Bookkeeper

Bookkeeper

Location:

Stevenage - Office Based
Salary: £35,000-£40,000 per annum, plus an attractive benefits package and pension

Contract:

Permanent, Full-Time

Working Hours:

Monday to Friday, 9:00am-5:30pm
Reporting to:
Managing Director
Accounting Software:
Quick Books Online

The Opportunity

We are seeking an experienced, organised and proactive Bookkeeper to join a growing UK business based in Stevenage.

This is an excellent opportunity for a hands-on finance professional to take ownership of the day-to-day bookkeeping and financial administration of an SME. Working closely with the Managing Director and liaising with the external accountant, you will play an important role in maintaining accurate financial records, ensuring timely reconciliations and providing reliable financial information to support business decisions.

The ideal candidate will have strong practical bookkeeping experience, excellent attention to detail and recent, hands-on experience using Quick Books Online. You will be comfortable working independently, investigating discrepancies and ensuring financial records are accurate, complete and up to date.

Key Responsibilities

Day-to-Day Bookkeeping

Maintain accurate and up-to-date accounting records using Quick Books Online, ensuring all transactions are supported by appropriate invoices, receipts and documentation.
Process supplier invoices, expenses, customer invoices and credit notes accurately.
Apply appropriate account codes and VAT treatments, referring complex or unfamiliar matters to the external accountant where necessary.
Review bank feeds, match transactions and ensure duplicate entries are avoided.

Banking and Payments

Reconcile bank accounts, credit cards and other relevant accounts regularly, completing formal month-end reconciliations.
Investigate discrepancies, resolve errors and maintain a clear audit trail.
Prepare supplier payment schedules and payment batches for approval.
Follow established financial controls, including expenditure approval procedures and verification of supplier bank details.

Sales and Purchase Ledgers

Maintain accurate customer and supplier accounts and balances.
Allocate customer receipts and supplier payments, reconcile supplier statements and resolve account queries.
Monitor overdue customer accounts and undertake appropriate credit-control activities.
Prepare clear aged debtor and creditor reports.

Month-End and Financial Reporting

Complete the agreed month-end checklist and investigate unusual or unexplained balances.
Produce routine profit and loss, balance sheet and cash-position reports.
Highlight significant financial movements, overdue debts and upcoming payment requirements to management.
Prepare supporting schedules and financial information for the external accountant.
Assist with year-end preparation and respond to accountant queries.

VAT and Financial Administration

Prepare VAT returns and supporting reconciliations for review and submission, where authorised.
Maintain organised digital financial records and promptly identify missing documentation.
Ensure financial information is accurate, complete and readily accessible.
Identify opportunities to improve bookkeeping processes, reporting and financial controls.

Payroll

Payroll responsibilities will depend on the final scope of the role. These may include preparing payroll inputs for an external provider, checking approved payroll changes, reviewing payroll outputs, maintaining confidential records and coordinating payroll-related reporting and payments.

About You

To be successful in this role, you will have:

Demonstrable experience maintaining the books of a UK business with a comparable volume and complexity of transactions.
Recent, practical experience using Quick Books Online, including bank feeds, reconciliations, customer and supplier accounts, VAT reporting and standard financial reports.
A sound understanding of double-entry bookkeeping and the relationship between the profit and loss account and balance sheet.
Working knowledge of routine UK VAT treatment and the documentation required to support financial entries.
The ability to investigate discrepancies and complete reconciliations independently.
Competent Excel skills, including sorting, filtering, basic formulas and reconciling data.
Excellent attention to detail, strong organisational skills and the ability to manage deadlines reliably.
Clear and professional communication skills, with the confidence to liaise with colleagues, customers, suppliers and external accountants.
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