Assistant Accountant

Parke Lane People; Stokenchurch; Hybrid; GBP 30,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Study support for AAT/CIMA/ACCA

Job summary

Parke Lane People in Stokenchurch is hiring an Assistant Accountant to join a growing commercial finance team. This role suits a part-qualified AAT, CIMA or ACCA student who wants to shape business decisions through meaningful analysis.

You will own monthly management accounts, analyse client and project performance, and deliver concise financial commentary to stakeholders to support profitability and control.

Qualifications

• Part-qualified AAT, CIMA or ACCA status with commitment to completing.
• Experience in commercial or management accounting environment.
• Strong Excel skills for data analysis and reporting.
• Ability to communicate complex financial information clearly to non-finance.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and review monthly management accounts including revenue, costs, gross profit and reconciliations.
• Analyse client, project and cost-centre performance, identifying variances and opportunities.
• Partner with internal teams to prepare budgets with robust assumptions and rate-card adjustments.
• Support forecasting and financial planning with accurate data and analysis.
• Produce concise financial commentary for senior stakeholders to support decisions.
• Maintain strong financial controls and comply with policies and audits.
• Support month-end, year-end, statutory reporting and external audits.
• Identify and deliver improvements to reporting, processes and controls.
• Undertake ad-hoc analysis and finance projects as priorities change.

Skills

Part-qualified AAT

CIMA/ACCA

Excel reporting

Financial storytelling

Education

AAT/CIMA/ACCA studier

Tools

PeopleSoft

Planning Analytics

Job description

Assistant Accountant

Stokenchurch Competitive salary, study support & good benefits Hybrid working

Are you a commercially minded, part-qualified accountant looking for a role where your analysis genuinely shapes business decisions?

We are seeking a proactive Assistant Accountant to join an established and growing commercial finance team in Stokenchurch. This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious AAT, CIMA or ACCA studier to take ownership of meaningful commercial reporting, work closely with operational and client-facing colleagues, and develop within a collaborative, fast-paced environment.

You will sit at the centre of financial performance, helping to protect profitability, improve commercial visibility and turn financial data into clear, practical insight for stakeholders across the business.

The opportunity

Reporting to the Commercial Accounting Manager, you will support the delivery of accurate management information and robust financial control across revenue, cost of sales, gross profit and client or business-unit performance.

This is not a purely transactional accounting position. You will be encouraged to question, investigate, identify opportunities and communicate the story behind the numbers to non-financial stakeholders.

Key responsibilities

• Prepare and review monthly management accounts, including revenue, cost of sales, gross profit, accruals, prepayments and balance-sheet reconciliations.
• Analyse client, project, cost-centre and business-unit performance, identifying key variances, commercial risks and opportunities.
• Partner with internal teams and clients to prepare budgets, ensuring assumptions are robust and profitability is protected through appropriate inflationary and rate-card adjustments.
• Support forecasting and financial-planning activity with accurate data and commercially focused analysis.
• Produce clear, concise financial commentary for senior stakeholders to support informed decision-making.
• Maintain strong financial controls and ensure compliance with internal policies, accounting standards and audit requirements.
• Support month-end, year-end, statutory reporting and external audit processes.
• Identify and deliver improvements to reporting, processes, controls and the quality of commercial insight.
• Undertake ad-hoc analysis and finance projects in line with changing business priorities.

About you

You will be a confident and curious finance professional who enjoys understanding how a business operates-not simply reporting the results.

You will ideally bring:

• Part-qualified AAT, CIMA or ACCA status, with a commitment to completing your qualification.
• Previous experience within a commercial accounting, management accounting or finance business-partnering environment.
• Strong Excel capability and confidence handling, analysing and interpreting financial data.
• A sound understanding of revenue, costs, margins, budgets, forecasts and financial performance.
• The ability to communicate complex financial information clearly to colleagues outside finance.
• A proactive, improvement-focused mindset, with the confidence to challenge constructively and ask the right questions.
• An interest in keeping up to date with financial reporting requirements, regulatory developments and commercial finance best practice.
• Experience of PeopleSoft and/or Planning Analytics would be advantageous, but is not essential.

Why apply?

This role offers broad commercial exposure and the opportunity to make a visible contribution to the performance of the business. You will work closely with stakeholders across finance, operations and client teams, gaining the experience needed to progress your commercial finance career.

Alongside a competitive salary of 30-35k (depending on experience), you will receive a benefits package designed to support your professional development, financial wellbeing and work-life balance, including:

• A study support package for employees working towards their AAT, CIMA or ACCA qualification.
• Pension scheme.
• Life assurance cover.
• Income protection.
• 26 days' annual leave, plus bank holidays.
• Hybrid working - 3 days in the office.