Chief Accountant

Senior Bookkeeper/ Chief Accountant
Salary up to £40,000
Full office based
Full time: 8am - 4:30pm
28 holidays including bank holidays

The Role

My client is looking for an experienced and highly organised Senior Bookkeeper/Chief Accountant to join a busy finance function. This is a varied, hands-on position with responsibility across transactional finance, reconciliations, fixed assets and month-end activities, alongside supporting the wider day-to-day running of the accounts function.

The role offers excellent scope for development, with the successful candidate gradually taking on additional responsibilities across management accounts, payroll, VAT, foreign currency payments, audit and other areas of finance.

Key Responsibilities
Take ownership of the accounts payable process, including posting and payment of overhead invoices
Reconcile all company bank accounts, including foreign currency accounts
Complete credit card reconciliations and associated postings
Maintain and reconcile the fixed asset register
Oversee retail till transactions, investigating and resolving discrepancies
Complete cash book reconciliations for website payment methods and resolve any issues
Prepare and maintain monthly prepayment and accrual schedules
Support accounts receivable, including ad hoc reconciliations
Maintain bad debt provisions and oversee key customer accounts
Process ad hoc payments as required
Support month-end processes and ensure financial records remain accurate and up to date
Additional / Developing Responsibilities

Over time, the successful candidate will take on a broader range of responsibilities, including:

Production of monthly management accounts
Monthly payroll processing and payments
HR administration, including preparation of contracts and maintenance of the HR portal
Management of foreign factory payments
Liaising with FX providers and managing forward USD contracts
Reconciling overseas factory invoices and payments
VAT management across UK and European registrations, including NL VAT, IOSS and OSS returns
EU sales reporting and Intrastat submissions
Lease management, including utilities across company properties and present value calculations
Insurance administration and collation of reports required by insurers
Preparation of sales agent commission reports and retrospective discount calculations
Production and collation of information for the annual audit
Supporting the business with changes to accounting, VAT and relevant legal requirements

The successful candidate will ideally have:

Previous experience within a varied finance/accounts position
Strong accounts payable and reconciliation experience
Good understanding of month-end processes, including accruals and prepayments
Experience maintaining fixed asset registers
Strong Excel skills, including Pivot Tables, INDEX/MATCH, filtering and sorting
Knowledge of Open Accounts would be advantageous
Experience using SAP reporting would be beneficial
Previous exposure to management accounts, VAT and/or payroll would be advantageous but is not essential for someone looking to develop into these areas
Strong attention to detail and the ability to investigate and resolve discrepancies