Trainee Accounts Assistant (Purchase Ledger/Payroll)

VSA is a well-respected local social care charity, helping support the people of Aberdeen for over 155 years. Our mission is to provide the best of care to enable the best of lives; supporting individuals and communities to fulfil their potential. VSA provides vital support and services to people of all ages. At VSA we support a person’s physical, mental, emotional and social wellbeing through a range of residential and outreach support services.

We are seeking a motivated and organised Trainee Accounts Assistant to join our finance team. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to start or develop a career in accounting, with full training and support provided. This role will cover the Finance and Payroll teams, learning processes for Purchase ledger and Payroll, processing suppliers invoices and payments, and supporting the team with any other duties as required. We are looking for someone enthusiastic and proactive who is keen to develop their skills and grow within the role, this may suit a school leaver or someone returning to the workplace.

Hours: 35 hours per week
Duration: Permanent
Work Pattern: Monday-Friday
Hourly Rate: £12.71 per hour
Location: Castle Street, Aberdeen

We offer all our staff fantastic benefits including:

• Generous Paid Holidays
• NEST Pension Scheme
• Refer a friend scheme
• Ongoing Training and Development

Main Duties/Responsibilities:

Finance:

• Maintaining the purchase ledger
• Process supplier invoices and credit notes
• Prepare twice monthly payment runs
• Matching Direct Debit payments on purchase ledger and maintain accurate records
• Reconciling supplier statement and chase missing invoices
• Assist with month-end closing activities
• Resolve supplier queries
• Provide general administrative support to the finance team where required
• Ensuring accuracy and self-checking of work
• Providing support to colleagues ensuring the department is working as a team
• Working to monthly deadlines set within procedure
• Understanding and expanding knowledge on compliance and audit within Purchase Ledger and Payroll
• Developing knowledge on how to navigate Finance Software to extract appropriate data

Payroll:

• Assist the payroll team with all aspects of monthly payroll preparation
• Checking employee absence and holiday records and ensuring they are correctly recorded in HR/payroll systems
• Input employee data such as hours worked, overtime and deductions into payroll systems
• Processing employee expenses and payroll-related costs
• Maintain accurate payroll records and employee files
• Help check payroll calculations to ensure accuracy before payments are processed
• Reconciling payroll data to confirm that all payments are accurate
• Assist with processing statutory payments such as sick pay and maternity pay
• Ensure compliance with payroll legislation, tax regulations, and company policies
• Dealing with and processing queries from employees by phone or e-mail

Qualifications/Training/Education:

Essential: Good numerical and analytical skills, Strong attention to detail and accuracy

Desirable: National 5 Maths or Application of Maths or equivalent.

Experience:

Essential: Knowledge and experience of using Microsoft office software – including Excel, outlook and word, Ability to work with Spreadsheets/Excel

Desirable: Some basic experience working in a purchase ledger or payroll role. Proven experience of using finance software/payroll systems.

Key Skills/Aptitudes:

Essential: Ability to handle confidential information responsibly and ethically. Possess strong interpersonal skills, including listening, empathy, and clarity in communication both verbally and written. Good time management skills to meet deadlines efficiently. Building effective working relationships with more experienced colleagues. Able to adapt effectively to changing demands and priorities.

Personal Qualities:

Essential: Effective communication and organisational skills for working with both suppliers and staff. Able to work independently or collaboratively as part of a team. Reliability – able to take responsibility and ownership of tasks.

Other Job Requirements: Disclosure Scotland check and formal references required prior to starting employment.