Overview of the Role
Role: Financial Accountant
Reporting to: Client Manager
Salary: Up to £52,500 depending on experience and qualification level
Location: Remote - working from home in the UK
Reporting to: Client Manager
Salary: Up to £52,500 depending on experience and qualification level
Location: Remote - working from home in the UK
The Financial Accountant is responsible for preparing interim management accounts and
statutory year-end accounts for a portfolio of clients. They will report to the Client Manager
and work alongside them, the Senior Financial Administrators and the Financial Administrators
to deliver a high-quality service to their clients and to ensure management accounts and
yearend accounts are prepared accurately and on time. They will be responsible for making
iterative changes to processes and will work with the Client Managers, the Head of Accounting
and the Accounting Partner to agree and implement change.
statutory year-end accounts for a portfolio of clients. They will report to the Client Manager
and work alongside them, the Senior Financial Administrators and the Financial Administrators
to deliver a high-quality service to their clients and to ensure management accounts and
yearend accounts are prepared accurately and on time. They will be responsible for making
iterative changes to processes and will work with the Client Managers, the Head of Accounting
and the Accounting Partner to agree and implement change.
Key Responsibilities
The key responsibilities of the Financial Accountant are to:
Take ownership of the preparation of year-end accounts and corporation tax returns for review, including detailed workpapers and technical analysis.
Lead on the preparation of interim monthly and quarterly management reporting including basic management reporting (P&L/BS), forecasting, cash monitoring and other board reporting items / KPI metrics.
Implement financial controls and client-specific processes, spotting issues and opportunities for improvement – Ensure suggestions and iterations are reported then fed back into the workflows / systems used.
Work effectively with our Financial Administrators and the outsourced bookkeeping support team, to ensure that records and reconciliations are accurate and complete to support the preparation of management and statutory accounts.
Ensure there is a high level of organisation around all finance-related data and documentation for the clients.
Ensure time spent and scope of work are managed carefully, reporting fee anomalies are reported to the Client Manager.
Provide ad-hoc financial reporting issues and general accounting support to the wider team.
Provide feedback to colleagues on issues identified in the month end / year-end reporting process.
Personal and Continued Professional Development
The post-holder will be ACA/ACCA qualified, or AAT qualified and studying, or starting to study, towards ACA/ACCA. They will undertake, achieve and maintain the mandatory level of ONSIDE ACCOUNTING – Financial Accountant Job Description and Personal Specification 2 informal and formal training required to meet the company’s expectations in terms of service standards, client service, quality and performance. For any ongoing professional qualification training (eg: ACCA) that they are undertaking, they will complete this through self-study in their own time and not during working hours, however the company will bear the cost of this training and related examinations (first sit only).
Additionally, the post-holder is expected to:
Additionally, the post-holder is expected to:
Participate in training and support delivered by other Onside employees or external service providers;
Take responsibility for your own professional development, learning and performance and demonstrate skills and activities to others who are undertaking similar work.
In support of the post-holder’s continued personal and professional development, the postholder will:
Participate in an annual Performance Appraisal to review the individual’s performance against agreed targets;
Take responsibility for maintaining and updating their own personal and/or professional development, learning, performance and skills to support colleagues, clients, raise standards of service, and improve the performance of the wider team;
In conjunction with their Line Manager, ensure that their performance is discussed and aligned to company’s expectations and objectives.
Qualifications and Confidentiality
Qualifications
The post-holder will be ACA/ACCA (or equivalent) qualified, or as a minimum be AAT qualified and studying or starting to study towards ACA/ACCA (or equivalent). They will undertake, achieve and maintain the mandatory level of informal and formal training required to meet the company’s expectations in terms of service standards, client service, quality and performance.
Confidentiality
In the performance of the duties outlined in this job description, the post-holder may have access to confidential information relating to client companies, their directors and employees, and their financial position. They may also have access to information relating to the company as a business organisation. All such information from any source is to be regarded and managed as strictly confidential.
The post-holder will be expected and required to undertake and complete any other duties as deemed relevant to position and the business needs of the company. This job description will be subject to periodic review and amendment in consultation with the post-holder(s).
The post-holder will be expected and required to undertake and complete any other duties as deemed relevant to position and the business needs of the company. This job description will be subject to periodic review and amendment in consultation with the post-holder(s).
Skills and Experience
The Financial Accountant should have 3+ years’ experience working specifically in an accounting practice in the UK on month-end and/or year-end financial reporting. They should be experienced in working in a paperless modern practice environment and should be able to demonstrate a good understanding of Xero, bookkeeping, bank reconciliation, full balance sheet reconciliation, forecasting and consolidated accounting. They should have an excellent understanding of financial processes and control and have the ability to document processes and share them with other users.
Experience of working with tech start-up companies, and an understanding of their complex accounting support needs is desirable.
They should be a flexible, yet well-organised individual with strong self-management and time management skills to allow them to be capable of prioritising and managing competing demands and workloads in a remote and flexible working environment. Such flexibility is key to being able to adjust to short-term change, quickly and calmly, so that unexpected problems or tasks can be dealt with efficiently and effectively.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential to be able to establish, maintain and develop effective communications across the company, with team members, clients and with external organisations. They are also key to building professional and personal credibility to gain the support of colleagues and clients. Discretion is also essential for the handling of sensitive and confidential client and company information.
Strong technical expertise and knowledge of the full range of services offered by the company is essential to identify work beyond the scope of engagements and existing contracts, to ensure they can report same to their Client Managers.
The post-holder should have the ability to work in a fast-paced and agile ’start-up’ environment and be able to work well under pressure and meet all deadlines whilst handling unexpected events, particularly when balancing work and study commitments. They should have excellent IT skills (Excel, Word and Outlook) and be able to quickly learn and adapt to new software and processes. A high level of literacy and numeracy skills with a passion for detail and accuracy is essential, alongside a keen interest in the world of start-ups, finance and business.
Experience of working with tech start-up companies, and an understanding of their complex accounting support needs is desirable.
They should be a flexible, yet well-organised individual with strong self-management and time management skills to allow them to be capable of prioritising and managing competing demands and workloads in a remote and flexible working environment. Such flexibility is key to being able to adjust to short-term change, quickly and calmly, so that unexpected problems or tasks can be dealt with efficiently and effectively.
Strong communication and interpersonal skills are essential to be able to establish, maintain and develop effective communications across the company, with team members, clients and with external organisations. They are also key to building professional and personal credibility to gain the support of colleagues and clients. Discretion is also essential for the handling of sensitive and confidential client and company information.
Strong technical expertise and knowledge of the full range of services offered by the company is essential to identify work beyond the scope of engagements and existing contracts, to ensure they can report same to their Client Managers.
The post-holder should have the ability to work in a fast-paced and agile ’start-up’ environment and be able to work well under pressure and meet all deadlines whilst handling unexpected events, particularly when balancing work and study commitments. They should have excellent IT skills (Excel, Word and Outlook) and be able to quickly learn and adapt to new software and processes. A high level of literacy and numeracy skills with a passion for detail and accuracy is essential, alongside a keen interest in the world of start-ups, finance and business.
Residency and Visa Status
You must be resident in and have a legal right to work in the UK.
This is a home-working role with all staff at Onside working from home across the UK.
This is a home-working role with all staff at Onside working from home across the UK.