Junior Accountant

Amanda Towers & Company Accountants partners with local businesses across West Lancashire to deliver accurate, timely financial insight that lets owners make confident decisions. As Junior Accountant you will own the day-to-day numbers that keep our clients compliant and our practice growing. Your work directly protects livelihoods and builds the trust that has defined this firm since day one.

Performance Objectives

• Process and reconcile 200+ client transactions each month to 99.5% accuracy within five working days of month-end.
• Prepare draft VAT returns and corporation-tax computations for 15 SME clients per quarter, ready for senior review with zero HMRC penalties.
• Close the books for allocated clients by the 10th working day, producing management accounts that highlight cash-flow variances over 5%.
• Resolve 90% of supplier and payroll queries within 48 hours, documenting every adjustment in the client file.
• Support year-end audits by completing assigned work-papers two weeks before statutory deadlines, reducing partner review time by 20%.
• Identify and flag at least three process improvements per quarter that cut data-entry time or raise control quality.

Environment & Resources

You will join a tight-knit team of six in our West Lancashire office, reporting directly to the Practice Manager. You will work in Xero, Sage and Excel with full access to client portals and a modest training budget for ACCA or AAT modules. Decision-making is fast; you will sit two desks from the partners who sign off your work.

Essential Qualifications

• AAT Level 4 or equivalent, currently studying ACCA or CIMA.
• 12 months’ hands-on bookkeeping or accounts-preparation experience in a UK practice or similar SME environment.
• Proven ability to reconcile bank, sales and purchase ledgers to the penny and explain variances in plain English.
• Working knowledge of Making Tax Digital and VAT schemes used by small limited companies.
• UK right to work and willingness to travel occasionally to client sites within Lancashire.

Role Selling Points

• Direct exposure to partners and a wide mix of trades, hospitality and professional-service clients—no two weeks look the same.
• Structured study support and a clear path to become a fully qualified accountant inside three years.
• Small-firm culture where your improvements are implemented the same week you suggest them.
• Competitive salary plus performance bonus tied to client retention and accuracy metrics.

If you want your first accounting role to matter from day one, send your CV and a short note on the last set of accounts you closed. We review every application within 48 hours.