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 PivotTables, INDEX/MATCH, filtering and sorting Knowledge of OpenAccounts 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