Senior Inventory Accountant

Who we are

The role

The day-to-day

• Own the monthly, quarterly, and annual financial reporting for inventory, cost of goods sold (COGS), and stock valuation, ensuring precise reconciliation with the general ledger

• Prepare complex general ledger entries, including standard cost adjustments, slow-moving and obsolete inventory provisions (SLOB), and purchase price variance (PPV) analysis

• Reconcile physical inventory, sub-ledgers, and warehouse management systems (WMS) to ERP financial modules, resolving discrepancies at source

• Oversee and optimise cycle counting programmes and coordinate annual physical inventory counts with warehouse teams and external auditors

• Manage the end-to-end costing process (standard, FIFO, or average cost), investigating cost variances and recommending adjustments to protect margins

• Support month-end and year-end close processes, proactively identifying and resolving inventory cut-off issues ahead of reporting deadlines

• Act as the primary point of contact for external auditors on all inventory and costing queries, preparing robust audit working papers with a high degree of rigour

• Evaluate, design, and implement internal controls over inventory management on an ongoing basis, reducing risk and improving operational efficiency

You should apply if you

• Hold a professional accounting qualification (ACCA, ACA, or equivalent) and have applied it in manufacturing, retail, or distribution environments

• Have built and maintained inventory accounting processes end-to-end, including SLOB provisioning, PPV analysis, standard cost adjustments, and multi-location reconciliations

• Demonstrate a thorough understanding of IFRS and local GAAP as they apply to inventory valuation (IAS 2), and can apply this knowledge accurately in complex reporting environments

• Navigate advanced ERP systems (such as SAP, Oracle, or NetSuite) confidently and use Excel to manipulate and interrogate large data sets with precision

• Communicate complex financial findings clearly and credibly to non-finance stakeholders across operations, logistics, and procurement

• Manage competing priorities and time-sensitive close cycles, delivering accurate outputs consistently without compromising on rigour

Note: We operate in an industry where women, as well as other minority groups, are systematically under-represented. We encourage you to apply even if you don’t meet all the listed qualifications; ability and impact cannot be summarised in a few bullet points.

Nice to Have

• Experience participating in ERP migrations, system upgrades, or the implementation of specialised modules (e.g., fixed asset, inventory tracking, or automated reconciliation tools)

• Familiarity with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tools or basic scripting (like VBA or Python) to automate repetitive month-end tasks

• Experience working in a multi-entity, multi-currency environment with exposure to foreign exchange (FX) accounting and intercompany transactions

• A track record of identifying inefficiencies in financial workflows and successfully driving process-improvement initiatives (e.g., shortening the month-end close cycle)

Join Helsing and work with world-leading experts in their fields 

• Helsing’s work is important. You’ll be directly contributing to the protection of democratic countries while balancing both ethical and geopolitical concerns

• The work is unique. We operate in a domain that has highly unusual technical requirements and constraints, and where robustness, safety, and ethical considerations are vital. You will face unique Engineering and AI challenges that make a meaningful impact in the world

• Our work frequently takes us right up to the state of the art in technical innovation, be it reinforcement learning, distributed systems, generative AI, or deployment infrastructure. The defence industry is entering the most exciting phase of the technological development curve. Advances in our field of world are not incremental: Helsing is part of, and often leading, historic leaps forward

• In our domain, success is a matter of order-of-magnitude improvements and novel capabilities. This means we take bets, aim high, and focus on big opportunities. Despite being a relatively young company, Helsing has already been selected for multiple significant government contracts

• We actively encourage healthy, proactive, and diverse debate internally about what we do and how we choose to do it. Teams and individual engineers are trusted (and encouraged) to practise responsible autonomy and critical thinking, and to focus on outcomes, not conformity. At Helsing you will have a say in how we (and you!) work, the opportunity to engage on what does and doesn’t work, and to take ownership of aspects of our culture that you care deeply about

What we offer

• Competitive salary and VSOP options

• Relocation support: up to €2,500 and 4 weeks temporary accommodation

• Learning: €500/£450 yearly allowance

• Health & wellness: gym membership and mental health support (Nilo.health)

• Social: regularly company events and monthly social allowances

• Enhanced parental leave: 22 weeks fully paid for primary caregivers & 6 weeks for secondary caregivers.

• Family support: 5 days of paid family emergency leave, 100% remote work option during pregnancy and phased return to work

These are the core benefits across all locations, there may be additional benefits in certain locations.

Helsing is an equal opportunities employer. We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability or gender identity. Please do not submit personal data revealing racial or ethnic origin, political opinions, religious or philosophical beliefs, trade union membership, data concerning your health, or data concerning your sexual orientation.