Job Description

Location: Shoreham-by-Sea (Mon-Fri, 8:30-17:00)
Split site: day in Brighton every Monday (hospitality accounts)
Salary: 30,000-34,000 per annum (negotiable, DOE)
Holiday: Statutory entitlement
Reports to: Finance Manager

We're seeking a high-calibre Bookkeeper / Accounts Assistant with a minimum of 5 years' proven experience in a busy, high-volume transactional environment. You'll support a small finance team across three active businesses, a sound & lighting company, a bar & restaurant, and a construction company and also handle the accounts for a small property portfolio. This is a hands-on role suited to someone who is methodical, highly organised, deadline-driven, and accurate.

Key responsibilities

End-to-end purchase ledger and sales ledger processing; high-volume invoice entry, matching and approvals Bank, petty cash, and card reconciliations; daily/weekly cashing-up checks for hospitality (tills/Z-reads) Credit control and debtor management; supplier statement reconciliations Payroll processing (preferably Sage Payroll): starters/leavers, timesheets, statutory payments, journals VAT returns (MTD), EC Sales (if applicable), and HMRC submissions to deadlines CIS (Construction Industry Scheme) processing and returns (desirable) Intercompany transactions and reconciliations across multiple entities Month-end support: journals, accruals, prepayments, fixed asset postings, trial balance tidy Basic job/project costing and gross margin checks (desirable) Maintain organised financial records and assist with auditor/accountant queries Continuous improvement of processes, controls, and documentation
About you

5+ years in a similar bookkeeping/ account's role with demonstrable ownership of ledgers and month-end tasks Proficient in Sage 50 (Line 50) - non-negotiable Strong Excel & Microsoft 365 (lookups/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, filters, data validation); confident with Outlook/Teams/SharePoint Payroll experience (ideally Sage Payroll) in a multi-site, multi-role environment Comfortable working across multiple sectors (hospitality, construction, and events/AV) and adapting to their nuances High attention to detail, excellent numeracy, and a proactive, can-do approach under time pressure Clear communicator who can collaborate with site managers and operational teams Discreet and trustworthy with confidential information; understands strong financial controls
Working pattern

Office-based only: Shoreham-by-Sea, Monday-Friday, 8:30am-5:00pm Brighton office: day every Monday (hospitality accounts) No WFH / hybrid for this role
What we offer

Salary 30k-34k (negotiable, dependent on experience) Statutory holiday entitlement Opportunity to make a visible impact across multiple growing businesses
How to apply

Please email your CV and a brief cover note outlining relevant experience to gareth@craigconstructionservices.co.uk with the subject line "Bookkeeper / Accounts Assistant Application - [Your Name]". Shortlisted candidates will be contacted for interview.

No agencies, please. We are not accepting unsolicited CVs. Any CVs sent speculatively will be treated as a gift and no fees or terms will be accepted.

Aptitude and skills tests will form part of the interview process and will cover various elements of the skills outlined in the above job description.

We are an equal opportunities employer. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Job Types: Full-time, Permanent

Pay: 30,000.00-34,000.00 per year

Benefits:

On-site parking
Experience:

Bookkeeping: 5 years (required) Sage 50 Accounting: 5 years (preferred) Microsoft Excel: 5 years (required)
Work Location: In person