About the Role
The Gilchrist Collection is looking for an organised, accurate and proactive Bookkeeper to join our Head Office Finance team.
This is a varied role supporting the day-to-day financial operations of our growing portfolio of UK and USA wedding and hospitality venues.
Working closely with the Management Accountant and Finance Manager and venue teams, you will be responsible for maintaining accurate financial records across multiple businesses and locations. This will include processing invoices, reconciling bank and merchant accounts, allocating customer payments, managing accounts payable and receivable, and supporting month-end reporting.
A key part of the position will be bookkeeping for our 3 USA venues, ensuring transactions are accurately recorded and reconciled while recognising the different accounting, banking, tax and payment processes applicable to our US operations.
We're looking for someone who takes pride in accuracy, enjoys working with numbers and is confident managing multiple accounts, entities and priorities across both UK and US operations.
Key Responsibilities
UK & USA Venue Bookkeeping
- Maintain accurate day-to-day bookkeeping records for venues across the UK and USA.
- Record and categorise income, expenditure and other financial transactions within the appropriate accounting system.
- Ensure transactions are allocated to the correct venue, entity, nominal account and reporting period.
- Maintain clear separation and accurate records between UK and US entities.
- Support the finance team with bookkeeping requirements specific to our USA operations.
- Liaise with UK and US venue teams to obtain supporting information and resolve financial queries.
- Maintain organised financial documentation to support month-end, year-end, tax and audit requirements.
Invoice & Accounts Payable Management
- Process incoming supplier invoices and credit notes across multiple UK and USA venues.
- Upload, categorise and code invoices accurately within the relevant accounting system.
- Apply the appropriate tax treatment and coding for the relevant business and jurisdiction.
- Match invoices against payments and investigate discrepancies.
- Maintain accurate supplier accounts and reconcile supplier statements.
- Support the preparation and processing of supplier payments.
- Work with venue teams and senior finance colleagues to resolve invoice and supplier queries.
Bank & Credit Card Reconciliations
- Complete regular bank reconciliations across UK and USA entities.
- Reconcile business credit cards and other financial accounts.
- Identify missing, duplicated or incorrectly recorded transactions.
- Investigate discrepancies and ensure outstanding items are resolved promptly.
- Maintain accurate reconciliations to support reliable cash and management reporting.
Payment Platform & Merchant Reconciliations
- Reconcile incoming customer payments across payment and merchant platforms.
- Work with platforms including Stripe, Paynt, Clover/FDMS, Barclaycard, Equals and relevant US payment providers.
- Download and process payout reports, invoices, statements and CSV files.
- Reconcile gross sales, merchant processing fees, refunds, chargebacks and net deposits.
- Accurately allocate payments relating to wedding packages, accommodation, bar sales, events and other venue income.
- Investigate unmatched payments and work with venue teams to resolve discrepancies.
Accounts Receivable & Venue Income
- Cross-check customer payments against venue income records and internal booking information.
- Ensure deposits, instalments and final payments are correctly allocated to customer accounts.
- Identify missing or incorrectly recorded payments.
- Liaise with UK and USA venue teams regarding outstanding or unidentified transactions.
- Help maintain accurate debtor balances and support the resolution of aged receivables.
UK & USA Financial Administration
- Maintain accurate supporting documentation for financial transactions across both jurisdictions.
- Assist with the correct treatment of UK VAT and relevant US sales tax information in accordance with guidance provided by the senior finance team and external accountants.
- Support the preparation of information required by UK and US accountants, tax advisers and other professional partners.
- Ensure records are maintained consistently across all venues while recognising differences between UK and US accounting requirements.
- Assist with intercompany transactions and reconciliations where required.
- Support currency-related reconciliations and transactions where applicable.
Month-End & Reporting
- Complete assigned bookkeeping and reconciliations within agreed month-end deadlines.
- Support the Senior Accountant and Financial Controller with month-end close procedures.
- Assist with the preparation of financial and management reports for individual venues.
- Ensure balance sheet accounts and transaction records are complete and supported.
- Identify unusual transactions or variances and escalate these to the senior finance team.
- Complete required weekly finance updates and reports.
- Provide ad hoc financial administration and bookkeeping support as required.
What We're Looking For
The successful candidate will ideally have:
- Previous experience as a Bookkeeper, Accounts Assistant or similar finance professional.
- Strong practical bookkeeping experience, including bank reconciliations, accounts payable and accounts receivable.
- Experience using QuickBooks or similar accounting software.
- Excellent attention to detail and a consistently high level of accuracy.
- Confidence managing bookkeeping across multiple companies, venues, departments or cost centres.
- Strong Excel or spreadsheet skills.
- Experience reconciling payment processors and merchant accounts.
- The ability to investigate discrepancies independently and see them through to resolution.
- Strong organisational and time-management skills.
- Good written and verbal communication skills.
- A proactive and collaborative approach when working with colleagues across different locations and time zones.
Experience with US bookkeeping or accounting processes would be highly advantageous, particularly experience working with US bank accounts, credit cards, sales tax records or US-based businesses.
Experience with platforms such as Stripe, Paynt, Clover, Barclaycard and Equals would also be beneficial, although training can be provided where required.
Key Areas You'll Be Responsible For
Your role will contribute directly to the accurate recording and monitoring of financial transactions across our UK and USA businesses, including:
- Supplier invoices and credit notes
- Supplier payments
- Customer deposits and payments
- Bank transactions
- Credit card transactions
- Merchant and payment platform transactions
- Refunds and chargebacks
- Merchant processing fees
- Accounts payable
- Accounts receivable
- Intercompany transactions
- UK VAT and US sales tax-related bookkeeping
- Month-end reconciliations
Why Join The Gilchrist Collection?
This is an excellent opportunity for an experienced Bookkeeper who wants to broaden their experience by working across an international portfolio of wedding and hospitality venues.
You'll have exposure to both UK and US bookkeeping, working closely with our Head Office finance team as well as venue teams across the business. The role offers plenty of variety and the opportunity to take ownership of the accuracy and organisation of financial records across a growing collection of venues.
If you're highly organised, confident with numbers and comfortable managing bookkeeping across multiple UK and US businesses, we'd love to hear from you.
Apply today with your CV to join The Gilchrist Collection Finance team.
Pay: £30,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Company pension
- On-site parking
Work Location: In person
