Senior Assistant Accountant

CLOSER; Greater London; On-site; GBP 35,000 - 50,000; Full time

Job summary

CLOSER is seeking a strong, ambitious Senior Assistant Accountant to help shape a growing finance team. This hands-on role covers group finance, accounts payable, month-end reporting and production accounting, with ownership of key processes and projects alongside the Financial Controller.

AI is central to our ambition: you will help automate routine tasks, improve insights and support faster, smarter decision-making across productions and commercial activities.

Qualifications

• Solid hands-on accounting and month-end experience with the ability to own key tasks independently and a strong understanding of double-entry bookkeeping and reconciliations.
• Experience tracking project or production costs, and confidence working with producers and budget holders.
• Strong Excel skills and confidence using accounting software.
• Clear communication, attention to detail and sound judgement, with the confidence to manage competing deadlines, explain variances and raise issues early.
• Energy, initiative and a desire to learn, take ownership and grow with the business.
• AI experience or a strong interest in learning, with the curiosity to test new tools and challenge how things are done.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of assigned month-end processes and prepare management accounts schedules, including journals, accruals, prepayments and revenue and cost reconciliations, for review by the Financial Controller.
• Support accounts payable, including processing supplier invoices, checking approvals, reconciling supplier statements, resolving queries and preparing payment runs.
• Own bank, credit card and balance sheet reconciliations, investigating differences, resolving outstanding items and escalating risks promptly.
• Maintain accurate records across group entities, including intercompany balances and foreign currency transactions.
• Assist with cash flow reporting, VAT returns and year-end audits.
• Act as the finance contact for assigned productions, working with producers on budgets, job costing, forecasts, client billing and project close-outs, and flagging overspends and margin risks early.
• Pitch in across day-to-day finance and team priorities, taking ownership and helping colleagues meet deadlines.
• Drive practical improvements through AI and automation for invoice processing, reconciliations, reporting and analysis, testing accuracy and helping the team adopt better ways of working.

Skills

Month-end bookkeeping

Budgeting & cost tracking

Excel skills

Intercompany reconciliations

Strong communication

AI in finance interest

Education

AAT qualification

ACCA/CIMA progress welcome

Job description

About Us – Crafting Visionary Creativity.

CLOSER is a creative company continuously crafting how humans both understand the world and experience it. Home to the world’s most skilled practitioners in immersive world building and creative craft, we operate three businesses at the centre of the modern consumer economy.

• CLOSER Studios – End-to-end services to realize narratives, environments and cultural moments that shape how brands appear in the world and how consumers experience them.
• CLOSER Experiences – A platform creating immersive environments, installations and managing cultural venues where brands engage audiences physically and emotionally.
• CLOSER Brands – A platform for launching and scaling consumer companies through structured joint ventures with Fortune 100 companies

CLOSER Group is entering a significant growth phase, making this an exciting time to join. You will work closely with finance, creative and production teams, with the opportunity to make an impact and build a long-term career as the business expands.

The Role

We are building a world-class finance team and looking for a strong, ambitious Senior Assistant Accountant to help shape it. This is a varied, hands-on role in a fast-paced creative business, spanning group finance, accounts payable, month-end reporting and production accounting. You will take ownership of key accounting processes and assigned projects, working with the Financial Controller to deliver accurate reporting, resolve issues and give teams useful financial insight. You will work close to the action and have the opportunity to make your mark as Closer grows.

AI is central to our ambition for the team. We want to rethink how finance works: automate routine tasks, produce sharper insights and free up time for work that adds value. You will have room to experiment, suggest ideas and turn them into practical improvements. Bring solid accounting foundations, energy and curiosity; we will help you build the skills and experience to take on greater responsibility and grow towards a senior finance role.

Responsibilities

• Take ownership of assigned month-end processes and prepare management accounts schedules, including journals, accruals, prepayments and revenue and cost reconciliations, for review by the Financial Controller.
• Support accounts payable, including processing supplier invoices, checking approvals, reconciling supplier statements, resolving queries and preparing payment runs.
• Own bank, credit card and balance sheet reconciliations, investigating differences, resolving outstanding items and escalating risks promptly.
• Maintain accurate records across group entities, including intercompany balances and foreign currency transactions.
• Assist with cash flow reporting, VAT returns and year-end audits.
• Act as the finance contact for assigned productions, working with producers on budgets, job costing, forecasts, client billing and project close-outs, and flagging overspends and margin risks early.
• Pitch in across day-to-day finance and team priorities, taking ownership and helping colleagues meet deadlines.
• Drive practical improvements through AI and automation for invoice processing, reconciliations, reporting and analysis, testing accuracy and helping the team adopt better ways of working.

Skills & Experience

There is more than one route into a great finance career. We welcome different backgrounds and career paths, and you do not need to tick every box below. We are interested in how you think, what you can bring to the team and your potential to grow. Curiosity, sound judgement and a willingness to pitch in matter as much as a conventional CV. The skills below give a sense of what will help you succeed.

• Solid hands-on accounting and month-end experience, with the ability to own key tasks independently and a strong understanding of double-entry bookkeeping and reconciliations.
• Experience tracking project or production costs, and confidence working with producers and budget holders.
• Strong Excel skills and confidence using accounting software.
• Clear communication, attention to detail and sound judgement, with the confidence to manage competing deadlines, explain variances and raise issues early.
• Energy, initiative and a desire to learn, take ownership and grow with the business.
• AI experience or a strong interest in learning, with the curiosity to test new tools and challenge how things are done.

AAT qualification or progress towards ACCA or CIMA is welcome, as is experience in a creative agency, production or multi-entity business.

We are an equal opportunities employer and welcome applications from all backgrounds. Please tell us if you need any adjustments during the recruitment process.