Finance and Accounting Officer

Reports to: Head of Finance & Governance
Location: Saint Paul’s Hammersmith, W6 9PJ
Contract: 1 FTE (5 days a week)
Salary: £32,000 – £40,000 depending on experience

Role Purpose

The Finance and Accounting Officer is responsible for the accurate, timely and controlled execution of all transactional finance activities at Saint Paul’s Hammersmith, including financial transactions, payments, payroll, pensions, reconciliations and bookkeeping records. The role ensures financial integrity, compliance with charity and HMRC requirements, and the production of clean, well‑organised and audit‑ready records supporting decision‑making by leadership and helping the wider church to steward resources with care and integrity.

Key Responsibilities

1. Financial Processing & Controls

• Process all income and expenditure in Xero in a timely and accurate manner.

• Ensure correct coding (fund, department, nominal code and budget line).

• Maintain a complete and auditable transaction record with appropriate supporting documentation.

• Perform monthly bank, credit card and control account reconciliations (fully resolved within reporting timelines).

• Post journals including accruals, prepayments, and reclassifications.

2. Accounts Payable & Expenses

• Validate supplier invoices against approvals and budget authority.

• Process supplier payments in accordance with delegated authority matrix.

• Ensure expenses comply with policy and are fully supported.

• Maintain supplier master data and manage supplier queries.

3. Payroll & Pensions

• Prepare payroll inputs (starters, leavers, changes, adjustments).

• Reconcile payroll outputs and postings to the general ledger.

• Maintain HMRC‑compliant payroll records and submissions.

• Administer pension contributions (NEST/Standard Life) and reconciliations.

4. Income, Giving & Gift Aid

• Reconcile all income streams (donations, card payments, booking systems).

• Maintain accurate Gift Aid records and support claims submission.

• Monitor completeness and accuracy of donor data and audit trail.

5. Reporting & Period Close

• Support monthly close process (including reconciliations and journals completed on schedule).

• Provide transaction listings and variance explanations to budget holders.

• Maintain structured filing for audit and independent examination.

6. Governance & Continuous Improvement

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