Lead Accountant for a UK Accounting Firm

Role: Lead Accountant (Sole Contributor)

Location: Fully Remote

Engagement: Full-time, 40hrs per week (Independent Contractor)

Reporting to: CEO

What you’ll do

 Bookkeeping & Operational Excellence

o Take ownership of all bookkeeping tasks from your client portfolio, ensuring timely and accurate completion every month.

o Communicating with HMRC if necessary.

o Review and reconcile client accounts, identifying and resolving discrepancies efficiently.

o Prepare monthly financial reports—including profit and loss statements and balance sheets—comparing results to prior months and offering insightful commentary.

o Manage year-end accounts preparation, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and compliance with relevant regulations.

o Proficient in end-to-end payroll, ensuring accurate calculations, timely submissions, and full compliance with regulations.

 Client Communication & Support

o Serve as the primary point of contact for daily bookkeeping queries for your client portfolio, ensuring professional and timely responses. 

o Escalate complex client concerns to the Client Manager with well-documented context and recommended solutions.

 Process Improvement & Documentation

o Identify inefficiencies in workflows, and recommend practical improvements to enhance accuracy and efficiency to the Client Manager.

o Develop and maintain detailed documentation of bookkeeping processes to support scalability and team alignment.

o Record and track all work in the Practice Manager software, ensuring real-time visibility and reporting.

 Reporting & Insight

o Provide regular updates to the Client Manager on client account performance and operational progress.

o Highlight recurring challenges or risks, offering strategic solutions to mitigate them.

 Beyond Standard Bookkeeping Tasks 

o As a Bookkeeping Team Champion, you will also: act as the first point of contact for the bookkeeping team regarding

day-to-day challenges and queries.

 Full proficiency of bookkeeping & accounts preparation software (including BrightPay, Xero, TaxCalc, Karbon, Dext). 

 Provide guidance and ensure consistency in using required software, helping team members resolve issues effectively.

 Collaborate with the Client Manager to identify training needs and process gaps within the team.

 Support the Client Manager by facilitating a collaborative, problem-solving environment within the bookkeeping team.

 Complex bookkeeping or client queries will be referred to and escalated to the Client Manager.

What success looks like

 Bookkeeping Accuracy & Timeliness: All bookkeeping tasks for your portfolio are completed on time and meet Amarillo’s high standards of accuracy, with minimal errors or corrections required.

 Client Satisfaction: Positive feedback from clients and/ or the Client Manager on the professionalism, responsiveness, and quality of your bookkeeping support.

 Team Leadership: The bookkeeping team consistently turns to you for guidance on day-to-day challenges, with fewer escalations to the Client Manager.

 Software Proficiency: Team members are confident in using required software due to your guidance, leading to smoother workflows and reduced bottlenecks.

 Effective Communication: Clear, actionable updates and insights are consistently provided to the Client Manager, enabling informed decision-making.