Accounts Payable & Finance Assistant Location: Brentford (4 days office-based, Fridays WFH)
Salary: Up to £45,000 + Bonus
Reporting to: Finance Director
Company: £7m Turnover Leasing Group
The Opportunity An established and growing leasing business is seeking an experienced and hands-on Finance Assistant / Accounts Payable professional to work closely with the Finance Director. This is a broad finance role requiring someone who is comfortable taking ownership of accounts payable and payment processes while also supporting month-end and general ledger activities.
The successful candidate will be highly organised, detail-oriented and confident managing day-to-day transactional finance responsibilities within a fast-paced environment.
Key Responsibilities Accounts Payable & Payments - Take full ownership of the Accounts Payable function, ensuring invoices are processed accurately and efficiently.
- Process supplier invoices and maintain accurate supplier account records.
- Reconcile supplier statements, investigate discrepancies, and resolve outstanding queries.
- Prepare and process bank payments in line with authorised approval procedures.
- Build and maintain effective relationships with suppliers, responding promptly to payment and account-related enquiries.
- Manage the finance inbox, ensuring all invoices and correspondence are dealt with in a timely manner.
- Process employee expenses and provide guidance on expense claims and company policies where required.
Banking & Cash Management - Manage scheduled payment runs and ad hoc payments across the Group.
- Administer banking activities, including liaison with the Group's banking partners regarding new payees, account maintenance, and payment verification requests.
- Produce daily cash position reports and monitor cash flow across multiple entities.
- Prepare monthly bank reconciliations, ensuring all balances are accurately accounted for.
- Allocate and reconcile cash receipts on a daily basis.
Financial Systems & Ledger Management
- Maintain the integrity of financial records within the Soft4 system across all Group companies.
- Process sales, purchase, and banking transactions accurately and in a timely manner.
- Post and reconcile general ledger journals, including payroll, acquisitions, accruals, prepayments, and other month-end adjustments.
- Perform monthly balance sheet and general ledger reconciliations.
- Identify opportunities for continuous improvement and support the development and implementation of enhanced finance processes and systems.
Accounts Receivable - Raise monthly sales invoices relating to Group property income.
- Record and maintain sales transactions within Soft4.
- Proactively monitor outstanding balances, issuing statements and following up overdue accounts where necessary.
- Process end-of-contract balance adjustments and authorised write-offs in accordance with company procedures.
VAT, Payroll & Compliance - Prepare and submit VAT returns for three Group companies, ensuring accuracy and compliance with HMRC requirements.
- Maximise legitimate VAT recovery and ensure bad debt relief claims are correctly accounted for.
- Arrange VAT payments within statutory deadlines.
- Support the Finance Director with RAL reporting requirements and other indirect tax matters.
- Process approved monthly payroll payments through online banking platforms.
- Ensure all payroll-related payments to HMRC are made accurately and on time.
Reporting, Audit & Month-End - Support the month-end and year-end close processes across the Group.
- Assist in the preparation of management information, financial reports, and supporting analysis.
- Maintain effective relationships with external auditors, providing information and documentation as required.
- Support the Finance Director with ad hoc reporting, finance projects, and business initiatives.
Skills & Experience Required - Previous experience in an Accounts Payable, Finance Assistant, Finance Officer, Assistant Accountant, or similar finance position.
- Strong hands-on experience managing accounts payable processes from invoice receipt through to payment.
- Proven experience with payment processing and online banking platforms.
- Sound understanding of supplier management and accounts payable controls.
- Experience posting journals and maintaining accurate general ledger records.
- Strong reconciliation skills, including bank, supplier, and balance sheet reconciliations.
- Experience preparing and submitting VAT returns.
- Experience using ERP or accounting systems, ideally Soft4, Microsoft Dynamics Business Central, or Dynamics 365.
- Advanced Excel skills with the ability to analyse and reconcile financial data.
- Excellent attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.
- Strong organisational and time-management skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities.
- Self-motivated and able to work independently while taking ownership of key finance processes.
- Confident communicating with stakeholders at all levels, including senior management and the Finance Director.
Ideal Candidate
The successful candidate will be a proactive and detail-oriented finance professional with strong Accounts Payable and payment-processing experience. They will be comfortable managing day-to-day transactional finance activities while also supporting month-end processes, financial reporting, and wider finance initiatives within a growing organisation.
Skills & Experience Required - Previous experience within an Accounts Payable, Finance Assistant or similar finance role.
- Strong practical experience of payment processing and bank payments.
- Good understanding of accounts payable and accounts receivable processes.
- Experience posting journals and general ledger entries.
- Strong general ledger reconciliation experience.
- Experience using Microsoft Dynamics Business Central / Dynamics 365.
- Confident using Excel and other Microsoft Office applications.
- Excellent attention to detail and accuracy.
- Able to work independently and take ownership of responsibilities.
- Strong communication and organisational skills.
Package - Salary up to £45,000
- Discretionary annual bonus
- Christmas bonus
- 25 days annual leave
- Hybrid working (4 days office, Fridays from home)
Ideal Candidate This role would suit a capable and proactive finance professional who enjoys being hands-on, has strong Accounts Payable expertise, and is comfortable supporting a broad range of finance activities while working closely with the Finance Director in a growing business.
Urgent requirement - immediate interviews available.
