Assistant Accountant, Levy Merchandising

Compass Group; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 27,000 - 32,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading hospitality company in Manchester seeks an Assistant Accountant to support their finance team. This hybrid role offers a competitive salary of £27,000 - £32,000 and benefits including study support towards professional qualifications. The ideal candidate has experience in finance and strong analytical skills. Join a team that values diversity and contributes positively to community projects.

Benefits

31 days holiday including bank holidays

Pension scheme

Employee assistance programme

Competitive salary

Life assurance cover

Qualifications

• Experience working in a finance or accounting support role.
• Good understanding of financial concepts and accounting principles.
• Strong proficiency in financial systems and reporting tools.

Responsibilities

• Assist in timely and accurate management of month-end close process.
• Support budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Analyse financial data and report findings.

Skills

Attention to detail

Analytical skills

Communication

Proactive problem solving

Time management

Education

AAT Level 3 or similar

Tools

Excel

Job description

Assistant Accountant - Levy Merchandising

Salary: £27,000 - £32,000, plus benefits

Hours per week: 37.5 - open to part-time and job share. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process

Location: Manchester city centre - hybrid working between office and home.

We're looking for a commercially minded and proactive finance professional to join our growing team. Reporting directly to our Chief Financial & Growth Officer, this role will support a range of accounting functions, including the monthly management accounts cycle, journal entries, reconciliations and financial reporting. This is a fantastic opportunity to be part of a fast-paced business where your contributions will make a real impact. If you're looking to develop your career in finance, you'll get hands-on exposure to a range of operational finance tasks and study support (via an apprenticeship) can be provided towards a recognised qualification.

What you'll do:

• Assist in the timely and accurate management of the month-end close process and accounts, including supporting month end tasks such as journal entries, balance sheet reconciliations, accruals and prepayments
• Support the budgeting and forecasting processes
• Analyse financial data, investigate anomalies and report findings
• Process and reconcile purchase invoices
• Maintain the purchase ledger and sales ledger, ensuring timely and accurate data entry
• Support sales invoicing and credit control
• Contribute to financial reporting and internal controls
• Reconcile supplier statements and liaise with suppliers to resolve queries
• Assist with VAT returns and audits
• Contribute to inventory costing calculations, and ensure accuracy of shipping and stock invoice postings and documentation
• Play a role in supporting strong business partnering with operational teams, offering clear financial insight and constructive challenge to drive performance improvements
• Contribute to ad-hoc business projects, as required

Who you are:

• Experience working in a finance or accounting support role
• Good understanding of financial concepts and accounting principles
• Minimum AAT Level 3 or similar level of qualification, or qualified by experience
• May be working towards, or interested in working towards, a higher qualification such as CIMA
• Strong attention to detail and accuracy
• Ability to manage multiple tasks and deadlines effectively
• Strong analytical skills, including budgeting, forecasting and financial planning expertise
• High level of proficiency in financial systems, Excel and reporting tools
• Ability to work effectively in a dynamic, evolving environment
• Proactive approach to problem solving and process improvement
• Strong communication and interpersonal skills
• Excellent administrative skills and highly organised
• Ability to work independently and work on own initiative
• Willingness to support wider business projects and initiatives

Why Levy Merchandising?

Levy Merchandising is the merchandising arm of Levy UK & Ireland. Levy UK & Ireland are a market leader in the world of sports and entertainment experiences, boasting some of the biggest and best stadiums and leisure locations in Europe as its venue partners.

We're proud to do things differently. We have an innovative commercial model which puts our partners first and makes decision making a joint responsibility. Building long lasting, sustainable relationships is central to our ethos and we want our partners to feel like they retain independence and control on key strategic direction whilst being able to leverage the benefit, scale, and expertise of our central teams across Buying, Licensing, E-Commerce, and Retail Operations.

We're also committed to supporting the local communities where our factories are based. We work with charities and local outreach programmes to have a positive impact in the cities and towns where we do business.

You'll also get a package that includes:

• competitive salary
• 31 days holiday including bank holidays (pro rata, rising with service)
• pension scheme
• colleague health cash plan
• life assurance cover of 4 x annual salary
• employee assistance programme - 24/7 confidential access to expert services including counselling, wellbeing, and independent legal and financial advice
• discounts on Levy Merchandising products and services
• enhanced family leave and pay
• welcoming company culture and opportunities to develop as our business grows
• opportunities to be a part of and involved in our colleague networks

Building an inclusive work environment

We're actively building diverse teams, and we welcome applications from everyone. We take pride in fostering a workplace culture that celebrates diversity and promotes inclusion. We believe that our differences are our greatest strength, and we are committed to creating an environment where every individual is valued, respected, and empowered.