81576 - Assistant Financial Accountant
This Assistant Financial Accountant will report to the Financial Accounting Manager and will work within the Finance directorate based in our Crawley office. You will be a permanent employee.
You will attract a salary dependant on your experience and a bonus of 7.5%. This role can also offer blended working after probationary period (6 months) - 3 days in the office and 2 remote
Close Date: 07/11/2025
We also provide the following additional benefits
1. 25 Days Annual Leave plus bank holidays.
2. Reservist Leave – Additional 18 days full pay and 22 unpaid
3. Personal Pension Plan – Personal contribution rates of 4% or 5% (UK Power Networks will make a corresponding contribution of 8% or 10%)
4. Tenancy Loan Deposit Scheme, Season Ticket Loan
5. Tax efficient benefits: Cycle to Work, Home & Tech, and Green Car Leasing Schemes
6. Occupational Health support
7. Switched On – scheme providing discount on hundreds of retailers' products
8. Discounted gym membership
9. Employee Assistance Programme
About UK Power Networks
UK Power Networks (UKPN) is the UK's largest electricity distribution network. We provide electricity infrastructure to deliver electricity supply to our customers safely, reliably, efficiently and sustainably. We operate across three DNO licence areas; London, the East and the South East of England, serving over 8.5 million
million and businesses.
Employing over 6,000 people, UKPN's primary role is to deliver safe, reliable and sustainable electricity to customers. UKPN has a key role to play in the UK's ambition to reduce carbon emissions to net zero by 2050, in connecting renewable energy to its network and facilitating the uptake of low carbon technologies.
UKPN is widely recognised as the leading electricity distribution company in the UK. UKPN is recognised as a Top 25 Best Big Company to Work For and is among just 5% of companies in the world awarded Investors in People's highest status - Platinum.
Job purpose
This is an exciting opportunity for a trainee accountant to join the UKPN finance team. You will report to the Financial Accounting Manager and support the monthly financial controls processes.
This is an excellent opportunity to gain practical experience in Financial Control in a commercial environment.
Principal accountabilities
10. You will participate in the daily reconciliation of the Group's bank accounts via SAP transitory account monitoring and clearance, month end reconciliations and cash accrual postings.
11. You will prepare monthly balance sheet reconciliations, ensuring that all reconciliations are robust, balances are supported and that issues are resolved promptly.
12. Participate in the monthly intercompany reconciliation process and subsequent settlements.
13. Help with the maintenance and implementation of the Group's Financial Authority Limits.
14. Participate in month end accounting processes to ensure the accurate processing of transactions, on time and following established procedures.
15. Support the preparation, update and maintenance of procedures applicable to the Group. Look improve the internal control framework.
16. Provide support to the statutory and regulatory reporting process including maintaining balance sheets, preparing accruals and provisions support, collaborating with auditors.
17. Undertake VAT adjustments and assisting the Tax department in query resolution.
18. To participate in ad hoc projects.
Nature and scope
Supported by the Financial Manager, the Financial Accountant and the Banking and Controllers Administrator you will undertake financial activities such as month end accounting, banking, intercompany reconciliations & settlement, individual and group balance sheet reconciliations and financial controls.
The ideal applicant will be rigorous in their approach and have the tenacity to track transactions to their origins to help accurate reconciliation and subsequent processing.
This is an excellent opportunity to gain an understanding of important financial processes and contribute to important outputs from the Financial Accounting team. To be successful you will need to be motivated and proactive and receptive to learning and developing quickly.
Qualifications:
19. Numerate (demonstrated by strong grades in GCSE and/ or numerate A-level/undergraduate/graduate studies)
20. Some experience undertaking reconciliations or processing large quantities of transactional data
21. Good awareness of double entry bookkeeping/ accounting (either through study or experience)
22. IT skills: must have a knowledge of Microsoft Excel.
23. Analyse data and understand financial information
24. SAP proficient
Key Competencies
25. Keen, willing and motivated to learn and develop
26. Numerate with a desire to question and understand financial data
27. Willing to get stuck in and work on own initiative
28. Plan workload and work to specified deadlines
29. Able to work with others and build productive working relationships with other partners, inside and outside of finance
Health & Safety Responsibilities:
Managers and supervisors carry both legal and company responsibilities for ensuring the health and safety of their employees, those under their control and those who might be affected by the work undertaken, i.e. public, visitors and employees of other organisations. This includes briefing individuals working for them and ensuring there is the necessary understanding, competence and application of requirements to work safely and without harming the environment.
Employees will ensure they understand the health and safety risks involved in their work activities and their responsibility to apply the controls needed to manage those risks to acceptable levels. Similarly where work activities can have an adverse impact upon the environment, and where there are legal requirements, employees will understand those impacts and the controls they must ensure are applied.
If in doubt ask!
We are committed to equal employment opportunity regardless of race, colour, ancestry, religion, sex, national origin, sexual orientation, age, citizenship, marital status, disability, gender, gender identity or expression, or veteran status. We are proud to be an equal opportunity workplace.