Portfolio Assistant

About the Role We are recruiting for an experienced and motivated Portfolio Assistant to join an established accountancy practice and play a key role in supporting the management of a varied client portfolio.

This is an excellent opportunity for an ambitious practice professional who has strong VAT knowledge and accounts preparation experience, and who is ready to take on greater responsibility within a supportive and progressive team.

The successful candidate will take ownership of the VAT requirements for part of the portfolio, prepare accounts, manage workflows and deadlines, and provide support and guidance to junior members of the team.

Key Responsibilities Manage VAT returns for a portfolio of clients, including client liaison, delegation, review and submission.

Ensure all VAT filing deadlines are met well in advance and clients receive timely communication.

Prepare draft accounts for a range of clients.

Proactively manage workflows and deadlines, including keeping CCH Workflow fully updated and maintained.

Take full responsibility for managing workflows when managers are on annual leave.

Liaise confidently and professionally with clients, providing clear and effective communication.

Manage and coordinate bookkeepers' time to ensure work is completed efficiently and within agreed deadlines.

Assist managers in achieving billing and fee targets.

Support other managers with workflow and portfolio requirements where required.

Provide training and support to junior members of staff, including direct reports and other less experienced team members.

Assist with training colleagues on relevant accounting and practice-management software.

Deal with ad-hoc client queries and provide appropriate technical support.

Act as a mentor and role model to junior staff and peers, demonstrating professionalism, strong technical knowledge and a positive approach.

About You We are looking for someone who is confident working in an accountancy practice and is ready to take the next step in their career.

The two key areas for this role are: Strong VAT knowledge: you will be responsible for managing the VAT side of part of the firm's client portfolio, so a good understanding of VAT compliance and the ability to confidently deal with client queries is essential.

Accounts preparation: you should have solid experience preparing accounts and be comfortable working independently across a varied portfolio.

You will also ideally have: Experience working within an accountancy practice.

Good knowledge of VAT compliance and deadlines.

Experience preparing accounts for a range of clients.

Strong organisational skills and the ability to manage competing deadlines.

Excellent attention to detail and a proactive approach to workflow management.

Confident client communication and relationship-building skills.

The ability to delegate work effectively and manage other team members' time.

Experience supporting or training junior colleagues.

Good IT and accounting software skills; experience with CCH Workflow would be advantageous.

A professional, positive and collaborative approach.

What You'll Bring This role would suit someone who enjoys taking ownership, is proactive rather than reactive, and wants to become a key member of the team.

You will be expected to lead by example, support junior colleagues and work closely with managers to ensure client work is delivered accurately, efficiently and ahead of deadline.

If you are an experienced accounts professional with strong VAT knowledge and are looking for a role offering increased responsibility, client exposure and the opportunity to mentor others, we'd be keen to hear from you.