Accounting Assistant

Company Description
**About us**

We believe in the power of ingenuity to build a positive human future in a technology-driven world.

As strategies, technologies and innovation collide, we create opportunity from complexity.

Our diverse teams of experts combine innovative thinking and breakthrough use of technologies to progress further, faster. Our clients adapt and transform, and together we achieve enduring results.

An innovation and transformation consultancy, we are 3,300 specialists in consumer and manufacturing, defence and security, energy and utilities, financial services, government and public services, health and life sciences, and transport. Our people are strategists, innovators, designers, consultants, digital experts, scientists, engineers and technologists. We operate globally from offices across the UK, US, Netherlands and Nordics.

Our hybrid way of working is designed to help you plan your work and your life. We want decisions about **_‘where to work’_** to be governed by **_‘the work we need to do’_** - whether that’s at client sites, offices/labs/studios, or remotely from home.

We have five principles which will help us balance both creating a high-performance culture that delivers for our clients and the firm, and being understanding and inclusive to individuals, and the teams in which we all work. Our principles are: we put your safety first; we trust PA people; we respect difference; we are responsive to clients and we are responsive to individuals and teams.

**PA. Bringing Ingenuity to Life.**

**Job Description**:
The Accounting Assistant will work with the Accounting Manager to manage a portfolio of UK trading entities.

This is a minimum 12 Month Fixed Term Contract and must be able to attend the office every Wednesday with the rest of the team.

**Key Responsibilities**:

- Managing month end close - ensuring all general ledger activities including the processing of journals for the fixed assets, accruals, prepayments and intercompany processes are timely and accurately performed.
- Provide cover for the Accurate maintenance of fixed asset registers including, recording additions / disposals, depreciation entries and reconciliation to the general ledger.
- Prepare monthly balance sheet reconciliations.
- Review of UK VAT return file in order to book the VAT cleardown journal.
- Preparation of monthly reporting pack with analysis and commentary under UK GAAP.
- Assisting the Accounting Manager with the preparation of the statutory accounts.
- Preparing information packs for the external audits and responding to external audit requests within the set timeframes.
- Preparation of SOX audit schedules and responding to requests from the SOX audit team.
- Ensuring the smooth running of the intercompany recharge processes that you are allocated.
- Submission of Office National Statistic returns.
- Completing monthly analysis of key P&L accounts.
- Documentation and monitoring of internal controls and procedures.
- Ad hoc tasks as required.

**Qualifications**:

- Studying or wishing to study for accounting qualification (AAT, ACA, ACCA, CIMA).
- A minimum of 2-years related experience in an accounting environment.
- Strong Excel skills, including knowledge of VLOOKUPS, SUMIFS & Pivot tables
- Working knowledge of PeopleSoft Financials accounting package preferred but not essential.

**Skills / Personal Qualities**:

- Strong attention to detail & highly organized.
- Experience of working in a large company multinational organisation.
- An individual with a ‘hands on’ attitude and an intellect to drill into transactional detail.
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills.
- Ability to deliver to deadlines.
- Strong communication and customer service skills.
- Ability to prioritise and respond to multiple tasks in a fast-moving environment.
- Culturally sensitive and able to work across reporting lines

Additional Information

**Benefits**:

- Private medical insurance
- 25 days annual leave with the opportunity to buy 5 additional days
- Company pension scheme
- Annual performance-based bonus
- Life and Income protection insurance
- Tax efficient benefits (cycle to work, give as you earn)
- Additional optional benefits (dental, critical illness, spouse/partner life assurance)

**Diversity**

Our approach to Inclusion and Diversity is a key enabler to our purpose - ‘Bringing Ingenuity to Life’. At PA, we are committed to creating a supportive culture where our people can thrive. To bring ingenuity to life for our clients we need people with different perspectives who think innovatively. We are on a journey to create an ever more inclusive place to work, where we all feel supported and can be ourselves.

We want our people to experience a working environment that promotes dignity, equality and respect for all. In terms of recruitment, we believe diversity makes us a stronger firm and we look to employ people with different ideas, styles and skillsets. This diver