Senior Finance Assistant

Department:

Finance

Location:

London / UK

Country:

United Kingdom

Employment type:

Permanent

Workspace:

Hybrid

Location: London, hybrid – minimum 2 days in office 
Reporting to: Financial Controller 
Companies: Databarracks Limited, COOLSPIRiT Limited and Via-K

We’re looking for an experienced Senior Finance Assistant to join our Group Finance team. You’ll own day-to-day accounting across all three businesses, delivering clean, reconciled and supported trial balances for the Financial Controller’s month-end review, analysis and management reporting.
You’ll provide guidance to the Finance Assistant and Credit Controller, without formal line management responsibility, and help implement our modern, AI-enabled ERP platform to improve processes, controls, automation and scalability.
Responsibilities:

  • Manage  transactional accounting: Maintain accurate purchase and sales ledgers, supplier and customer accounts, and banking records. Ensure  correct coding by entity, nominal account, department and reporting      dimension; investigate unusual or incomplete entries; support authorised,  accurately recorded payment runs; and post and reconcile bank transactions promptly.
  • Deliver  month-end trial balances: Complete and review bank, sales and purchase ledger, intercompany, control account and balance sheet reconciliations.  Prepare and post journals, accruals, prepayments, accrued revenue and depreciation; maintain and post prepaid commission and deferred revenue schedules; maintain fixed asset information; and review payroll postings and related balance sheet accounts.
  • Ensure correct accounting and strong controls: Apply appropriate revenue and expenditure recognition, including prepaid/deferred commission, recurring and contract-based revenue, and period-end cut-off. Understand the P&L and balance sheet impact, investigate discrepancies and their causes, clear reconciling items promptly, and raise historic or unusual balances with the Financial Controller. Maintain traceable records, supporting schedules and documentation, meet the Group’s month-end timetable, and clearly identify outstanding issues.
  • Support VAT and compliance: Ensure correct VAT treatment, assist with VAT reconciliations and returns, maintain audit and statutory records, and provide year-end audit support.
  • Support the team: Resolve accounting, system and supplier queries; review work and identify errors before month end; share knowledge; and escalate complex matters. Step into transactional tasks when workloads or deadlines require.
  • Help transform Finance: Work with the Financial Controller and wider team to design, test, document and embed consistent processes across the Group. Challenge existing practices, simplify and automate work using ERP and AI capabilities, support implementation testing, reconciliation and validation, and build controls into new processes. Help colleagues adopt new systems and continually improve accuracy, efficiency and scalability.

Requirements

A strong transactional accounting background, sound double-entry and general ledger knowledge, and a good understanding of month-end accounting.
Ideally, you’ll have:
  • Experience  as a Senior Finance Assistant, Senior Accounts Assistant, Assistant  Accountant or similar, including taking accounts through to trial balance.
  • Knowledge of accruals, prepayments, deferred and accrued revenue, prepaid/deferred commission and VAT, plus experience reconciling balance sheet and control  accounts.
  • Strong  Excel skills and confidence using finance and ERP systems.
  • Excellent  attention to detail, the ability to investigate underlying causes, and strong prioritisation to meet month-end deadlines.
  • Confidence supporting less experienced colleagues and a hands-on approach, whether posting journals, investigating reconciliations, resolving supplier queries or reviewing deferred revenue schedules.
  • Comfort  with change, an interest in technology, automation and process improvement, and confidence to question processes and contribute ideas.
Multi-entity experience is advantageous, as is experience of ERP implementation, Finance transformation or system migration, although this is not essential. An AAT qualification, ongoing study or equivalent experience would be beneficial.

Responsibilities

  • Manage transactional accounting: Maintain accurate purchase and sales ledgers, supplier and customer accounts, and banking records. Ensure correct coding by entity, nominal account, department and reporting      dimension; investigate unusual or incomplete entries; support authorised,  accurately recorded payment runs; and post and reconcile bank transactions promptly.
  • Deliver month-end trial balances: Complete and review bank, sales and purchase ledger, intercompany, control account and balance sheet reconciliations.  Prepare and post journals, accruals, prepayments, accrued revenue and  depreciation; maintain and post prepaid commission and deferred revenue schedules; maintain fixed asset information; and review payroll postings and related balance sheet accounts.
  • Ensure correct accounting and strong controls: Apply appropriate revenue and  expenditure recognition, including prepaid/deferred commission, recurring and contract-based revenue, and period-end cut-off. Understand the P&L and balance sheet impact, investigate discrepancies and their causes, clear      reconciling items promptly, and raise historic or unusual balances with the Financial Controller. Maintain traceable records, supporting schedules and documentation, meet the Group’s month-end timetable, and clearly identify outstanding issues.
  • Support VAT and compliance: Ensure correct VAT treatment, assist with VAT reconciliations and returns, maintain audit and statutory records, and provide year-end audit support.
  • Support the team: Resolve accounting, system and supplier queries; review work and identify errors before month end; share knowledge; and escalate complex matters. Step into transactional tasks when workloads or deadlines require.
  • Help transform Finance: Work with the Financial Controller and wider team to design, test, document and embed consistent processes across the Group.  Challenge existing practices, simplify and automate work using ERP and AI capabilities, support implementation testing, reconciliation and validation, and build controls into new processes. Help colleagues adopt new systems and continually improve accuracy, efficiency and scalability.

Benefits

Hybrid working 
25 days holiday 
Performance related bonus
Private Medical
Private Pension 5% employer contribution
Bike to work scheme
Electric vehicle scheme