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Armstrong Knight is delighted to have partnered with one of the UK's industry-leading property management companies, based in East London.
Our client is London's largest privately owned property development and management group, overseeing residential, hospitality, mixed-use, and commercial projects across London, the Home Counties, and the Midlands.
We are currently seeking to hire a Deputy Head of Finance with an ACCA qualification or equivalent and significant service charge accounting experience.
This position is part of the group's internal property management division and reports to the Head of Finance, serving as the second in command on the accounting team in their absence.
The successful candidate will oversee daily operations of the accounts and credit control teams, working directly with complex service charge accounts and managing each aspect of the duties supervised.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Manage a team of 8 direct reports and 3 indirect reports (7 in Accounts and 1 in Credit Control / Legal).
2. Mentor and support the professional development of team members.
3. Ensure regular reconciliations and strong financial controls.
4. Prepare monthly management accounts and the year-end pack for auditors.
5. Prepare trial balances and draft Year-End Service Charge Accounts for complex sites.
6. Supervise and sign off on TBs, Year-End Accounts, and Reports, liaising with external accountants.
7. Monitor purchase ledger for unauthorized bills and report weekly to prevent backlogs.
8. Analyze Debtors by site and cost type, interpreting data for non-financial stakeholders.
9. Review external staffing costs for full understanding of additional expenses.
10. Forecast staffing and utility costs during budgeting and revisions.
11. Conduct mid-year expenditure reviews and advise on actions.
12. Prepare ad-hoc reports for leaseholders or stakeholders.
13. Approve payments via Barclays.
14. Support the team with VAT and Trust Tax Returns.
15. Maintain professionalism, accountability, and integrity in all dealings.
16. Promote excellent customer service standards.
17. Foster collaboration between property management, accounts, and legal teams.
18. Coordinate with the Head of Property to meet budgets, year-end, and review deadlines.
19. Possess good knowledge of VAT accounting related to service charges and rent.
20. Participate in establishing new accounting processes as legislation changes.
21. Identify and source training opportunities externally.
22. Assist in maintaining and developing software systems like BlueBox.
23. Contribute ideas to departmental policies, driving improvements.
Skills Required:
1. Experience in service charge accounting.
2. Fully qualified ACCA or equivalent.
3. Understanding of lease structures and legal documents.
4. Ability to prepare detailed analyses and maintain attention to detail while seeing the big picture.
5. Advanced Excel skills.
6. Knowledge of compliance and ethics in service charge management.
7. Deep understanding of budgets, accounts, apportionments, utility billing, VAT, banking, and credit control.
8. Ability to delegate, supervise, and develop junior staff.
9. Understanding of data security and GDPR.
The Person:
1. Positive, flexible, confident attitude.
2. Ability to work under pressure and prioritize effectively.
3. Client-focused with a customer-first approach.
4. Self-motivated with strong organizational skills and attention to detail.
5. Excellent communication skills, able to build trust across all levels.
6. Proactive, independent, and team-oriented, with strong relationship-building skills.
7. Leads by example.
8. Additional benefits include life assurance, pension scheme, discretionary salary and bonus, employee assistance, gym discounts, cycle scheme, and sponsorship for professional qualifications.
Contact: 01702 567 302
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