Admin Assistant (Accountancy)

Role purpose

To provide reliable, proactive and professional administrative support to the firm and its clients. You will be the first person clients speak to on the phone and the first person they see when they arrive, as well as the person who keeps our correspondence, onboarding and client records moving without needing to be chased.

Key responsibilities

Front of house and client contact

• Answer incoming calls, handle routine enquiries directly and pass technical or advice-related questions to the appropriate member of staff.
• Welcome clients and visitors arriving for meetings, show them to the meeting room, offer refreshments and let the relevant member of staff know they have arrived.
• Keep meeting rooms and reception areas tidy and ready for use.

Mailbox, post and correspondence

• Manage the shared admin mailbox, answering what you are able to answer yourself and forwarding everything else to the right member of staff promptly.
• Open and sort incoming post and pass it to the relevant member of staff.
• Prepare and send letters, emails and forms on behalf of the team as requested, including scanning and electronic filing.

Client onboarding and compliance

• Set up new client records and gather the initial information and identification documents needed to open a file.
• Issue letters of engagement and other onboarding documents, and chase anything outstanding.
• Carry out the firm's identity and anti-money laundering (AML) checks for new clients, and keep AML records up to date for existing ones.
• Process incoming and outgoing professional clearance requests.

Billing and records

• Raise sales invoices from instructions approved by the relevant manager or director.
• Keep client details, contact information, notes and file actions accurate and up to date in our CRM and practice management software.
• Monitor the tasks and outstanding actions allocated to you, chase clients or colleagues for missing information, and flag anything overdue or unusual to your manager.

Confidentiality

• Handle client and firm information securely and in line with the firm's data protection, information security and record retention policies.

What we're looking for

• At least one to two years of administrative experience, ideally gained in an accountancy practice, law firm or other professional services environment. Not essential - but preferred.
• Client onboarding or AML administration experience is a strong advantage. We will train the right candidate who has neither but has solid general admin experience.
• Confident with Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel. Experience of practice management or CRM software is a plus.

Approach and character

• Warm and professional with clients, both on the phone and face to face. You will often be their first impression of the firm.
• Organised and accurate, able to manage several priorities at once with limited day to day supervision.
• Proactive about chasing outstanding information and seeing routine tasks through to completion rather than waiting to be asked.
• Comfortable learning new software and adapting to changes in how the firm works.
• Discreet and dependable when handling confidential client and firm information.
• Able to resolve straightforward administrative queries independently, and knows when to ask for help or escalate.

Why join us

We are a close knit team and a small enough firm that you will know every client and every colleague by name, and see the difference your work makes. You will get real responsibility from the start.

• 28 days holiday a year, including bank holidays.
• The office closes between Christmas and New Year, and this is on top of your holiday entitlement.
• Early finish every Friday at 4.00pm.
• Free on-site parking and a friendly, supportive office close to the centre of Westerham.
• Full training on our systems and processes, with scope to take on more responsibility as you grow into the role.