Senior Accountant

Heelan Associates Ltd; Waterlooville; On-site; GBP 44,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

A dynamic accountancy practice in Waterlooville is seeking a Senior Accountant to deliver exceptional client service for a diverse portfolio. The role involves preparing financial accounts, mentoring junior staff, and optimizing tax strategies. Candidates should hold a full membership to a professional accounting body and have over 5 years of experience in practice. Join a supportive team committed to professional growth and development.

Qualifications

• 5+ years experience in accounting practice overseeing a broad client base.
• Able to prepare, review, and check accounts & tax returns.
• Sound understanding and working knowledge of tax.

Responsibilities

• Prepare and submit accounts & tax returns for clients.
• Provide training and mentorship to the accounting team.
• Communicate with clients via multiple channels.
• Onboard new clients and integrate them into your portfolio.

Skills

Microsoft Word

Microsoft Excel

Xero

QuickBooks

DEXT

Free Agent

Time Management

Client Communication

Education

Full membership to a chartered professional body (AAT, ATT, ACCA)

Job description

Job Title: Accountant

Location: Based in Waterlooville, Hampshire

Contract type: Permanent

Hours per week: Full time (37.50 hours) - Office based (1 day WFH available)

Salary: £44,000 - £50,000 DOE

Reporting to: Accountancy Manager

Job Purpose

Are you looking to join a rapidly growing, dynamic, and commercially savvy Accountancy Practice where there's no such thing as a silly question, time and talent are respected, there are endless opportunities to learn, alternative perspectives are welcome, family comes first, and (most importantly of all) nobody thinks they're too "big time" to make a round of brews? If so, we'd love to have a conversation with you about joining our thriving team.

By combining our traditional values with modern thinking our team of Accounting, Bookkeeping and Payroll professionals proudly set the standard for what modern small business accounting support should look like. We are a team on a mission, with an ever-expanding caseload of clients, so now is a really exciting time to join our friendly team.

As a Senior Accountant, you will be focused on delivering an exceptional client experience for a portfolio of inspiring small business clients, both through direct service and by providing technical support to your small accounting 'pod' team.

Key Responsibilities

• To prepare, send and submit accounts & tax returns for a portfolio of clients, including Sole Traders, Partnerships and Limited Companies.
• To provide training, mentorship and technical guidance to your accounting team (and wider businesses where appropriate).
• To check and review accounting and taxation work produced by your team, providing constructive feedback and training.
• To provide leadership and role‑model behaviour (to our company values) to the accountancy team.
• To communicate with clients via phone, email, social media and in person, including chasing records.
• To onboard new clients and integrate them into your portfolio - this will include bookkeeping, compliance etc to then be handed over to the relevant department.
• To assess and advise clients on their tax position. To optimise and plan the tax efficiency of clients.
• To review and advise clients on advisory level to include cashflow, budgets, pricing etc (further training on our advisory systems will be provided).
• To complete, review and prepare book‑keeping, VAT returns and CIS where required.
• To prepare and execute year end client meetings.
• To carry out and deliver client fee reviews.
• To maintain electronic filing of books and records both internally as well as management of client administration and records.
• To act as liaison between clients and HM Revenue & Customs to deal with and resolve queries.
• To provide external training e.g., client bookkeeping training and as applicable as per our company values.
• To manage and maintain your professional development and learning including any relevant CPD required by your professional body.
• To ensure and update HMRC/Companies House statutory information is accurate.

Person Specification

Relevant experience

Must be supported by a full membership to a chartered professional body, (AAT, ATT, ACCA etc).

Extensive experience spanning 5+ years in practice, overseeing a broad client base and delivering work directly in a dynamic environment.

Must be able to prepare, review and check accounts & tax returns for clients to review stage, including Sole Traders, Partnerships and Limited Companies.

Experience of working with clients utilising Xero, QuickBooks, DEXT and Free Agent to produce client work.

Sound understanding and working knowledge of tax.

Skills

Able to navigate Microsoft packages, specifically Word and Excel.

Effective at time management with the ability to work to tight deadlines and deal with newly emerging priorities day‑to‑day without compromising attention to detail.

Confidently able to provide advice and make recommendations to clients, taking care to break down complex information in such a way as to help with understanding in both written and verbal communication.

To proactively seek out information when needed from colleagues and clients to enable a seamless service with a curious approach and hunger to expand knowledge.

Personal attributes

Friendly and professional with the ability to communicate effectively at all levels, internally and externally and committed to providing exemplary customer care.

A fun and outgoing attitude with a desire to support the growth of a thriving business, whilst enjoying professional growth at the same time.

An advocate for continued professional development, constantly curious and hungry to learn but not afraid to ask for advice when needed and act upon feedback given.

Takes pride in professional appearance and positively represents the brand.

Shared values

Our values represent who we are as a company, they guide our decisions, underpin our relationships and govern the way we conduct ourselves and our business.

Relationships over numbers - The meaningful relationships we build with our clients are fundamental to the way we do business. It is not enough to perform a service for our clients, our principal aim remains to give them the best; our deep understanding of their individual needs and circumstances enables us to not just meet expectations but exceed them, time and time again.

Learn together and often! - We share our knowledge and experience with colleagues and clients generously, this commitment to continuous learning and development is what keeps us at the top of our game, protects our credibility and sets us apart from our competitors.

Respect Team, Time and Talents - We are a team in the true sense of the word, every person matters equally, and we leave our egos at the door. We firmly believe that everybody has something valid to contribute and every person's time and talents are precious regardless of 'hierarchy'.

Balanced and beautiful - We are committed to ensuring our client accounts, book‑keeping and payroll are accurate and beautifully clean. This means the records represent the true state of the business, so owners can make well‑informed and confident decisions.

Courageous and Curious - We understand that to grow we need to expose ourselves to experiences that fall outside of our comfort zones and undertake tasks that may seem difficult at first. As a team we are continuously innovating, constantly looking for opportunities to improve what we do and always asking the question 'is there a better way?'

Flexibility

This job description is indicative of the range of current duties and responsibilities for the post, it is not comprehensive. It is inevitable that the duties will change to reflect organisational change and it is essential therefore that it is regarded with a degree of flexibility, so that changing needs and circumstances can be met. All changes will be discussed with the post holder. The job description for this post will be reviewed annually.

Please note

We reserve the right to close this vacancy early if a successful candidate is appointed before the advertised closing date of 10/12/2025.