement across finance, managing project revenue from project win to close, supporting the Finance Director closely on the statutory audit and working closely with them on ad hoc projects. 

The role will begin during IFS’ year end process and so will be a high-energy introduction, working alongside the Management Accountant until they go on maternity leave towards the end of March, to learn the accounting and systems.  Crucially, IFS will also be in the middle of the transition from its legacy ERP system to Oracle Netsuite so a flexible, can-do attitude will be of prime importance in helping to steer this process.

The role will work closely with the Research Services team, which currently manages much of the administration around research project finances, and the HR Officer. 

At IFS, we value a positive and collaborative working culture. Senior staff are approachable, colleagues support one another, and administration is kept light so that people at every level can shape how we work. An active social scene, including baking and sport, helps make IFS a friendly place to work.

This is primarily an office-based role near Euston, Central London, however, some hybrid working is available.

Key initial duties

The principal duties are:

• Owning month end processes, which are well-documented;

• Managing payroll and pensions, including staff loans, holiday purchases and cycle scheme;

• Supporting budget committee leads with expenditure analysis;

• Managing project revenue from win to close through a good understanding of funder rules;

• Supporting Finance Director closely on statutory audit and ad hoc tasks;

• Driving process improvement across finance and the wider professional services team;

• Playing an important role in first adapting to, and then fully leveraging, Oracle Netsuite;

• Training new joiners on finance and payroll processes.

There are no direct management responsibilities within the role.

Person specification

Essential - Technical

· Qualified or near-qualified ACA, ACCA or CIMA

· At least two years of experience working as a management accountant or equivalent

· Experience of managing payroll or doing payroll work

Highly Desirable

· Working knowledge / experience of Oracle Netsuite

· Experience of applying charity accounting rules, particularly around revenue

· Experience of introducing automation / time-saving initiatives into regular workflows

· Highly proficient in excel (use of INDEX(MATCH), VLOOKUP, SUMIFS, pivot tables)

Essential – Personal characteristics

· Reliability – consistently meet deadlines; produce high-quality work; resilient under pressure

· Critical thinker – be aware of crucial details; recognise problems and propose solutions

· Independence – strong focus on priorities/time management skills; ability to critique own work

· Confidence – be a good listener; quick to adapt; be bold in looking for ways to improve skills

· Team-orientation – flexible to changes; responsive; co-operative problem solver; supportive

· Clear communication – high level of professionalism; open minded approach to new ideas

How to apply: please apply through our dedicated platform BeApplied where you’ll be asked for:

· CV (maximum 2 page) highlight as much as possible achievements relevant to the essential technical specifications

· Cover letter detailing how you meet the criteria focusing primarily on the essential technical specifications, which should make up at least half of the content, the more detail the better

· a response to a sift question,

· contact details of two references.

Applicants must be eligible to work in the UK; no visa sponsorship is available for this role.

Reasonable adjustment: Please let us know if you would require any adjustments during the recruitment process.

If you have any questions about the role please email jobs@ifs.org.uk