Lead Financial Accountant

Lead Financial Accountant

Role Overview

Axis Education Group is a growing collection of Irish education institutions — Dublin Academy of Education (DAE), Independent College, International House Dublin, Public Affairs Ireland, and the Analytics Institute. We’re building a proper in\-house Group Finance team to support the next phase of our growth, and we’re looking for a Lead Financial Accountant to take ownership of one of our flagship entities.

You’d report to the Group Finance Manager, work closely with the Group Director of Finance, and start out as the Entity Lead for Dublin Academy of Education — the largest entity in the Group. It’s a role with real ownership from day one, replacing long\-standing external accounting support. Over time, we plan to expand the role to cover additional entities across the Group, building out a true multi\-entity remit.

If you’re a qualified accountant who wants genuine scope, exposure to a Group\-level finance function, and the chance to grow into a multi\-entity remit — we’d love to hear from you.

Key Areas of Responsibility

Month\-end Close \& Financial Statements – Own the end\-to\-end month\-end close process for DAE, including journals, accruals, prepayments, reconciliations, and preparation of monthly management accounts.

Internal Controls \& Governance – Establish, document, and maintain robust financial controls and accounting policies for the entity, ensuring alignment with Group standards.

Payroll Processing – Oversee monthly payroll processing, including liaising with HR, ensuring accurate Revenue submissions, and managing payroll reconciliations.

Audit \& Statutory Reporting – Act as the lead point of contact for the entity’s annual audit, preparing audit files, statutory financial statements, and addressing audit queries.

Budgeting \& Forecasting – Lead the annual budgeting process for DAE and contribute to ongoing reforecasting; partner with the entity’s leadership to provide insightful financial analysis.

Compliance \& Regulatory Reporting – Ensure timely and accurate VAT, PAYE, CT, and other statutory filings; support QQI and other education\-sector compliance reporting requirements.

Group Reporting Support – Provide accurate and timely entity\-level inputs into Group consolidation, KPI dashboards, and board reporting.

Process Improvement – Identify and implement improvements to close cycles, reporting, and finance systems (Xero, Hubdoc,, Agicap, Yooz) as the function scales.

Multi\-Entity Expansion – Over time, take on financial management responsibility for additional Group entities as the portfolio grows.

Skills \& Qualifications

Essential

Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CPA, or equivalent) with 2–5 years post\-qualification experience.

Strong technical accounting foundation including month\-end close, statutory reporting, and audit preparation.

Hands\-on experience with Xero (or equivalent cloud accounting platform).

Solid understanding of Irish payroll, VAT, and corporate tax compliance.

Strong Excel skills (VLOOKUPs and pivot tables as a minimum) and a structured, organised approach to high\-volume work.

Excellent attention to detail, organisational skills, and ability to manage multiple deadlines.

Desirable

Experience in a multi\-entity, services, or PE\-backed environment.

Exposure to consolidation, group reporting, or working across multiple legal entities.

Familiarity with finance automation tools (Hubdoc, Dext, Fathom, Agicap, Yooz, or similar).

Personal Attributes

A self\-starter who’s comfortable being the finance lead for an entity.

Commercially curious — keen to understand the business behind the numbers.

Collaborative and approachable, with the confidence to engage non\-finance colleagues.

Ambitious and growth\-oriented — excited by the chance to expand scope over time.

High integrity and sound judgement, with a real commitment to good governance.

What We Offer

Salary

Clear progression path — from entity lead to multi\-entity Group Accountant as Axis grows.

Direct exposure to a Group Finance leadership team and board\-level reporting.

Modern finance stack (Xero, Hubdoc, Fathom, Agicap, Yooz) and meaningful input into how it evolves.

Hybrid working from our Blackrock, Dublin office.

23 days annual leave plus public holidays.

Learning \& development support, including funded professional subscriptions.

Reporting Line

Reports to: Group Finance Manager

Works closely with: Group Director of Finance, entity leadership, and external advisors.

Pay: €70,000\.00\-€75,000\.00 per year

Benefits:

• On\-site parking


• Sick pay


• Work from home

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