Business Operations & Finance Assistant in Manchester

Full job description Take ownership of recurring finance administration and bookkeeping across the commercial finance brokerage delivering complete, accurate and reconciled information to the Finance Director. The role creates capacity for financial review, management information, budgets and forecasting. Bookkeeping and cost register * Manage the accounts inbox, respond to routine queries and follow outstanding items through to completion. * Process invoices through Dext and Xero, allocating them to the correct company, account and tax code. * Keep bookkeeping current across the group and complete bank and card reconciliations to the agreed timetable. * Obtain invoices and receipts that require manual collection, including weekly follow-up for missing documents. * Maintain the cost register across all group companies, including recurring costs, commitments, renewals and changes, with correct company and department allocations. * Use approved AI tools and established workflows, check their outputs and follow company requirements for handling sensitive information. Sales & Invoicing * Raise and send sales invoices to lenders promptly, maintain expected payment dates and coordinate payment chasing with staff. * Match receipts and remittances to invoices and records; investigate differences and follow up missing information. * Handle routine lender queries about invoices, payments and remittances, referring matters requiring a decision to the Finance Director. Expenses and purchasing * Process staff expense claims, check supporting documents and approvals, chase missing invoices and receipts, and resolve routine queries. * Manage routine purchasing across the group within agreed budgets and approval limits: obtain quotes where needed, place authorised orders, follow up invoices and receipts, and support card administration. Accounting, payroll and reporting Journals and month-end support * Prepare and post routine manual journals, including revenue-share entries, using agreed calculations and approval processes. * Prepare month-end adjustments, including accruals and prepayments, and supporting schedules for review. * Reconcile balance sheet and control accounts; investigate differences and clearly flag unresolved items. * Record intercompany transactions and reconcile balances across group companies. * Maintain the fixed asset register and regular depreciation schedules, and prepare VAT returns for review. Variance analysis and reporting Canopy and commission reconciliations * Reconcile Canopy CRM records against Xero, including remittances, commission income, introducer commissions and clawbacks. * Correct routine finance data errors within agreed permissions, retain an audit trail and escalate system faults or unresolved differences promptly. * Prepare monthly budget-versus-actual reports by company and department, showing pound and percentage variances against approved budgets. * Investigate significant differences: check coding, missing costs, accruals and timing, and obtain explanations from relevant staff. * Provide initial commentary and flag unresolved issues using agreed investigation and escalation thresholds. * Prepare routine reports and supporting schedules to agreed daily, weekly and month-end deadlines, keeping an organised audit trail. Essential experience and skills * Practical bookkeeping experience and confidence using Xero, bank reconciliations and routine journals. * Experience preparing payroll and supporting pension administration, with a careful approach to checks and deadlines. * Confidence using spreadsheets to reconcile data, prepare budget-versus-actual reports and investigate differences. * Strong organisation and attention to detail, with the ability to manage recurring tasks and follow queries through to resolution. * Clear, professional communication with colleagues and external contacts, and discretion with financial and payroll information