Accounts Assistant

About the Company

Our client is a leading independent sub-contract metal finishing specialist based in Harlow, serving the aerospace and precision engineering sectors. They pride themselves on technical excellence and high standards of performance.

The Opportunity

This is a fantastic opportunity for an aspiring finance professional to gain hands-on experience. Reporting to the Financial Controller, you will take ownership of core transactional accounting and weekly payroll, playing a key role in keeping the financial engine of the business running smoothly.

Key Responsibilities

1. Ledger Management (Sales & Purchase)

• Manage the full Accounts Payable process, acting as the main contact for suppliers, processing invoices (manual and electronic), matching to purchase orders, and resolving discrepancies.
• Raise and issue accurate customer invoices and proactively manage aged debt to maintain strong cash flow.
• Perform regular supplier statement reconciliations and internal checks to ensure ledger accuracy.

2. General Ledger & Month-End Support

• Complete daily bank postings and reconciliations across multiple accounts in Sage 50.
• Assist with nominal ledger entries, accruals, and prepayments.
• Support month-end close by preparing schedules and investigating transactional queries.

3. Weekly Payroll (Critical Function)

• Coordinate end-to-end weekly payroll as the main liaison with the external payroll provider.
• Extract and validate attendance data from the internal clocking system (hours, overtime, sickness, holidays).
• Reconcile payroll data to ensure right-first-time accuracy before submission.
• Review payroll reports, resolve discrepancies, authorise payslips, and prepare BACS payments.
• Manually upload and schedule authorised payments via NatWest Autopay.

Strict Weekly Deadlines:

• Monday 08:30 Submit validated payroll data to provider.
• Monday 12:00 Review and approve payroll outputs.
• Monday 15:00 Complete BACS upload (funds cleared by Wednesday).

4. Record Keeping & Compliance

• Maintain accurate, secure records in line with UK GDPR and Data Protection legislation.
• Ensure secure handling of payroll data, login credentials, and sensitive financial records.
• Exercise discretion and professionalism when handling confidential information.

5. Systems & AI Integration

• Operate across Sage 50, Excel, and manufacturing software to maintain data integrity.
• Collaborate on AI pilot projects to streamline processes such as invoice data extraction and purchase-to-pay cycles.
• Actively contribute ideas to modernise workflows and improve efficiency using technology.

Key Skills & Attributes

• Essential: Experience with Sage 50 Accounts.
• Strong Microsoft Office skills and digital confidence across multiple systems.
• Desirable: Basic understanding of UK payroll.
• Analytical mindset with strong attention to detail.
• Proactive, adaptable, and open to learning new systems and AI-driven processes.
• High integrity and absolute confidentiality in handling sensitive information.