Practice Accounts Assistant & Bookkeeper
Salary: £30,000 to £36,000 per year, depending on experience, plus performance-related bonus
Hours: 30 to 37.5 hours per week
Location: Predominantly remote, with optional office working in Farnborough
Job type: Permanent, full-time or part-time
Join a purpose-driven accountancy practice that genuinely cares.
At The Orenda Collective, we believe accountancy should be about far more than compliance.
We work in partnership with ambitious small businesses, providing clear advice, practical solutions and genuine support that helps business owners feel confident in their numbers and their decisions.
Our purpose is:
To be the caring force for straight talking business transformation.
That purpose shapes how we work with our clients and with one another. We combine strong technical standards with a genuinely human approach, building long-term relationships founded on trust, care and honest communication.
As our client base continues to grow, we are looking for an experienced Practice Accounts Assistant & Bookkeeper to join our team and help us maintain the exceptional standard of service our clients know us for.
This is a varied role spanning bookkeeping, VAT, year-end accounts and tax. It would suit someone who enjoys getting to know clients and their businesses, takes pride in producing high-quality work and wants to continue developing within a supportive, forward-thinking accountancy practice.
A varied role with room to develop
In this role, you will work across bookkeeping, accounts and tax, supporting a portfolio of small business clients in a range of industries.
The balance of work will vary depending on client deadlines and the needs of the wider team. At some points in the year, your workload may be more focused on bookkeeping and VAT. At others, you may spend more time preparing year-end accounts, Corporation Tax returns and Self Assessment tax returns.
We are therefore looking for someone who genuinely enjoys this variety and is happy to contribute wherever their skills are needed.
You will not be siloed into one area or treated as someone working quietly behind the scenes. You will have the opportunity to understand the businesses behind the numbers, communicate directly with clients and identify ways to improve their bookkeeping, processes and overall experience.
As The Orenda Collective grows, there will be genuine opportunities to develop your career. This could involve taking greater ownership of client relationships, strengthening your technical knowledge or, over time, specialising in the areas of accountancy that interest you most.
What you will be doing
You will work with a portfolio of small business clients, preparing accurate, high-quality work that will be reviewed by one of our senior accountants.
Your responsibilities will include:
- Preparing year-end accounts for limited companies, together with the associated Corporation Tax returns.
- Preparing accounts and Self Assessment tax returns for sole traders.
- Preparing Self Assessment tax returns for company directors, higher earners and other individuals.
- Completing bookkeeping using Xero, including recording and categorising sales, purchases and expenses.
- Reconciling bank accounts, credit cards and online payment platforms.
- Reconciling accounts payable, accounts receivable, VAT, PAYE and other balance sheet accounts.
- Posting payroll journals, accruals, prepayments, accrued income, deferred income and depreciation.
- Preparing and submitting VAT returns.
- Applying the correct VAT treatment, including different VAT rates, VAT schemes and pre-registration VAT claims.
- Preparing and submitting CIS returns.
- Liaising with HMRC to resolve client queries relating to Corporation Tax, Income Tax, PAYE, VAT and CIS.
- Communicating directly with clients by email and Zoom.
- Explaining technical matters clearly and in plain English, helping clients feel reassured rather than overwhelmed.
- Managing your own workload and ensuring that internal and statutory deadlines are met.
- Identifying missing information, inconsistencies or potential issues and proactively working with clients and the team to resolve them.
- Reviewing clients’ bookkeeping processes and identifying opportunities to improve accuracy and efficiency.
- Helping clients make better use of Xero through tools such as bank rules, automated feeds and integrations.
- Supporting the onboarding of new clients, including reviewing their existing bookkeeping records and recommending improvements.
- Highlighting potential tax planning opportunities or areas requiring further advice to the appropriate member of the team.
- Supporting your colleagues and contributing to wider improvements as our client base and practice continue to grow.
The kind of person who will thrive here
You will probably be a great fit if you:
- Enjoy both bookkeeping and accounts preparation rather than wanting to focus exclusively on one area.
- Take pride in producing accurate, carefully considered work.
- Are naturally organised and able to manage competing priorities and deadlines.
- Take ownership of your work from start to finish.
- Use your initiative and try to find sensible solutions when something does not look right.
- Are comfortable working independently but know when to ask for help.
- Enjoy getting to know clients and understanding how their businesses operate.
- Communicate in a clear, warm and professional way.
- Care about the experience clients have, not just the technical output you produce.
- Enjoy improving systems and finding more efficient ways of working.
- Are comfortable using technology and open to automation and AI-supported ways of working.
- Respond positively to feedback and see review points as an opportunity to develop.
- Have a positive attitude and a genuine willingness to keep learning.
- Want to contribute to a supportive, collaborative and growing team.
What we are looking for
We are looking for someone with practical experience working in a UK accountancy practice who can confidently contribute across bookkeeping, accounts and tax.
You will ideally have:
- At least two to three years’ recent experience working within a UK accountancy practice.
- An AAT qualification, be studying towards ACCA or ACA, or be qualified through relevant practical experience.
- Experience preparing limited company accounts and Corporation Tax returns.
- Experience preparing accounts and Self Assessment tax returns for sole traders.
- Experience preparing personal tax returns for company directors and higher earners.
- Strong bookkeeping knowledge, including experience completing balance sheet reconciliations and making year-end adjustments.
- Experience preparing and submitting VAT returns.
- A good working understanding of VAT rates, VAT schemes and pre-registration VAT claims.
- Experience preparing CIS returns.
- Strong working knowledge of Xero.
- The ability to manage your own workload and work to deadlines with appropriate support and review.
- Confidence communicating directly with clients and HMRC.
- The right to work in the United Kingdom.
