Assistant Accountant

Job Description

This is a fantastic opportunity to join our finance team supporting the Next Online business as an Assistant Accountant - International Cash Accounting. Our International Cash Accounting team is responsible for delivering finance support to key stakeholders across the business for a variety of purposes including;

• Producing insightful reporting for key Business Stakeholders
• Cash flow monitoring and 3rd party management
• Supporting systems projects to deliver customer improvements
• Analysis of new payment options performance
• Investigation into payment issues

We are currently looking for an Assistant Accountant to complement our existing team.

In this role you will get involved with reconciling international online payments and ensuring that everything is correct. Where there might be issues or a question we need someone who loves to solve a problem by identifying the issue and helping to solve it. You will work and liaise with a variety of people internally but also lots of 3rd party suppliers such as Klarna and Paypal too to ensure our international payments are accurately accounted for.

Next is a dynamic and fast growing business, to succeed in this role you must be happy in a fast-moving, fluid, ever-changing environment. You must be part qualified and already operating in an Accountant/ Finance Analyst type role for at least 2-3 years.. You will need a mixture of solid financial / management accounting skills, coupled with financial analysis to maintain core financial controls, support key Stakeholders and business initiatives.

We are also looking for people who think about the impact on the Customer and wider Business, a person that above all values the need for procedure, control and auditability.

Working as an integral part of our international cash accounting team, the successful candidate will be primarily responsible for supporting the UK and International Online business.

This role is based at our head office in Leicestershire 5 days a week.

Main Responsibilities

1. Finance Management

• Ownership of tender reconciliations, in particular Klarna, Afterpay, Paypal and Amex - for all international websites (Next and TP) c. 70 countries and 40+ reconciliations. Approx £200m p.a with 4m transactions.
• Reconciliation and reporting of FX charges on international settlements to the P/L c. £2m P.A.
• Daily reconciliation of inbound cash received to ensure timely payments are received for all international orders and returns.

2. 3rd Party Management

• Day to Day Management of our 3rd party payment providers - Klarna, Afterpay and Paypal - to ensure they operate successfully and in accordance with our contracted service levels
• Ensure smooth onboarding of new Total Platform partners international websites by ensuring we receive and can reconcile settlements.
• Responsibility for reviewing actual card commission charges are in line with our contracted rates and resolving discrepancies with the 3rd party directly.

3. Analysis and reporting

• To produce and review weekly management information on a weekly basis, identifying trends and potential opportunities to further develop the business.
• Provide ad-hoc analysis by manipulating and presenting data using sophisticated Excel models or SQL, such as analysing the success of new project launches.
• Monitor & assess key performance statistics daily, such as accept rates and cash flow, and report on issues to management.

4. Project implementation

• Oversee the successful implementation of new projects, such as the implementation of new payment providers.
• Assist with the onboarding of new total platform partners.

5. Business support

• Provide support to marketing, commercial finance, risk & fraud and operational teams
• To be reactive and flexible in response to issues and new developments in a fast growing and high profile area of the business

Your skills

• Part qualified CIMA/ACCA/ACA
• Be numerate with proven analytical and problem solving abilities
• Ability to work in a fast pace challenging and demanding environment with changing priorities
• Excellent planning and organisational skills to ensure implementation within the required deadlines
• Proven ability to plan and prioritise workloads whilst working to strict deadlines
• Can effectively communicate both orally and in writing and have the ability to influence and constructively challenge
• Strong control skills

Desirable Criteria

• Strong excel skills
• Previous industry experience / work placement
• Previous retail experience
• SQL experience
• Experience of Google GSuite.

Whilst assistance and training will be given to the right candidate, it is expected that you have the aptitude and self-motivation to develop your own skills and knowledge within the team environment.

About Us
You know Next, but did you know we’re a FTSE-100 retail company employing over 35,000 people across the UK and Ireland. We’re the UK’s 2nd largest fashion retailer and for Kidswear we’re the market leader. At the last count we have over 500 stores, plus the Next Online and it’s now possible to buy on-line from over 70 countries around the world! So we’ve gone global! About some of our Benefits

• ​25% off a huge selection of Next, Lipsy & Victoria's Secret products
• Company performance based bonus
• Next private pension
• Sharesave scheme
• On-site Nursery available; OFSTED outstanding in all areas
• 10% off most partner brands & up to 15% off Branded Beauty
• Early VIP access to sale stock
• Access to fantastic discounts at our Staff Shops
• Subsidised restaurant, coffee shop and juice bar
• Access a 24/7 digital GP and other free health and wellbeing services
• Free on-site parking

Our aim is to support all applicants during the application process and to provide reasonable adjustments when ​​necessary and requested. If you would like to request support with your application due to any health condition, feel free to get in touch with us by calling us on 0116 284 6858 and leave a voicemail.
For further information, and to apply, please visit our website via the “Apply” button below.