R H Jeffs & Rowe Ltd Chartered Accountants & Registered Auditors
JOB DESCRIPTION
Trainee Payroll & Accountant
Location
Pontypridd, South Wales
Hours
Monday to Friday, 9:00 am – 5:00 pm (1-hour lunch break)
Contract Type
Full-time, Permanent
Salary
Dependent on qualifications and experience
Training Body
AAT & ACCA
Study Support
All tuition, examination and membership fees met by the firm
About R H Jeffs & Rowe
R H Jeffs & Rowe Ltd is a long-established firm of Chartered Accountants and Registered Auditors based in Pontypridd, South Wales. We provide a comprehensive range of professional services, including audit and assurance, accountancy, taxation, payroll bureau and book-keeping, to a diverse portfolio of clients comprising local businesses, charities, members’ clubs, solicitors and high-net-worth individuals.
We are a friendly, hardworking team of fourteen professionals committed to delivering an excellent service to our clients and to developing the careers of our people.
The Opportunity
This is an outstanding opportunity for a motivated and academically strong individual to begin a rewarding professional career combining payroll and accountancy. The successful candidate will train initially towards AAT (Association of Accounting Technicians), with the option to progress to ACCA (Association of Chartered Certified Accountants) thereafter.
During AAT training, the trainee will spend the majority of their time within our busy payroll bureau, gaining a thorough grounding in this critical area of practice, with structured exposure to accounts and audit work from the outset. On progressing towards ACCA, the trainee will move increasingly into our core accountancy, audit and taxation service lines, supporting qualified colleagues and taking on increasing responsibility as competence develops.
At the end of the combined training programme, the successful candidate will be a qualified Chartered Certified Accountant (ACCA) with substantial, hands-on payroll expertise – a rare and valuable combination.
Key Responsibilities
Duties will include, but are not limited to, the following:
Payroll Bureau
- Working within a dedicated team of payroll professionals to process weekly and monthly payrolls for a portfolio of approximately 250 clients, ranging from small businesses to larger employers.
- Supporting all aspects of payroll processing, including new starters, leavers and changes in circumstances, and statutory payments such as Statutory Sick Pay (SSP), Statutory Maternity Pay (SMP) and Statutory Paternity Pay (SPP).
- Assisting with workplace pension administration, including auto-enrolment assessments and the upload of contributions to pension providers.
- Preparing and submitting Real Time Information (RTI) returns to HMRC, including Full Payment Submissions (FPS) and Employer Payment Summaries (EPS).
- Responding to client payroll queries by telephone, email and in person, providing a professional, accurate and timely service to clients of all sizes.
- Assisting with payroll year-end procedures, including the preparation of P60s, and maintaining accurate payroll records in accordance with HMRC requirements and data protection legislation.
Accounts, Taxation & Audit
- Assisting in the preparation of financial statements for a variety of entity types, including limited companies, charities and members’ clubs.
- Preparing bank reconciliations and supporting working papers, gaining exposure to cloud-based accounting software packages such as QuickBooks and Xero.
- Maintaining client book-keeping records to a high standard.
- Preparing quarterly VAT returns in compliance with HMRC’s Making Tax Digital requirements.
- Supporting senior staff in the preparation of corporation tax and personal tax computations.
- Attending client premises to assist with statutory and non-statutory audits of financial records, and preparing audit working papers in accordance with professional standards.
General
- Undertaking ad hoc projects and producing reports as directed by senior management.
- Maintaining up-to-date knowledge of relevant legislation and professional guidance as the training programme progresses.
Qualifications & Person Specification
Essential:
- Minimum of two A-levels (or equivalent), including at least a grade B in Mathematics.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office applications (Word, Excel and Outlook in particular).
- Strong written and oral communication skills in English.
- Sound analytical and numerical ability.
- A proactive approach and the ability to use initiative within a supervised environment.
- Good organisational skills with the ability to manage competing priorities.
Training & Professional Development
R H Jeffs & Rowe is an ACCA-approved training office. The firm is committed to the professional development of all trainees and will provide:
- A structured programme of on-the-job training under the supervision of qualified staff, beginning within the payroll bureau.
- Paid study leave with an external specialist tuition provider, and day release to attend professional examinations.
- All costs associated with AAT and ACCA tuition, study materials, examination fees and membership met in full by the firm.
Remuneration & Benefits
Salary
Competitive, commensurate with qualifications and prior experience
Pension
5% employer contributory pension scheme
Annual Leave
31 days per annum inclusive of bank holidays
Study Support
Full funding of all professional training, examination and membership costs (AAT and ACCA).
Day release provided for AAT study.
Job Type: Full-time
Pay: £19,750.00-£23,150.00 per year
Work Location: In person
