Senior Finance Assistant in London

Predominantly office-based in SE1. A minimum of three days per week in the office.

Contract Type

Permanent

Hours

Full-time, five days per week, 37.5 hours a week (Predominantly office-based. You are expected to be in the office a minimum of three days per week)

Salary

• Competitive, dependent on experience
• About Kapow Primary

Kapow Primary is a dynamic and growing organisation dedicated to supporting primary education through high-quality curriculum resources and services.

We are looking for a detail-oriented and proactive senior finance assistant to join our finance team.

The role

This is a key role supporting the day-to-day financial operations of the organisation.

You will work closely with the Finance Manager to ensure accurate financial reporting, maintain strong financial controls, and help drive continuous process improvement.

A significant part of this role is to act as deputy in the Finance Manager’s absence, providing continuity and confidence across the finance function.

You will be trusted to handle queries, conduct day-to-day operations, and be a point of contact for the wider team when cover is needed.

What you will do

• Financial processing and control
• Maintain and oversee purchase and sales ledgers, ensuring accuracy and completeness
• Process daily sales invoices and manage the sales ledger
• Process staff expenses and corporate credit card transactions
• Monitor accounts payable and receivable, ensuring prompt resolution of queries
• Manage daily credit control and monitoring
• Ensure appropriate authorisation and compliance with internal controls and policies
• Bank and balance sheet reconciliations
• Perform regular bank reconciliations, including Stripe, and investigate discrepancies
• Reconcile key balance sheet accounts (e. g. accruals, prepayments, payroll, VAT)
• Maintain clear audit trails for all reconciliations
• Month-end and year-end support
• Assist with month-end close processes, including journal postings
• Prepare accruals, prepayments, and other adjustments
• Support the preparation of management accounts
• Assist with year-end audit preparation and liaise with external auditors
• Systems and process improvement
• Support the development and improvement of finance systems and processes
• Identify inefficiencies and recommend practical improvements
• Assist with system implementations or upgrades where required
• Compliance and governance
• Ensure compliance with financial regulations, policies, and procedures
• Support VAT returns and other statutory reporting
• Maintain confidentiality and integrity of financial data
• Act as a key point of contact for finance queries across the organisation
• Build strong working relationships with internal teams and external suppliers
• Deputise for the Finance Manager in their absence, covering day-to-day operations and stakeholder queries
• Proven experience in a similar finance role, ideally at senior assistant level
• Strong working knowledge of double-entry bookkeeping and accounting principles
• Experience managing ledgers and reconciliations
• Experience with accounting software, ideally Xero (or Sage or similar)
• Close attention to detail and accuracy
• Strong organisational and communication skills
• Ability to work independently, prioritise effectively, and meet deadlines
• Confident in using digital tools and comfortable adopting new systems
• Proactive and solutions-focused mindset with a strong sense of accountability
• Adaptable and comfortable in a growing, evolving organisation
• High level of integrity and professionalism
• Experience using automation features within finance tools (e. g. Xero, Excel)
• Familiarity with AI-assisted reporting or anomaly detection tools
• AAT qualification or actively studying towards one
• Key performance indicators
• Accuracy and timeliness of financial processing
• Meeting month-end deadlines consistently
• Quality of reconciliations and audit readiness
• Responsiveness to stakeholder queries
• Confidence and effectiveness when deputising for the Finance Manager
• Contribution to process improvements and system efficiency
• What we can offer
• Holidays: You will receive 33 days; paid holiday per year (including public holidays in
• England and Wales).
• As Kapow works with primary schools, our business follows the school calendar and has seasonal peaks and quieter periods.

We ask that you take at least three weeks of your annual leave during standard English school holidays, with two of those weeks taken in the summer holidays.

• London weighting of £2000 a year
• 4x salary death in service benefit - private online GP
• Westfield Health

You must have the right to work in the UK.

We offer a study support package for candidates working towards an AAT qualification or equivalent. This includes financial contribution towards course fees and reasonable study leave. We are committed to supporting your professional growth.

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