Finance Assistant

Confidential; Watford; Hybrid; GBP 32,000 - 35,000; Full time

Job summary

Confidential in Watford is seeking a Finance Assistant (Accounts and Billing) to support daily finance tasks in a hybrid role. You will process invoices, expenses, and card payments, perform reconciliations, and manage billing across multiple systems.

The role requires AAT 3 and solid Excel skills, with duties handling subscriptions, VAT, and collections. Immediate availability is preferred in a temporary-to-permanent contract.

Qualifications

• Experience with purchase ledger and reconciliations.
• Knowledge of VAT treatments and coding.
• Experience handling supplier invoices and expenses.
• Ability to resolve routine queries with accuracy.
• Experience with multiple billing or accounting systems.
• Strong Excel skills with data analysis.

Responsibilities

• Process supplier invoices with valid approvals and correct coding.
• Process employee and credit card expenses with correct VAT.
• Record bank receipts and payments; complete reconciliations.
• Maintain subscription billing and direct debit setups in GoCardless.
• Monitor failed payments and coordinate collections.
• Reconcile receipts to invoices across Naviga and Xero.
• Handle the finance inbox and resolve routine queries.
• Assist with survey responses and ad hoc finance projects.

Skills

Purchase ledger

Bank reconciliations

VAT coding

Excel

Communication skills

Attention to detail

GoCardless/Stripe knowledge

Education

AAT Level 3

Tools

Sage

Xero

Naviga

GoCardless

Stripe

Job description

Finance Assistant (Accounts and Billing)

Location: Watford (Hybrid: 3 days in office, 2 days working from home)
Contract Type: Temp to Perm
Availability: Immediately available candidates only
Salary Range: £32,000 to £35,000 per annum

Role Purpose

To support the day-to-day operation of the finance function through accurate transaction processing, reconciliations, customer billing, and collections. The role maintains accurate financial records, resolves routine queries, and supports the wider finance team, managing routine work independently with appropriate review and escalation of complex matters.

Key Responsibilities

• Process supplier invoices, checking that the required approvals are in place and applying accurate nominal ledger coding.
• Process employee expenses, checking coding and uploading transactions into the finance system.
• Process credit card expenses, ensuring accurate nominal coding and application of established VAT treatments.
• Record bank receipts and payments in Sage, complete bank reconciliations, and investigate or elevate outstanding differences.
• Maintain subscription billing and collection records, ensuring that direct debit mandates in GoCardless and payment arrangements in Stripe align with invoices in the relevant billing systems, including Stripe, Naviga, and Xero.
• Monitor failed customer payments and follow the agreed process to resolve collection issues.
• Allocate customer receipts from the bank account to invoices in Naviga and investigate unallocated cash.
• Reconcile billing, payment-provider, and accounting records to bank receipts, investigating missing allocations, duplicate entries, and unexplained differences.
• Manage the finance inbox, responding to and resolving routine queries and referring matters to the appropriate colleague where required.
• Prepare national statistics survey responses, coordinating review of unusual definitions or matters requiring judgement.
• Maintain clear supporting records and follow up unresolved items to completion.
• Assist the wider finance team with duties and ad hoc projects consistent with the scope of the role.

Scope and Accountability

Manage routine processing, reconciliations, and queries independently within agreed procedures and deadlines. Escalate complex accounting or VAT matters and issues requiring approval to the appropriate finance colleague.

Person Specification

Essential Experience, Knowledge, and Skills

• Relevant practical finance experience covering purchase ledger, expenses, customer receipts, and bank reconciliations, with the ability to manage routine work with normal supervision.
• Sound working knowledge of bookkeeping, including double-entry principles and the relationship between invoices, credit notes, payments, receipts, and ledger balances.
• Experience investigating reconciliation differences, payment discrepancies, and unallocated receipts, with appropriate follow-up and escalation.
• Ability to apply established nominal and VAT coding and recognise transactions requiring technical review.
• Confidence comparing and reconciling data across accounting, billing, and payment systems.
• Practical Excel skills, including filters, lookups, SUMIFS, and duplicate checks.
• Clear written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to resolve queries with suppliers, customers, and colleagues.
• Strong attention to detail, organisation, and ability to manage recurring deadlines and competing priorities.
• Sound judgement about when to resolve an issue independently and when to seek approval or technical support.

Qualifications

• AAT Level 3 completed or in progress, or equivalent practical knowledge and experience.

Desirable Experience and Skills

• Experience in a subscription or recurring billing environment.
• Experience using GoCardless or Stripe for collections and reconciliation.
• Experience using Sage or Xero, and familiarity with Naviga.
• Experience working across multiple finance or billing systems and following up failed payments.
• Experience completing Office for National Statistics surveys or similar business returns.
• Ability to use Excel pivot tables.