Job Description

Position: Junior Accountant / Trainee Accountant


Salary: 26,000 - 30,000 per annum (dependant on experience)


Location: Hybrid - Home/office (minimum 3-4 days a week in our London office)


Hours: Full Time


ABOUT US


Williams, Stanley & Co is a leading accountancy firm catering to a diverse range of clients within the hospitality industry, from high street chains to family-run cafes. Our company began with a mission to provide accurate and actionable financial insights to businesses, drawing from our founders' own experiences in managing multiple rapidly growing ventures.


Driven by a commitment to customer-first accounting, we've assembled a team of experienced and trusted accountants who share our vision for excellence. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and expertise, our team operates seamlessly across different locations, including the UK, Philippines and Dubai.


ABOUT YOU


We're looking for a proactive and detail-driven Junior Accountant to support our CEO with both his portfolio of hospitality clients and internal finance responsibilities. This role sits at the heart of our outsourced accounting practice and offers the opportunity to work closely with senior leadership, gaining hands-on experience across bookkeeping, VAT, reporting, and internal financial operations.


You'll be responsible for day-to-day accounting tasks for a select group of clients while also assisting with the financial processes that keep our own business running smoothly. This is an excellent fit for someone with UK practice experience who enjoys a varied workload, thrives in a multi-client environment, and has a strong commitment to accuracy and organisation.


You should be a natural problem-solver--comfortable identifying inconsistencies, asking the right questions, and collaborating to deliver clear, reliable financial information. You'll take ownership of core accounting duties while also contributing to the ongoing improvement of our systems, workflows, and client experience.


RESPONSIBILITIES

Maintain accurate bookkeeping and financial records for a portfolio of hospitality clients Process invoices, receipts, and payments using accounting softwares such as Xero, QuickBooks, and Netsuite Perform regular reconciliations of bank accounts, credit cards, and supplier balances Prepare and submit UK VAT returns across relevant schemes with minimal supervision Assist with monthly and quarterly management reporting, including P&L and trial balance reviews Support onboarding of new clients and help establish efficient bookkeeping processes Flag missing data, discrepancies, or open queries to the CEO promptly Assist with internal bookkeeping and operational finance tasks Help prepare internal financial reports, forecasting inputs, and performance summaries Support improvements to internal systems, documentation, and financial workflows Ensure all work meets HMRC, MTD, and internal quality standards Contribute to refining processes to enhance both efficiency and client service delivery



WHAT WE'RE LOOKING FOR

Minimum 1 year of experience in a UK accountancy practice or outsourced finance function Good understanding of UK VAT rules including flat rate and partial exemption schemes Confident completing reconciliations, VAT returns, and ledger work independently Comfortable managing multiple client accounts and meeting deadline Proficient in Xero, QuickBooks, and cloud-based bookkeeping tools Highly organised with excellent attention to detail Strong written and verbal communication skills

Desirable Skills

Exposure to multi-client or multi-entity bookkeeping. AAT Level 4 or equivalent.

WHAT WE OFFER

Competitive salary Membership on our Employee Recognition platform, YuLife - with free perks, counselling access, and training resources Ongoing career development and study support, including AAT/ACCA training 30 days holiday entitlement pro rata (including Bank Holidays), increasing with service Great pension scheme Fun company socials and team events Employee Assistance Programme and access to coaching Enhanced parental leave policy (subject to length of service) Birthday leave - an extra day off on or around your birthday Mental Health Half Days - encouraging self-care and work-life balance Annual Pay Reviews and Biannual Appraisals - we value your growth! Access to perks and benefits via our HR platform, Employment Hero

Company Overview

Williams, Stanley & Co is a leading accountancy firm catering to a diverse range of clients in the hospitality industry, from high street chains to family-run cafes. Our company began with a mission to provide accurate and actionable financial insights to businesses, drawing from our founders' own experiences in managing multiple rapidly growing ventures. Driven by a commitment to customer-first accounting, we've assembled a team of experienced and trusted accountants who share our vision for excellence. With a strong emphasis on collaboration and expertise, our team operates seamlessly across different locations, including the UK, US, Philippines, and Dubai.