Accounts Assistant

The Accounts Payable Assistant will report into the Group Financial Controller and is responsible for the day-to-day processing within the procure to pay (P2P) and treasury processes, alongside supporting the key processes and procedures of the Finance team.

This role is responsible for the accounts inbox, processing purchase invoices through Fast Four, verifying supplier bank details and the weekly bank upload and matching, and supports the Commercial Sales Accountant with routine sales invoicing and customer chasing. As the first point of contact for supplier queries, this role works issues through to resolution wherever possible, with more experienced members of the transactional team on hand to support with more complex queries.

During month end, this role is key to keeping day-to-day processing running, ensuring the accounts inbox is maintained and invoices continue to be processed.

This role requires high organisation skills, the ability to work independently, strong time management and clear attention to detail. This role will be involved in the development of new processes and systems for the business as it grows over time.

Procure to pay (P2P):

• →Daily management of the accounts inbox, including initiating actions in a timely manner where required (e.g. confirming payment dates). Be the first port of contact for queries from suppliers, investigating and resolving issues (e.g. disputed balances, missed or duplicate payments), with support from the Accounts Assistant on more complex queries.
• →Opening and circulating the Finance post.
• →New supplier set up
• →Add new suppliers into the finance system for approval.
• →Perform call backs to verify bank details with suppliers for all new suppliers and any changes to existing bank details, ensuring these are evidenced in line with the P2P procedures.
• →Purchase Orders (POs) and billing
• →Assisting with queries from the wider business on creating POs.
• →Raise POs for the Finance team as required.
• →Chasing budget holders and responsible individuals for missing POs.
• →Responsible for communicating and archiving overdue PO’s as necessary on a monthly basis.
• →Submitting invoices to the OCR tool (Fast Four) and reviewing the output for accuracy, including values, GL coding, tax and due dates.
• →Ensuring the Fast Four queue is kept as clear as possible, so that invoices are processed in a timely manner.
• →Timely matching invoices to receipted purchase orders, and chasing for receipt where missing.
• →Investigating and resolving cases where receipted POs do not match the invoice received, or invoices are missing entirely, working with budget holders and suppliers, with support from the Accounts Assistant on more complex cases.
• →Supplier payments
• →Ensure invoices are processed in time to be included in the weekly payment run, in accordance with agreed payment terms.
• →Month end
• →Ensure all invoices received are processed and AP is ready to close in line with the month end timetable.
• →Maintain the accounts inbox and Fast Four queue throughout the month end period, to support the rest of the team through the month end close.
• →Provide cover for the Accounts Assistant’s core day-to-day responsibilities during annual leave and sickness. Be sensitive and flexible to the needs of the team, adapting priorities to support colleagues during busy periods such as month end.

Treasury:

• →Weekly upload of bank transactions into Netsuite, and match supplier payments and customer receipts to invoices.
• →Take the first look at unidentified bank transactions, resolving what can be resolved and passing complex items to the Accounts Assistant.
• →Weekly chasing of corporate credit card holders to submit their expenses in the Expense system.
• →Cover the weekly bank reconciliations (Nolan) in the Accounts Assistant’s absence.

Order to cash (O2C) support:

• →Raising routine sales invoices (e.g. consumables and zero value sales orders) from fulfilled sales orders, as directed by the Commercial Sales Accountant.
• →Sending reminders for invoices coming due and email chasers for overdue invoices, escalating to the Commercial Sales Accountant where customers do not respond.
• →Supporting the Commercial Sales Accountant with routine queries received in the Accounts Receivable inbox.

There will also be opportunities to get involved in other aspects of finance transactional processing, subject to workload.

• Accounts payable / purchase ledger processing
• Double entry bookkeeping
• Microsoft Excel competent
• Currently working towards or ready to begin AAT qualification

• Sales ledger / accounts receivable experience
• Experience with Netsuite or a similar finance system
• AAT Level 2 qualification