Senior Accounts Assistant

An exciting opportunity has arisen for an Accountant/Senior Accounts Assistant to join a small, close-knit accountancy practice. This is a varied, hands-on position suited to someone with some previous practice experience who enjoys working across different areas of accounting and being involved in the day-to-day running of a practice.

Key Responsibilities

The successful candidate may be involved in a wide range of duties, including:

Accounts & Year-End

• Preparing annual accounts for sole traders, partnerships and limited companies
• Assisting with statutory accounts preparation
• Preparing accounts from trial balance through to final accounts
• Assisting with year-end procedures
• Preparing and posting year-end journals
• Producing working papers and supporting schedules
• Assisting with balance sheet reconciliations
• Reviewing and investigating discrepancies
• Assisting with company accounts and general accounting queries
• Liaising with the qualified accountant on more complex accounts work

Bookkeeping

• Maintaining accurate accounting records for a portfolio of clients
• Processing purchase and sales invoices
• Posting bank transactions
• Bank reconciliations
• Maintaining ledgers
• Processing expenses and payments
• Producing management information where required
• Supporting clients with bookkeeping queries
• Working with cloud accounting systems, particularly QuickBooks

VAT

• Preparing and submitting VAT returns
• Reviewing VAT records for accuracy
• Reconciling VAT accounts
• Assisting clients with VAT queries
• Ensuring VAT deadlines are met
• Supporting with VAT-related bookkeeping

Payroll

• Processing weekly, fortnightly or monthly payroll
• Calculating wages, deductions and statutory payments
• Processing PAYE and National Insurance
• Preparing payroll reports
• Assisting with pension submissions
• Dealing with payroll queries
• Supporting with year-end payroll requirements

Practice & Client Support

• Assisting with a varied portfolio of clients
• Communicating with clients by phone and email
• Responding to day-to-day accounting queries
• Requesting information and records from clients
• Maintaining accurate and up-to-date client files
• Meeting deadlines across multiple clients
• Assisting with general administrative duties within the practice
• Supporting the wider team wherever required
• Building strong and professional relationships with clients

General Accounting Duties

• Processing journals and adjustments
• Maintaining nominal ledgers
• Preparing reconciliations
• Assisting with aged debtor and creditor reviews
• Assisting with tax-related information and computations
• Supporting with self-assessment work where required
• Assisting with corporation tax preparation where appropriate
• Assisting with accounts queries and technical research
• General data entry and financial administration
• Taking on additional responsibilities as experience develops

About You

The ideal candidate will have:

• Previous accountancy practice experience
• Experience working across a variety of accounting duties
• Practical experience with IRIS and QuickBooks
• Good bookkeeping and accounts preparation skills
• Experience with VAT returns
• Some payroll experience
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Good organisational and time-management skills
• The ability to manage multiple deadlines
• Good communication and client-facing skills
• A proactive and willing attitude
• The ability to work independently while also being a strong team player