This example is for a qualified accountant with a few years in practice and industry who wants a senior management accountant or financial controller role. It shows how to present month-end, reporting and controls as results, and where your qualification belongs.
Thomas Reid
Management Accountant, ACCA
thomas.reid@example.com·07700 900347·Nottingham, UK
Summary
ACCA-qualified management accountant with six years in practice and industry. Runs a five-day month-end close for a £45m manufacturer and turns the numbers into commentary the board can act on. Looking for a financial controller or senior management accountant role in the East Midlands.
Experience
Management Accountant
Trentside Packaging Ltd·Nottingham, UK
Packaging manufacturer, £45m turnover, 320 staff on 2 sites.
Cut the month-end close from 8 working days to 5 by moving accruals and prepayments onto standard templates and starting reconciliations before month-end.
Prepare the monthly management accounts pack and variance commentary for the board, covering both sites.
Led the 2025 and 2026 budgets with 6 department heads; full-year overheads for 2025 landed within 2% of budget.
Found £60,000 of duplicate supplier payments in a balance sheet review and recovered all of it.
Prepare quarterly VAT returns under Making Tax Digital.
Assistant Accountant
Hollins & Webb Chartered Accountants·Nottingham, UK
Accountancy practice with around 300 small business clients.
Prepared year-end accounts and corporation tax computations for a portfolio of about 45 limited company clients.
Ran monthly payroll for 12 clients in Sage, including RTI submissions and auto-enrolment pensions.
Moved 20 bookkeeping clients from spreadsheets to Xero and trained their staff to use it.
Education
BSc Accounting and Finance, 2:1
University of Nottingham·Nottingham, UK
Skills
Accounting
Month-end close · Management accounts · Budgeting and forecasting · Balance sheet reconciliations · VAT and Making Tax Digital · Year-end accounts
Systems
Sage 200 · Xero · Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, Power Query) · Power BI
Languages
EnglishNative
GermanA2
Certifications
ACCA membership (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants)
ACCA
A fictional example: the person, the employers and the contact details are invented. Shown in the Aurora template.
Why this CV works
ACCA-qualified management accountant with six years in practice and industry.
Qualification status in the first line. Finance recruiters filter on ACCA, ACA or CIMA before they read anything else.
Cut the month-end close from 8 working days to 5 by moving accruals and prepayments onto standard templates and starting reconciliations before month-end.
Month-end speed is how finance teams are judged. Days before and after, plus how, makes it believable.
Found £60,000 of duplicate supplier payments in a balance sheet review and recovered all of it.
A control win with a pound figure shows he protects the business, not just reports on it.
Led the 2025 and 2026 budgets with 6 department heads; full-year overheads for 2025 landed within 2% of budget.
Budgeting with department heads proves he can work with non-finance people, which a controller role needs.
Ran monthly payroll for 12 clients in Sage, including RTI submissions and auto-enrolment pensions.
Payroll, RTI and pensions are specific UK skills; naming them helps with both the ATS and the reader.
Skills to include
Month-end close
Management accounts and variance analysis
Budgeting and forecasting
Balance sheet reconciliations
VAT returns and Making Tax Digital
Year-end accounts and corporation tax
Payroll and RTI
Accounting software (Sage, Xero)
Advanced Excel
Financial controls
Business partnering
Mistakes to avoid
Not making your qualification status clear: qualified, part-qualified with the number of papers passed, or studying. Recruiters filter on it first.
Describing month-end as a duty instead of saying how many days it takes and what you improved.
Listing every Excel function you know but not the accounting systems (Sage, Xero, SAP, Oracle) the job ad asks for.
Country tip
UK finance recruiters filter on qualifications, so put ACCA, ACA, CIMA or AAT status in your headline or profile; if you are part-qualified, say how many exams you have passed. Leave off your photo and date of birth. Two pages is normal for qualified accountants.
Frequently asked questions
How do I write an accountant CV?
Start with your qualification and a short profile, then list each job with results: month-end days, reports you own, savings or errors you found, budgets you led. Add the accounting systems you use.
Should I put part-qualified ACCA on my CV?
Yes. Write “ACCA part-qualified” with the number of papers passed and when you expect to finish. Many roles are open to part-qualified candidates and recruiters search for that phrase.
What skills should an accountant put on a CV?
Month-end close, management accounts, reconciliations, budgeting, VAT and the software you use, such as Sage, Xero or SAP. Strong Excel matters too, but show what you built with it.