Accounts Assistant

Accounts Assistant Location: Southwark, London SE1 (mainly office based) Competitive salary plus company performance-related bonus, study support, private healthcare and wellbeing benefits About Us Liv-ex is the global marketplace for the wine trade, with over 500 members worldwide. We offer B2B services that span trading, data, logistics and technology to a diverse group of wine businesses – from ambitious start-ups to established merchants. Our goal is to make fine wine trading more transparent, efficient and safe for the benefit of our members and the market as a whole. We are hard-working, committed yet informal, energetic and action oriented. Founded in 2000, Liv-ex has grown to serve a growing number of merchant members with a broadening range of services. We help clients and other stakeholders to better understand the fine wine market and identify opportunities to profit. Summary Purpose Liv-ex is seeking a motivated and detail-oriented Accounts Assistant to join our Finance team and support the day-to-day financial operations of the business. This role is ideal for someone with at least 1 year of experience in a finance or accounting role who is looking to broaden their experience across management accounting, accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliations and financial controls within a fast-paced commercial environment. The successful candidate will have a proactive attitude, strong attention to detail and a willingness to improve processes and systems as the business continues to grow. Study support may be available for the right candidate pursuing a professional accounting qualification (AAT, ACCA or ACA) Responsibilities: - Ownership of the weekly payment run, ensuring supplier payments are processed accurately and on time - Respond to customer and supplier finance queries relating to invoices, payments, reconciliations and account balances, ensuring agreed SLAs are met - Perform daily and monthly reconciliations across bank accounts, credit cards, expenses and customer accounts - Support accounts receivable activities, including ownership of credit control and proactive chasing of overdue balances - Identify and escalate financial or credit risks to the Finance team in a timely manner - Prepare monthly balance sheet reconciliations and investigate any variances - Assist with month-end close processes and preparation of monthly management accounts - Assist with the preparation of annual statutory accounts, audits and tax-related filings - Maintain accurate financial records and ensure strong financial controls and audit trails are in place - Proactively identify opportunities to improve finance processes, reporting and systems, particularly within AP, AR and month-end workflows - Support wider business projects and finance-related operational initiatives where required Knowledge, Skills & Experience - Minimum 1 year of experience in a Finance Assistant, Accounts Assistant or Assistant Accountant role - Fluent in French language (written and spoken) - Good understanding of accounting and bookkeeping principles - Strong numerical and analytical skills with good attention to detail - Advanced Excel skills, including formulas, reconciliations and data manipulation - Excellent organisational and time management skills, with the ability to prioritise workload and meet deadlines - Confident communicating directly with customers and resolving finance-related queries over phone, video calls and email professionally and efficiently - Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment and managing multiple priorities - Proactive approach to problem solving with the confidence to take ownership of tasks Nice to have - Degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or a related subject - Experience using Sage 200 - Experience using HubSpot - Experience working in a multi-currency or international business Attributes - Self-motivated, reliable and keen to develop - Comfortable working at pace in a fast-moving environment - Takes ownership and accountability for work - Strong interpersonal and communication skills - Interest in improving processes and systems - Proactive and solutions-oriented mindset - Service-focused with strong attention to detail - Builds effective working relationships internally and externally