Background
Set within the North Wessex Downs National Landscape, Ewhurst Park is a 925-acre Hampshire estate, once home to the Duke of Wellington, now owned by Mandy Lieu and embarked on an ambitious estate-wide biodiversity and sustainability project: restoring the land for nature, growing organic food, and reconnecting people with nature and food provenance. Habitat creation, a no-dig organic market garden, estate produce, woodland feasts and education events, luxury stays, and a weddings and corporate offering together make this a genuine multi-entity, mixed-activity rural business.
It is an exciting moment to join as the estate matures, we are putting in place the financial procedures, reporting rhythms and operating systems that will underpin its smooth and sustainable running. The Estate Bookkeeper will sit at the heart of that work.
Bookkeeping Responsibilities
— Sales ledger management, including raising invoices and debtor control.
— Purchase ledger processing, reviewing ledgers and making payments.
— Bank reconciliations across all estate accounts.
— Preparation and submission of VAT returns.
— Monthly payroll processing, including pension submissions (see timing note below).
— Monthly cashflow reporting and annual budget preparation, meeting with heads of department on a monthly basis to review performance against budget.
— Preparing year-end packs and working closely with the estate's external accountants.
— General finance administration, correspondence and ad-hoc support to owners and managers.
Further Estate Duties, Procedures & Systems
Beyond the core bookkeeping cycle, the role carries wider responsibility for helping the estate run smoothly. We are looking for someone who will not only keep the books, but help us build and embed the routines that give every department clear ownership of its numbers. Further estate duties will include:
— Establishing and maintaining clear, documented finance procedures, invoicing, approvals, payments and expense workflows, so that responsibilities are well understood and consistently followed across departments.
— Supporting departmental ownership and accountability: working alongside each head of department through the monthly cycle so budgets, cashflow and spend are genuinely understood and owned at department level.
— Helping develop and maintain the estate's financial reporting framework, monthly management figures, cashflow forecasting and budget-versus-actual reporting that give owners and managers a clear, timely picture.
— Contributing to cost-control and efficiency: flagging trends, risks and opportunities, and making sensible recommendations that support the estate's wider restructure and sustainable growth.
— Maintaining an orderly finance filing and document-management system (within Xero and DEXT), supporting a clean and well-prepared year-end.
— Scheduling and coordinating maintenance work on and around the estate, buildings, grounds, vehicles and machinery, keeping a forward schedule of servicing, inspections and works so that jobs are planned, budgeted and not left to chance.
— Recording and submitting up-to-date utility meter readings (electricity, water, gas / oil / LPG) to ensure accurate billing and correct allocation of costs across the estate.
— Maintaining and reconciling the estate asset register, keeping it current as items are acquired, moved or disposed of.
— Tracking key renewal and compliance dates, vehicle tax, MOTs and insurance, plant and machinery servicing, maintenance and service contracts, subscriptions and licences and flagging them well ahead of time.
— Supporting grant, stewardship and project finance tracking where required, and liaising with external advisers, suppliers and the estate office to keep records accurate and up to date.
— Helping the team adopt and stick to agreed financial procedures and timescales, so the smooth day-to-day running of the estate is supported by sound systems rather than ad-hoc fixes.
Experience Required
We are looking for more than a transactional bookkeeper. The ideal candidate will bring insight, curiosity and commercial awareness.
— Proven bookkeeping experience, ideally across multi-entity or mixed-activity organisations.
— Confidence with cashflows, budgets and financial reporting.
— Ability to spot trends, risks and opportunities, and to make sensible recommendations.
— Experience of, or a strong interest in, estates, agriculture, rural businesses or tourism and hospitality.
— Organised, reliable and comfortable working closely with owners and managers.
Software & Tools We Use
— Xero — core bookkeeping.
— DEXT — document processing.
— Microsoft Word/Excel — cashflows, budgets and reporting.
Contractual Arrangements
— Full time
— Primary place of work: Ewhurst Park, Ramsdell, Tadley, RG26 5RG.
— A wonderful office setting with a friendly, collaborative team.
— Competitive hourly rate, based on experience.
Applications
To apply, please send your CV and a brief covering letter explaining why you would like the role.
Send applications to: [email protected]
Closing date: 1st August 2026
Pay: £28,000.00-£38,000.00 per year
Work Location: In person
