Finance Assistant

Pearson Whiffin Recruitment Ltd; Sevenoaks; On-site; GBP 29,000 - 35,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Salary £32k p.a.

37.5 hours per week

Office-based in Sevenoaks

Agency to permanent potential

Construction finance exposure

Support from Finance Manager

Job summary

Pearson Whiffin Recruitment Ltd is seeking an experienced Finance Assistant for a Sevenoaks-based role. You will own subcontractor and supplier accounts, manage CIS and VAT duties, and support the purchase ledger in a busy construction finance team.

The position starts on an agency basis with potential to become permanent, offering 37.5 hours per week in an office-based setting. Strong attention to detail and Sage 50 experience are essential for success.

Qualifications

• Strong practical experience of CIS.
• Good working knowledge of the Domestic Reverse Charge for VAT.
• Previous experience managing subcontractor and supplier accounts.
• Previous experience within a construction environment.
• Strong purchase ledger experience.
• Previous experience using Sage 50 Accounts.
• Excellent attention to detail and a high level of accuracy.
• Strong reconciliation skills.
• Good understanding of job costing and cost allocation.
• Confident dealing with suppliers, subcontractors and internal stakeholders.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
• Highly organised and able to manage competing priorities.
• Proactive and comfortable working independently.
• Able to handle confidential financial information professionally.
• Practical, hands-on approach to finance administration.
• Comfortable working to deadlines in a busy environment.

Responsibilities

• Managing subcontractor and supplier accounts on a day-to-day basis.
• Verifying new subcontractors with HMRC.
• Managing weekly subcontractor payment runs.
• Reviewing subcontractor invoices and applications for CIS, VAT and Domestic Reverse Charge.
• Identifying invoice and tax treatment errors before ledger entry.
• Preparing and submitting monthly HMRC CIS Returns.
• Issuing CIS Statements to subcontractors.
• Maintaining up-to-date subcontractor records including insurance information.
• Managing subcontractor retentions, deductions, due dates and releases.
• Managing the purchase ledger process from invoice receipt through to authorisation, processing and payment.
• Reconciling monthly supplier statements and resolving discrepancies.
• Managing the Accounts Mailbox and responding to supplier queries.
• Reviewing aged creditors and following up missing or outstanding invoices.
• Distributing monthly project cost and CVR reports.
• Working with Quantity Surveyors to resolve missing invoices and cost discrepancies.
• Supporting accurate job-cost reporting across labour, materials and costs.
• Ensuring costs are allocated to the correct contracts and cost codes.
• Maintaining robust controls around new supplier creation and bank detail changes.
• Independent verification of bank detail amendments to reduce fraud risk.
• Maintaining accurate financial records and document control.
• Reviewing nominal codes for correct allocation.
• Maintaining the Asset Register and depreciation records.
• Assisting with year-end accounts and external audits.
• Supporting sales ledger invoicing and payments when required.
• Providing wider finance and administrative support to the Finance Manager.

Skills

CIS

Sage 50 Accounts

Purchase ledger

Microsoft Excel

Subcontractor accounts

Supplier accounts

Attention to detail

Communication skills

Tools

Sage 50 Accounts

Microsoft Excel

Job description

Finance Assistant Sevenoaks

Equivalent to £32,000 per annum

37.5 Hours Per Week Office Based

Temporary to Permanent

Pearson Whiffin Recruitment are currently recruiting for an experienced Finance Assistant to join a busy finance team based in Sevenoaks.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone with strong construction finance experience who is confident managing subcontractor and supplier accounts, with a solid practical understanding of CIS, Domestic Reverse Charge VAT and purchase ledger processes.

The successful candidate will initially join on an agency basis, with the potential to move into a permanent position following a successful initial period.

The Role

Working closely with the Finance Manager, you ll take day-to-day ownership of subcontractor and supplier accounts, ensuring financial records are accurate, compliant and kept fully up to date.

Responsibilities will include:

• Managing subcontractor and supplier accounts on a day-to-day basis
• Verifying new subcontractors with HMRC
• Managing weekly subcontractor payment runs
• Reviewing subcontractor invoices and applications for the correct treatment of CIS, VAT and Domestic Reverse Charge
• Identifying invoice and tax treatment errors before they are entered onto the ledger
• Preparing and submitting monthly HMRC CIS Returns
• Issuing CIS Statements to subcontractors
• Maintaining up-to-date subcontractor records, including insurance information
• Managing subcontractor retentions, including deductions, statements, due dates and releases
• Managing the purchase ledger process from invoice receipt through to authorisation, processing and payment
• Reconciling monthly supplier statements and resolving discrepancies
• Managing company pre-payment card transactions and supporting documentation
• Following up missing receipts and job numbers
• Uploading transactions and supporting information into Sage
• Completing regular account reconciliations
• Managing the Accounts Mailbox and responding to supplier and creditor queries
• Reviewing aged creditors and following up missing or outstanding invoices
• Distributing monthly project cost and CVR reports
• Working with Quantity Surveyors to resolve missing invoices, incorrect job allocations and cost discrepancies
• Supporting accurate job-cost reporting across labour, materials, subcontractor costs and other expenditure
• Ensuring costs are allocated to the correct contracts and cost codes
• Maintaining robust controls around new supplier creation and supplier bank detail changes
• Independently verifying bank detail amendments to reduce fraud risk
• Maintaining accurate financial records, electronic filing and document control
• Reviewing nominal codes to ensure transactions are correctly allocated
• Maintaining the Asset Register and depreciation records
• Assisting with year-end accounts and external audit requests
• Supporting sales ledger invoicing and payment runs when required
• Providing wider finance and administrative support to the Finance Manager

What We re Looking For

• Strong practical experience of CIS
• Good working knowledge of the Domestic Reverse Charge for VAT
• Previous experience managing subcontractor and supplier accounts
• Previous experience within a construction environment
• Strong purchase ledger experience
• Previous experience using Sage 50 Accounts
• Excellent attention to detail and a high level of accuracy
• Strong reconciliation skills
• Good understanding of job costing and cost allocation
• Confident dealing with suppliers, subcontractors and internal stakeholders
• Strong written and verbal communication skills
• Good working knowledge of Microsoft Excel
• Highly organised and able to manage competing priorities
• Proactive and comfortable working independently
• Able to handle confidential financial information professionally
• Practical, hands-on approach to finance administration
• Comfortable working to deadlines in a busy environment

Systems Experience

Experience using the following is highly desirable:

• Sage 50 Accounts
• Microsoft Excel
• Purchase ledger systems
• Job costing and project cost reporting systems
• HMRC CIS processes
• Electronic document management systems

What s On Offer

• Equivalent salary of £32,000 per annum
• 37.5 hours per week
• Office-based position in Sevenoaks
• Opportunity to move into a permanent position
• Varied role with genuine ownership of subcontractor and supplier accounts
• Opportunity to work closely with the Finance Manager and wider operational team
• Strong exposure to construction finance, project costing and CIS
• Hands-on role with responsibility across several key finance processes

Please note, due to the expected high volume of applicants, only suitable candidates will be contacted.