Ensuring our team has the time to focus on their own career development
I’ve progressed from Senior Tax Manager at Shorts, to a Director in control of an entire department, and now leading a part of the business as Tax Partner. David Robinson, Tax Partner
I’ve progressed from Senior Tax Manager at Shorts, to a Director in control of an entire department, and now leading a part of the business as Tax Partner.
We are really proud of our record of team development and have supported many individuals with their progression within the firm.
We understand that when people are busy, working on day-to-day client deadlines, focusing on personal development can sometimes be overlooked. So, we ensure that our team has the time to focus on their own career development too.
Our management development program ensures that every team member has their own tailored personal development plan which reflects their unique set of aspirations, priorities and goals; because every one of our team is at a different stage of their career.
We are also immensely proud to have been named Best Employer in Tax at the Tolley’s Taxation Awards 2022, Employer of the Year at the Yorkshire Accountancy Awards 2023, and most recently, shortlisted for Outstanding Contribution to Workforce Development at the Sheffield Business Awards.
Learning and Development Manager
Lana joined Shorts in 2025, in the newly created role of Learning and Development Manager. A dedicated role, responsible for managing the full learning lifecycle of our team; from identifying development needs to creating and facilitating bespoke workshops and programmes that drive meaningful change.
We bring our team together, fostering collaboration, and creating spaces where learning is shared, inclusive, and energising.
With focus on supporting early-career talent, Lana is the the go-to person for our students, and works closely with them throughout their training journey; ensuring they feel supported, challenged, and equipped to thrive.
Whether it’s navigating personal development plans, training pathways, or exam preparation, Lana’s role is to guide and champion the growth of our team.
Lana’s expertise lies in people development, coaching and digital learning with a strong focus on creating versatile content that resonates with diverse learning styles and is inclusive of all neurotypes.
Rob Brown is a best-selling author and host of the successful podcast, ‘The Accounting Influencers‘ with a global audience of over 35,000 accounting professionals.
An expert in getting to the core of any accounting topic, Rob interviews Shorts’ Managing Partner, Andy Irvine to understand why promoting career development is not only good news for the team, but also for Shorts.
To find out more about their personal progression and development, we spoke to members of our team who have all achieved promotion through the management development plan at Shorts.
Covering questions such as ‘Did progression opportunity influence your decision to join Shorts, how has your role developed since joining Shorts, and how has the management training program helped you?’ our team share their thoughts and experience.
One of the great advantages of Shorts is its commitment to developing and progressing the existing team. In just over six years, I have progressed from Accounts Senior to Manager and then in April 2022, I was promoted to Client Finance Director before being promoted to Director in January 2024. Development is supported by the varied training opportunities available and I recently completed a course on data analytics.
Shorts is a true meritocracy and individuals are given responsibility and encouraged to flourish regardless of their age or experience. I can attest to this, as I joined Shorts in 2015 and have since progressed through the ranks, joining the Partnership in 2022. During my time at the firm, I’ve progressed from being a Senior Manager advising a portfolio of clients, to a Director in control of an entire Department, and now leading a part of the business as Tax Partner.”
Malcolm graduated from Sheffield University with a degree in Accounting and Financial Management. He joined Shorts in Chesterfield and immediately began his ICAEW studies while gaining valuable experience in preparing sole trader and company accounts manually.
As his career progressed, he became more involved with company accounts and audits. By 2004, Malcolm was promoted to a manager role in the newly opened Sheffield office on Ecclesall Road, where he worked on improving the quality of limited company accounts and managing the growing team.
In 2008, he was promoted to partner, making him one of the few in the industry to achieve this before turning 30. In September 2025, we celebrated his 25th anniversary and you can read his 25th year anniversary blog here.
“Shorts culture is refreshing; one of embracing and encouraging innovative ideas, no matter your position in the firm. This gave me the confidence to approach the partner group with my ideas and I was encouraged to embark on refining and developing the Tax Compliance department processes. I was given autonomy to lead the project but coaching from the senior team members and partner group was always available. With their support, I was able to take my ideas from concept to fruition.
The partners were able to recognise my strengths and have helped me realise my potential. I have progressed from being a Manager to a Senior Manager leading the Tax Compliance Department. I am still on my career journey with Shorts and the firm continues to provide training to develop my management skills along with regular mentoring sessions from the partner group. Shorts is an exciting and progressive firm, and I am proud to be a part of it.”
Our recruitment program includes many just starting out on their career journey in accountancy.
Whether joining through our graduate program, as an apprentice, or studying for higher qualifications, all of our trainees are fully supported throughout their training journey, and many stay with us after completing their studies.
Career Opportunities
Interested in working at Shorts?
Visit our careers pages for details of our current vacancies.
Healthy life balance
We look after our clients really well, but we also look after our team, because we know that their welfare and development are equally as important.
For everyone, personal time when we are not working is extremely valuable, and it is for that reason, that our zero overtime policy was created. Fundamentally, we do not expect any of our team to work more than their basic weekly hours.
Although this practice is quite unique within the accounting industry, we are proud to consistently see average overtime at less than one hour per employee per month.
Hybrid working, core hours, and zero overtime policies mean that our team manage their time better – both in and out of the office.
Enjoying our work
We don’t work to unrealistic timescales and never accept client work that we are unable to fulfil.
We aim to manage our employee levels to ensure that our team is always around 15% over capacity at any time, meaning that they should never feel overwhelmed or under undue pressure
Consequently, our team have the appropriate time to focus on their work – time to think, time to analyse, and time to bounce off one another with ideas. Not only does this lead to improved job satisfaction, but also results in higher levels of client service.
Charity
Our team regularly takes part in local and national fundraising events and all team members have the opportunity to take part in one volunteering day each year. There is an opportunity to get involved in
– sporting events, tournaments and challenges – cake sales – Christmas events – Local charity collections
Employee Benefits
Those who work for Shorts can expect all the stuff you would normally expect from a really progressive form, and lots more besides
Team News
We work together, celebrate our successes together and always share our team news.
To find out more about what’s been happening recently, visit our LinkedIn page.
Working at Shorts
We have created an environment where our team feel supported, developed and happy.
We provide our team with a blend of interesting and challenging work with time to contribute their own ideas, concentrate on personal development whilst ensuring a healthy life balance, both in and out of work.
Beginning your career
In the world of accounting and financial management, Malcolm Pope’s story is truly inspiring. This month, we're celebrating his 25th work anniversary. From a fresh graduate to a partner at Shorts, his journey shows his dedication, resilience, and passion for the profession.
From coffee mornings to Sparkle walks and annual Christmas jumper days, we at Shorts take part in numerous charity fundraising events every year. However, we are excited to announce that following a team poll, Sheffield Children’s Hospital will become the first official Shorts charity of the year.
This week we bid farewell to Jaskaran Mehat, who comes to the end of her placement year with us. As she returns to the University of Lincoln to complete her degree in Accountancy and Finance, we thank her for her enthusiasm, energy and the contribution she has made to our team over the last 13 months, whilst also wishing her the very best of luck for the final year of her degree and future career. On leaving, Jaz provided us with some thoughts and reflections on her time with us. Her words as follows:
We’re always open to talking to great people. If you feel that Shorts would be a great fit for your next career move, then why not send us your contact details; we’ll give you a call and maybe meet up to chat over coffee? (If you’d prefer to send us your CV, you can add that too) As part of our commitment to promote diversity we ask that candidates remove any personal traits such as name and date of birth as part of our initial screening process thus enabling us to make talent decisions based on skills and experience.
