Accountant, Financial Reporting, Accounting & Finance

Location: Hybrid / Cambridge, UK
job type: Permanent / Full-time
Sector and subsector: Accounting & Finance | Accounts Payable
Salary: Competitive salary

Affinia is the UK’s largest purpose-led, purpose-built Accountancy firm, focused on building stronger, more valuable relationships. With over 1,000 colleagues across the East, South East, London and the Midlands, we are dedicated to supporting our clients, colleagues and communities.

We advise businesses, public sector organisations, charities and individuals throughout the UK and internationally across six Service Lines - Accountancy & Advisory, Tax and Planning, Audit & Assurance, Corporate Finance, Payroll and Corporate Recovery. Our team also offer in-depth sector expertise across a number of sectors, ensuring our clients receive the best short to medium and long-term advice, tailored to them. We are committed to delivering excellence in every aspect of our work, adapting to the evolving technology and regulatory landscape while consistently exceeding client expectations.

Our people are our most valuable asset. We are therefore committed to supporting our colleagues throughout their professional development, providing guidance and training at whatever stage of their career they join us.

The Accountant is responsible for managing a portfolio of clients, ensuring accurate and timely bookkeeping, VAT compliance, reconciliations, month-end processing and year-end preparation. The role plays a key part in delivering Green & Purple's Virtual Finance Office service by providing reliable financial information, maintaining strong client relationships and supporting the wider team in delivering exceptional client service.

The Accountant will work closely with Management Accountants and Financial Controllers to ensure client work is completed to a high standard, deadlines are met, and opportunities for improvement are identified and implemented.

• Manage a portfolio of clients across a variety of industries.
• Take ownership of day-to-day financial processing and bookkeeping requirements.
• Build strong relationships with clients and become a trusted point of contact.
• Understand each client's business, objectives and operational requirements.
• Ensure work is delivered within agreed deadlines and budgets.
• Escalate issues, risks and opportunities appropriately.
• Process purchase invoices, sales invoices, bank transactions and journals accurately and efficiently.
• Maintain accurate accounting records within cloud accounting systems.
• Ensure transactions are coded correctly and consistently.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through automation and process improvements.
• Support the onboarding of new clients and implementation of systems.

• Complete bank reconciliations promptly and accurately.
• Investigate and resolve reconciling items.
• Reconcile balance sheet control accounts including VAT, PAYE, debtors, creditors, accruals, prepayments, fixed assets and director loan accounts.
• Maintain clear audit trails and supporting documentation.

• Prepare and submit VAT returns.
• Ensure appropriate VAT treatment is applied to transactions.
• Maintain awareness of changes in VAT legislation.
• Identify potential VAT issues and elevate where necessary.

• Prepare journals including accruals, prepayments, depreciation and payroll.
• Assist with month-end close procedures.
• Prepare reconciled trial balances and working papers.
• Support the year-end accounts preparation process.
• Liaise with compliance teams to ensure smooth year-end delivery.

• Respond to client queries in a professional and timely manner.
• Attend client meetings where appropriate.
• Build trusted relationships through excellent communication and service.
• Manage expectations around deadlines and information requirements.
• Identify opportunities to provide additional value to clients.

• Utilise Green & Purple's technology stack effectively, including Xero, Dext, Hubdoc, Mimo, Excel and AI tools.
• Maintain strong Excel skills including pivot tables, lookup functions, data analysis and reporting.
• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce manual processing.

• AAT qualified, studying towards AAT, or equivalent practical experience.
• Strong understanding of bookkeeping and double-entry principles.
• Experience preparing VAT returns and account reconciliations.
• Experience using cloud…