Experience of the following would be advantageous, but is not essential:
- Dext and Hubdoc.
- TaxCalc.
- BrightManager or another accountancy practice management system.
- Payroll and workplace pensions.
- Online payment and e-commerce platforms such as Stripe, PayPal and Shopify.
- Working effectively within a remote or hybrid team.
- Using automation or AI tools to improve efficiency while maintaining appropriate accuracy and professional judgement.
We do not expect one person to know everything. What matters most is that you have a strong foundation, care about doing things properly and are willing to ask questions and continue learning.
What success looks like in this role
Success at The Orenda Collective is about far more than producing a set of accounts or submitting a tax return.
We do not want to be the type of accountants our clients only hear from once a year. We aim to become a trusted part of their journey, providing reassurance, practical guidance and proactive support throughout the year.
In this role, success means:
- Producing accurate, high-quality work with increasingly minimal review points.
- Meeting agreed deadlines and raising potential delays or issues early.
- Taking responsibility for gathering information and moving work forward.
- Building trusted and professional relationships with clients.
- Communicating technical information in a way clients can understand.
- Looking beyond the immediate task and identifying ways to improve clients’ bookkeeping, processes and experience.
- Spotting unusual transactions, inconsistencies and potential risks rather than simply processing the information provided.
- Using technology thoughtfully to deliver work efficiently without compromising quality.
- Taking ownership of your development and responding positively to feedback.
- Supporting colleagues and contributing positively to the wider team.
Our clients
You will work with a broad range of ambitious small businesses, predominantly within the creative, wellness and service sectors.
We also support clients in industries including construction and retail, meaning you will encounter a variety of businesses, systems and accounting challenges.
We are proud to work with genuinely lovely clients. They respect our expertise, value the relationships we build with them and expect a high standard of service. In return, we care deeply about their businesses and their success.
Where you will work
We are a predominantly remote team, but we are far from distant.
We communicate every day, share knowledge and support one another with client work. Our regular team catch-ups and collaborative approach mean that you will be trusted to work independently without being left to figure everything out alone.
Our office is based in Farnborough, Hampshire. If you live locally, you are welcome to work from the office regularly or use a mixture of office and home working. The office has free parking and is within walking distance of shops, gyms and a particularly good sandwich shop.
For the right person, this role can be fully remote. You will need to be based in the UK and able to attend up to four in-person team meetings each year. These will normally be held in Farnborough, Swindon or London and are an important opportunity for us to connect, collaborate and spend meaningful time together as a team.
Why join The Orenda Collective?
Our culture is just as important to us as our technical standards.
When you join The Orenda Collective, you will become part of an ambitious, human-centred environment where your skills are valued and your ideas are welcomed.
We believe:
- Great client service comes from combining efficiency with care, accuracy and professional pride.
- Strong relationships help us provide better advice and a better experience.
- Bookkeeping is not simply a background function. It creates the reliable financial information on which better decisions are built.
- Accountants should look beyond compliance and identify practical ways to help clients.
- Technical information should be communicated clearly and without unnecessary jargon.
- People should be trusted to manage their work while also being supported when they need help.
- Good ideas can come from anyone within the team.
- The best results come from sharing knowledge and working together.
- Technology should improve our work and our clients’ experience, while professional judgement and human relationships remain central to what we do.
What we offer
- A salary of £30,000 to £36,000 per year, depending on experience. This is the full-time equivalent and will be pro-rated for part-time employees.
- A performance-related bonus, which may be taken as additional pay or additional annual leave.
- A permanent role of between 30 and 37.5 hours per week.
- Flexible working around an agreed usual working pattern.
- Predominantly remote working, with the option to work from our Farnborough office.
- A genuinely supportive remote working environment with daily communication, regular collaboration and a weekly Monday team catch-up.
- 25 days’ annual leave plus bank holidays, pro-rated for part-time employees.
- A company pension.
- Paid professional subscriptions.
- Access to CPD resources and technical reference materials.
- Regular virtual social events.
- Up to four in-person team meetings each year, normally held in Farnborough, Swindon or London.
- Genuine opportunities to develop your knowledge, responsibilities and career as the practice grows.
We will agree your usual working pattern with you, but we understand that life does not always fit neatly into fixed hours. Whether you need flexibility for appointments, family commitments or other responsibilities, we will do our best to accommodate this, provided client needs are supported, communication remains clear and deadlines are consistently met.
Our recruitment process
We want our recruitment process to feel relaxed, straightforward and useful for both sides. It is just as important that you feel we are the right fit for you as it is that we feel you are right for the role.
If your application is shortlisted, you will be invited to an informal Zoom conversation with Abbie, our Director, and Nicola, our Senior Accountant and Client Manager.
This first conversation is an opportunity for us to get to know one another, discuss the role and understand what you are looking for from your next position. We will also explore whether our values, working styles and expectations are a good match.
If we are all keen to continue, we will invite you to a second interview. This will still be conversational, but we will explore your practical experience in more detail and may include some technical or scenario-based questions. These are designed to help us understand how you think, communicate and approach your work, rather than to catch you out.
If you are successful, we will make you an offer and introduce you to the wider team as part of a structured and supportive onboarding process.
Join us
If you are looking for a role where you can broaden your technical experience, build genuine relationships with clients and make a meaningful contribution within a growing accountancy practice, we would love to hear from you.
Please apply with your CV and a short covering note explaining:
- Why this role interests you.
- What you are looking for from your next position.
- Your experience across bookkeeping, VAT, accounts and tax.
- Your preferred working hours.
- Your salary expectations.
- Whether you are looking to work remotely, from our Farnborough office or through a mixture of both.
Pay: £30,000.00-£36,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Casual dress
- Free parking
- On-site parking
- Work from home
Work Location: Remote
