Office Administrator in Westerham

Are you an organised, proactive administrator who enjoys working with clients and keeping things running smoothly? Based in Westerham, our client is a well-established accounting practice with a strong reputation for providing high-quality accounting and financial services to individuals and businesses across the UK. Since starting as a small practice, the firm has grown into a trusted and respected business, recognised for its personal approach, professional expertise and commitment to delivering excellent service to its clients.

The Role

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. This is a permanent, office-based role, working Monday to Thursday, 9.00am-5.00pm and Friday, 9.00am-4.00pm. Own transport is recommended.

Key Responsibilities

• 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.
• Manage the shared admin mailbox, answering what you can 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.
• 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.
• 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.
• Handle client and firm information securely and in line with the firm's data protection, information security and record retention policies.

Requirements

Essential

• At least one to two years of administrative experience.
• Warm and professional with clients, both on the phone and face to face.
• 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.
• Confident with Microsoft Outlook, Word and Excel.

Desirable

• Experience gained in an accountancy practice, law firm or other professional services environment.