Payroll and Accounts Assistant

Amegreen Children’s Services; Mortimer; On-site; GBP 23,000 - 29,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Life assurance

Health plan

Employee Assistance Programme

Pension scheme

Staff holiday home

Training & development

Cross-department role

Job summary

Amegreen Children's Services in Mortimer is seeking a Payroll and Accounts Assistant to join our Head Office team. You will support payroll processing, accounting activities and general financial administration across the organisation.

The role suits someone who enjoys working with numbers, pays attention to detail and is keen to develop finance experience within a busy team. Training and progression opportunities are available.

Qualifications

• Strong administrative and numerical skills.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Experience in payroll, accounts or a similar role is beneficial.
• Willing to learn and develop knowledge in finance.

Responsibilities

• Assist with four-weekly and monthly payroll processing, ensuring accuracy and deadlines.
• Review employee timesheets and follow up on discrepancies.
• Maintain payroll records including starters, leavers, changes, overtime and deductions.
• Respond to routine payroll enquiries from employees and managers.
• Support administration of pensions, salary sacrifice and benefits.
• Assist with purchase and sales ledgers, invoices and records.
• Support bank reconciliations, payroll journals and month-end processes.
• Maintain financial spreadsheets and documentation; support Finance and HR as needed.

Skills

Administrative skills

Numerical skills

Attention to detail

Willingness to learn

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Xero

Sage 50 Payroll

Job description

Develop your payroll and finance experience with an organisation supporting children and young people.

Amegreen Children's Services provides therapeutic residential care, specialist schools and alternative education across West Berkshire and Hampshire. Our finance team plays an important role in keeping these services running smoothly, ensuring our colleagues are paid accurately and financial records are well maintained.

We’re looking for an organised and detail-focused Payroll and Accounts Assistant to join our Head Office team in Mortimer. Working alongside the Payroll Manager and wider Finance team, you’ll support payroll processing, accounting activities and general financial administration across the organisation.

This would suit someone who enjoys working with numbers, takes pride in getting things right and is keen to develop their knowledge and experience within a busy finance environment.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Assisting with the preparation and processing of four-weekly and monthly payrolls, ensuring accuracy and deadlines are met.
• Collecting and reviewing employee timesheets, identifying discrepancies and following up on missing information.
• Maintaining accurate payroll records, including starters, leavers, contractual changes, overtime and deductions.
• Responding to routine payroll enquiries from employees and managers, referring more complex queries to senior colleagues.
• Supporting the administration of employee pensions, salary sacrifice arrangements and benefits.
• Assisting with purchase and sales ledger activities, including processing invoices and maintaining financial records.
• Supporting bank reconciliations, payroll journals and month-end accounting processes.
• Maintaining accurate financial spreadsheets and supporting documentation across our departments and group companies. Providing additional administrative support to the Finance team and working closely with HR and operational colleagues.

What we're looking for:

You’ll have strong administrative and numerical skills, excellent attention to detail and a willingness to learn. Previous experience in payroll, accounts or a similar finance role would be beneficial, but we’re also interested in candidates with transferable skills who are looking to develop their career in finance.

You should also have:

• Strong organisational skills, with the ability to manage competing priorities and meet deadlines.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel. Experience with Xero and Sage 50 Payroll would be beneficial.
• Clear communication skills and the ability to build positive working relationships with colleagues across different departments.
• A careful and accurate approach to handling financial information and maintaining records.
• The ability to work independently on routine tasks whilst supporting the wider Finance team.
• A flexible approach, enthusiasm for learning and a willingness to develop new skills.
• A good understanding of confidentiality and the importance of handling personal and financial information responsibly.

What you can expect from Amegreen:

• Life assurance providing cover of four times your basic annual salary.
• Health Shield health cash plan to help with everyday healthcare costs.
• A confidential Employee Assistance Programme, with support available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• A pension scheme with enhanced employer contributions.
• Access to our staff holiday home on the south coast, free of charge and subject to availability.
• Opportunities for training and professional development within payroll and finance.
• A varied role working with colleagues across our residential care, education and Head Office teams.

Equality and Diversity

Amegreen is committed to being an organisation where people can be their authentic selves in a safe and inclusive environment. We are actively building diverse teams and welcome and encourage applicants from all backgrounds. If you require any accessibility adjustments to support your application, please contact us.

Safeguarding

Amegreen Education is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults. Successful candidates will be required to go through a thorough safeguarding onboarding process which includes a full employment history review and an enhanced DBS check. Adherence to Safeguarding and GDPR requirements is mandatory for all employees.