Randall & Payne – Careers & Employee Journey Summary

Overview

Randall & Payne promotes long-term career progression within a supportive, family-oriented environment. Team members span trainee through to partner level, with multiple examples of internal advancement and return hires.

Career Pathways & Progression

Internal Development

• Trainee → Senior Accountant → Assistant Client Manager → Director → Partner

• Apprenticeships available directly from school

• Clear progression routes to partnership

• Leadership team actively supports career ambitions

Qualifications & Study Support

• ACCA fully supported and funded

• AAT pathways supported

• Chartered Accountancy progression encouraged

• Flexibility and emotional support during study periods

• Supportive environment for those balancing study and family life

Return & Retention

• Former employees have returned after leaving for:

  • Industry roles

  • Other accountancy practices

• Returners cite:

  • Strong client relationships

  • Variety of work

  • “Family feel” culture

Attraction Factors

For Big Four Professionals

• Opportunity to work with a broader client base (charities, SMEs, owner-managed businesses)

• Reduced travel

• Closer board-level relationships

• Greater scope and variety of work

• Ability to apply large-firm standards in a more personal environment

For Career Changers

• Welcomes candidates with limited direct accountancy experience

• Values aptitude and attitude

• Supports qualification progression post-hire

Culture & Environment

• Family-business feel

• Friendly, collaborative team

• Strong peer and leadership support

• Open communication

• Focus on high-quality client service

• Inclusive leadership approach

• Background does not limit progression

Ideal Candidate Profile

• Enjoys numbers and problem-solving

• Enjoys working with people

• Values meaningful client relationships

• Growth-oriented mindset

• Ambitious (including partnership aspirations)

• Seeks a supportive, fully funded development pathway

Employer Value Proposition

Randall & Payne offers:

• Structured career progression to partnership

• Fully supported professional qualifications

• Broad client exposure

• Strong internal culture

• Leadership investment in individual development

• A balance of professional standards and personal connection

The firm positions itself as a long-term career destination for ambitious professionals seeking both progression and a supportive environment.

So, what’s it like to work at Randall & Payne? 

We’re about to hear from several members of our team at different stages of their career, all the way through from trainee to partner, and they’re going to talk about their journey with us. 

I joined Randall & Payne as a trainee accountant, then once I qualified with my ACCA as a senior accountant, I left to work in industry. Industry wasn’t for me, I missed the variety and the client contact, so I then looked at moving back to practice and I worked in a different practice and just found I missed the family feel of Randall & Payne. And then when the vacancy for an assistant client manager came up, I jumped at the opportunity and here I am now. 

My journey with Randall & Payne started about 23 years ago. My brother was a trainee with the firm and I needed do work experience at school. I saw what he was doing, and I thought it was interesting, so I applied and got the role. After that, I waited for an apprenticeship to come up with Randall & Payne which I took straight from school. 

Following this I had about a 10-year break in between studying and deciding what I wanted to do next. I decided that partnership was something I wanted to chase down, so I started my further ACCA studies. 

This was quite a tough time. I had full support from work, but I had a young family so trying to do the manager’s job, study and see the family was quite tough, but it always felt like a family and there was always someone to talk to. After qualifying I became director at Randall & Payne. Shortly after this, a role for partner came up which I grabbed, and I’ve absolutely loved it ever since. 

If you’ve got a mindset of you enjoy numbers, you enjoy people, you enjoy helping people. If you want to be fully supported, fully funded and just be someone who truly cares about what you do, we’d love to hear from you. 

So I joined Randall & Payne six years ago as an audit director having previously worked in the big four. What really attracted me to the role at Randall & Payne was the opportunity to work with a different type of client. Previously, in my other role, I’ve been working on a lot of large listed corporations and doing a lot of travelling. Whereas the opportunity at Randall & Payne was to work on a lot of different types of clients, like charities, companies and smaller businesses. And really working closely with the board to help them support their business goals. 

In 2022, I became a partner of the firm and it was a really proud moment for me as the leadership team here really supported me on my journey. It just goes to show that it doesn’t matter what your background is, the leadership team here will help you to achieve your goals. 

I started in project finance in a global engineering firm, really enjoyed that role but didn’t really understand the mechanics behind accountancy and some of the product decisions I was making, so I started to do my AAT. I really enjoyed that and decided that might be something that I might be better at. Also the global engineering firm was very, very large and I wanted to be in a smaller firm and a bit more of a family feel. 

A role came up at Randall & Payne, and I was invited for an interview which I was very surprised about because I had very little actual accountancy experience. But they offered me the role and ever since then I’ve gone from being my AT, which I completed before I joined Randall & Payne, and then gone up through the Chartered Accountancy route so I’m now a Chartered Accountant as well. 

Before joining Randall & Payne, I was with a big four advisory firm, mainly working on large M&A transactions. The biggest advantage of the big four experience is that you develop a strong sense of what good looks like when it comes to helping clients. Compared to the big four, I enjoy stronger client relationships and a much broader scope of work at Randall & Payne, which is quite fulfilling. 

The team here is super friendly and supportive, which is the best part, and we are all genuinely focused on doing great work for our clients. And most importantly, I’ve been able to apply what I learned at the big four to raise our standards even further, ensuring clients get great value for their investment. 

So, if you’d like to talk to us about a career at Randall & Payne, we’d love you to get in touch.