Group Financial Accountant

You’ll play a pivotal role in delivering first‑class financial regulatory reporting, taking ownership of our Annual Performance Report (APR), monthly regulatory submissions, and ad‑hoc regulatory requests. Working at the heart of the business, you’ll lead segmental analysis and reporting across the entire organisation, ensuring insight, accuracy, and impact.

This role goes beyond reporting. You’ll project manage critical month‑end and year‑end deliverables, continually refine and improve reporting processes, optimise how we use our financial systems, and act as a trusted expert—providing clear, confident advice to stakeholders across the business.

This is an especially exciting time to join. We’re embarking on an unprecedented £20 billion investment programme (AMP8) over the next five years, transforming our infrastructure, improving environmental performance, and delivering better outcomes for our customers and communities.

It’s a demanding and rewarding role in a large, complex organisation—ideal for someone who thrives on challenge. You’ll collaborate with a wide range of stakeholders, gain deep exposure to all our service lines, and make a tangible contribution to shaping the future of the business.

What you will be doing as a Group Financial Accountant

Leading and project managing the delivery of the financial sections and associated documentation for our Annual Performance Report
Main lead for external audit deliverables and queries
Central support for monthly regulatory reporting
Central support for quarterly reporting on Return of Regulatory Equity (RORE)
Developing best practice processes and procedures around our external regulatory reporting, including using a range of financial tools, including SAP, HFM and SAC
Building up an expert knowledge of our business units and their financial performance
Becoming an expert in and advising stakeholders on financial reporting requirements set by our regulator, Ofwat, as set under Regulatory Accounting Guidelines (RAG’s)
Providing training and guidance to the supporting Finance teams
Supporting projects to support the wider Finance team
Key contact for Ofwat and External Audit queries Location - Hybrid, Reading

What you should bring to the role

Qualified Chartered Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent), ideally trained within a Top 10 audit firm
Strong ability to quickly learn and build expertise in the water sector
Adaptable, with a change‑focused mindset
Confident working across multiple financial systems
Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
Proven experience working collaboratively to deliver results under tight deadlines
Experience with SAP, SAC and HFM systems is desirableWhat’s in it for you? 

Competitive salary of £61000- £67000 per annum, depending on experience.
Annual Leave - 26 days holiday per year, increasing to 30 with the length of service. (Plus bank holidays)
Contributory pension – Defined Contribution - Maximum of 12% -2x employee contribution.
Personal Medical Assessments – Open to all once a year.
Wider benefits scheme including our benefits hub, which is packed full of offers and information to save you money and support your wellbeing.
Performance-related pay plan directly linked to company performance measures and targets. Find out more about our benefits and perks (Please note different T&Cs apply if on secondment)

Who are we?
We’re the UK’s largest water and wastewater company, with more than 16 million customers relying on us every day to supply water for their taps and toilets. We want to build a better future for all, helping our customers, communities, people, and the planet to thrive. It’s a big job, and we’ve got a long way to go, so we need help from passionate and skilled people, committed to making a difference and getting us to where we want to be in the years and decades to come.

Learn more about our purpose and values

Working at Thames Water
Thames Water is a unique, rewarding, and diverse place to work, where every day you can make a difference, yet no day is the same. As part of our family, you’ll enjoy meaningful career opportunities, flexible working arrangements and excellent benefits.

If you’re looking for a sustainable and successful career where you can make a daily difference to millions of people’s lives while helping to protect the world of water for future generations, we’ll be here to support you every step of the way. Together, we can build a better future for our customers, our region, and our planet.

Real purpose, real support, real opportunities. Come and join the Thames Water family. Why choose us? Learn more.

We’re committed to being a great, diverse, and inclusive place to work. We welcome applications from everyone and want to ensure you feel supported throughout the recruitment process. If you need any adjustments, whether that’s extra time, accessible formats, or anything else, just let us know. We’re here to help and support.

When a crisis happens, we all rally around to support our customers. As part of Team Thames, you’ll have the opportunity to sign up to support our customers on the frontline as an ambassador. Full training will be given for what is undoubtedly an incredibly rewarding experience. It’s also a great opportunity to learn more about our business and meet colleagues.

Disclaimer: Due to the high volume of applications we receive, we may close the advert earlier than the advertised date, so we encourage you to apply as soon as possible to avoid disappointment