Description

Location: Cheltenham

Salary: £22,000 - £25,000 per annum, plus 10% company bonus

A fantastic opportunity has arisen for a Finance Assistant to join our team in Cheltenham, in this brand new position. Our business is going through an exciting period of transformation and growth and we are looking for a self-starting Finance Assistant to support our finance team in this change. The role will work as part of our Shared Services team in Cheltenham, providing support to the business through the rollout of a new finance system, and ongoing purchase ledger activites.

The Role

• Assist with tasks around the implementation and rollout of a new finance system:
  • Data cutover and migration; including checking, testing and reconciliation.
  • Identifying gaps in existing ways of working and helping identify solutions.
  • Developing and refining templates.
  • Ongoing improvements and enhancements.
  • Development of and associated processes.
• The core responsibilities include tasks that maintain the purchase and sales ledger on a daily and weekly basis for each development/site.
• Purchase Ledger activities, which includes but is not limited to:
  • Coding, scanning, batching and processing all purchase invoices on a daily basis including matching to purchase orders and obtaining authorisation for payment in line with company policy.
  • Ensuring all transactions and VAT are accurately recorded.
  • Analysis of gas, electricity, water, and telephones costs.
  • Investigating purchase ledger queries
  • Processing and payment of expenses (each Lifehost has a prepaid card for minor expenses).
  • Reconciling suppliers’ statements and ensuring queries are handled promptly and correctly.
  • Assisting in the preparation and production of weekly cheque/BACS payments
  • Liaising with customer operations teams on queries and requests
• Sales Ledger activities, which includes but not limited to:
  • Processing demands for Service Charge and Reserve Fund.
  • Processing miscellaneous/other sales such as guest suite and parking permits (currently this is managed via iZettle).
  • Ensuring all transactions are appropriately supported and recorded.
  • Producing sundry sales/intercompany recharge/rental invoices.
• Cash Management activities:
  • Bank reconciliations.
• General Ledger activities:
  • Journal preparation and posting.
  • Prepare and post accruals and prepayments.
• Other responsibilities include;
  • Holiday cover (example: Cashbook support with direction from line manager).
  • Financial system master data maintenance.
  • Liaison with the core finance team for the Lifestory Group (as required).
  • Support of annual independent review of each development’s Service Charge financial statements.
  • Deal with queries as they arise (as appropriate) including from homeowners and Lifehosts.
  • Assisting with queries and reporting with direction from the line manager.

Requirements

Experience of working in a supportive finance role is critical, along with good experience of using an accounting system (ideally MRI Qube, although this is not essential). Your organisational and communication skills must be excellent, as well as a good attention to detail. We are looking for candidates who can problem solve and use their initiative throughout the transformation, asking good questions. Any experience supporting a finance transformation would be useful.

Experience working with residential service charge accounts will be an advantage.

An AAT qualification and / or construction sector experience are desirable but not essential.

Excellent Microsoft Excel skills are required.

Benefits

This is a full-time role that comes with a competitive salary and a fantastic range of benefits including:

• Any relevant finance training
• Enhanced annual leave
• Contributory pension
• Company bonus scheme
• Cashback health plan
• Extensive health and wellbeing support
• Life assurance
• Access to a variety of discounts

As an equal opportunities employer, Lifestory welcomes applications from all sectors of the community.