Client Accountant

Job description

Overview of Role

The Client Accountant will be responsible for managing a portfolio of clients, ensuring accurate financial reporting, compliance, and high-quality service delivery. This is a client-facing role requiring strong organisational skills, attention to detail, and the ability to build positive relationships.

Responsibilities

Reporting

• Prepare regular financial reports for clients, including key summaries such as trial balances, service charge budgets, and VAT calculations
• Ensure timely submission of statutory reports to relevant authorities, such as HMRC and RICS
• Provide ad hoc financial reports as required by surveyors, legal advisors, or other stakeholders

Financial Oversight

• Regularly track and analyse the financial performance of client portfolios, ensuring prompt resolution of any discrepancies or issues
• Complete essential reconciliations of control accounts, ensuring accuracy and timely completion
• Monitor funding and cash flows, addressing any shortfalls or funding requirements promptly
• Ensure all recoverable costs are invoiced to clients and tenants in line with agreed timelines
• Implement and follow internal financial controls in line with established policies and frameworks 

Collaboration and Communication

• Work closely with finance colleagues and surveyors, participating in meetings to discuss and address any outstanding issues
• Coordinate effectively with teammates to distribute workload efficiently and meet deadlines
• Foster strong working relationships with internal teams and external stakeholders, including clients and surveyors
• Support senior management in developing and refining processes within the client accounting team to achieve excellence in service delivery

Issue Resolution and Support

• Handle day-to-day queries from clients and tenants, providing clear and timely resolutions
• Assist in the seamless transition of new properties and clients into the portfolio and manage the exit process as required
• Undertake additional accounting tasks that may be required to support the broader management of client properties

Requirements

Financial Acumen

• Understanding of accounting principles specific to property management, ensuring all financial transactions and reporting are accurate and compliant with regulations
• Advanced proficiency in Excel (including data tools like pivot tables and formulas) to manage complex financial data
• Experience in property management systems is desirable.
  Attention to Detail and Analytical Skills
• A meticulous approach to tracking and managing financial data with a focus on precision and clarity
• Ability to identify discrepancies quickly and provide efficient resolutions
• Communication and Interpersonal Skills:
• Confident in liaising with clients, tenants, and internal teams, providing clear advice and addressing queries with professionalism
• A team player, capable of supporting colleagues while managing individual workloads
  Organisational and Time Management Skills
• Ability to prioritise tasks effectively in a fast-paced environment, ensuring that deadlines are consistently met
• Proactive in identifying issues and implementing solutions to prevent delays or errors
• AAT qualification (or working towards) is essential.
• Strong knowledge of property accounting practices.
• Proficiency in Excel and other Microsoft office applications (Word, PowerPoint and Outlook)
• 3-5 years’ experience in property or client accounting

Finding the right people is important to us and transferrable skills are always welcome.  We value potential and are open to candidates who may not have every listed skill.

Our Benefits

• Holiday scheme starting at 25 days holiday increasing by 1 day each year to 28 days after 3 years of service.
• Life Assurance of four times your basic salary
• Private Medical Cover including Westfield Health cashplan (After passed probationary period)
• Travel Insurance (After passed probationary period)
• Salary Sacrifice Pension Scheme
• Enhanced Maternity, Paternity, adoption and shared parental leave benefits
• Holiday Buy Back Scheme
• Long Service Awards
• One Volunteering Day for your chosen charity each year.

Equal Opportunities

We are an equal opportunities employer and do not tolerate discriminatory behaviour of any kind, in line with the Equality Act 2010.

Core working hours are Monday – Friday 9.00am – 17.30pm.

This is a permanent full-time position based on 37.5 hours (Monday – Friday) however we’re fully open to discussing part-time smart working requirements. We also operate a smart working policy

Recruitment Agencies

In line with our recruitment process, Brown&Co will only pay agency fees where we have signed Terms of Business in place, and the recruitment agency has been instructed by a member of our HR team to support the recruitment.

Any CVs submitted to Brown&Co or any of its employees without prior instruction will not be subject to any fee. All candidate submissions must be made either via our vacancies page or through a member of the HR team.