Finance Assistant Role Location: Newcastle upon Tyne, UK (Hybrid) About SoPost SoPost is one of the UK’s fastest growing technology companies and we are thoroughly disrupting the product sampling space. Our technology is used by many of the world's leading brands to run the most powerful sampling campaigns online, with a focus on relevance, data and analytics. We work with more than 200 different brands, including the largest beauty and FMCG groups. In 2020 we ranked in the top 50 of the Sunday Times Tech Track 100, and since then our growth trajectory has been significant. 2022 brought great pride when we were awarded the 'Advanced Good Work Pledge', and in 2023, our Finance Team won Business Finance Team of the Year at the North East Accountancy Awards In 2024, we are also thrilled to have been named in the Sunday Times Top 100 Places to Work. We really are going from strength to strength and continue to look for talented individuals who can help us grow, and who can grow with us. We believe that it is not just our technology which sets us apart but also our people and we have an ambition to build a team of the most talented individuals in our industry. We are now of a size where we need to further grow our finance team in order to help manage our expansion. What we’re looking for Do you have an ambition to be part of a fast-paced technology company where you will be part of our growth story at a critical and exciting time for the company? Do you have an ambition to learn and develop your finance skills and use them to positively impact our business on a daily basis? Are you willing to adapt and take on new challenges whatever they may be? If the answer is yes to those questions, then we would love to hear from you. We are looking for a motivated self-starter, someone with a growth mindset, keen to learn and develop professionally and become an integral part of our award winning finance team as we continue to expand What will you be responsible for? Reporting to our Senior Finance Business Partner, you will work closely with, and take on many of the tasks currently carried out by, our Assistant Management Accountant. Our team will be on hand to guide and coach you as you progress. The core responsibilities can be divided into four main areas: (1) Accounts Payable and Vendor Management, including IT procurement; (2) Billing and Receivables management; (3) Ledger maintenance, management accounts preparation and reporting; (4) Payroll administration and wider-business support Accounts Payable and Vendor Management, including IT procurement You will support the Assistant Management Accountant in managing the day to day activities within our purchase ledger function: Upload supplier invoices to our accounting system (Xero) and process these for payment, performing detailed reviews to ensure the invoices accurately match our purchase order. Monitoring of our AP ledger to ensure we pay suppliers accurately and on time, including creation of bi-monthly payment runs for review and approval by the Assistant Management Accountant. Billing and Receivables management You will take a lead role in all aspects of billing and receivables at SoPost: Work closely with our Brand Partners and/or our Commercial team to obtain purchase orders prior to campaign launches. Raise sales invoices for approval by the Assistant Management Accountant. Work closely with our Assistant Management Accountant to ensure timely recovery of debts owed by Brand Partners through constant monitoring of our receivables ledger. You will proactively send statements to our Brand Partners and chase overdue debts where required. Ledger maintenance, management accounts preparation and reporting You will form a key part of our finance team, owning many of the repeatable processes which we carry out weekly and monthly and will support in the management accounts and reporting cycles. Some areas you will be involved in will include: You will be the first point of contact for the queries which we receive daily into our Accounts inbox including AP and AR queries. You will carry out several of our balance sheet reconciliations, including bank and credit card reconciliations and, in time, more complex areas such as prepayments and accruals. You will support the Assistant Management Accountant with the creation of the monthly management accounts and Board Pack, and with the year-end statutory accounts. You will support in the preparation of monthly / quarterly sales tax returns across the business. Payroll administration and wider-business support You will have the opportunity to work on and support further projects across the business. Some of these will include repeatable tasks such as assisting with the creation of our monthly payroll runs, where others will be ad-hoc, such as providing timely and relevant financial information to the wider Finance or Commercial teams as required. A little bit about you…. Essential Skills/Experience You must be an individual who is keen to learn and grow in the role. You show diligence to ensure work is completed to the highest standard; accurately and efficiently and with a keen eye for detail. You demonstrate a flexible approach to working, with strong task management and prioritisation skills. You are a team player - with a good sense of humour You have good computer literacy, particularly with regards to Microsoft Excel. You display professional written and verbal communication skills. Desired Skills/Experience Ideally, you will have some previous exposure in a finance related environment, such as through working in a similar role or through your academic studies. Previous experience working with accounting software would be an advantage, particularly Xero or similar. An understanding of the full end-to-end finance function would be beneficial. What we will offer to you Competitive salary. 25 days of annual leave, plus bank holidays and three additional days over Christmas and New Year when all SoPost offices are closed. One 'Life Moment' per year of additional leave, which you can define. It could be your child's first day at school, a house move or your birthday. Quarterly wellness allowance. After 5 & 10 years, (in your 6th and 11th years) you have the opportunity to take a four week sabbatical with a generous contribution from SoPost towards whatever you have planned. Support as you study for your professional qualification, including study and exam leave. Commitment to growing your professional development and a training budget to support that commitment including study support. Eligibility for our flexible working arrangement, giving you the power to manage your time and place of work. Participation in our annual bonus plan and pension scheme. SoPost Me Anywhere - Work anywhere in the world for two weeks per year. Dog friendly office - bring your best friend to work with you. Social events (monthly team lunches and quarterly drinks / team building activities). How do you apply? The hiring process may change slightly depending on a number of factors. It is generally a multi-step process as indicated. If you pass one stage, you will proceed to the next. We try to give feedback to you if your application is unsuccessful but this is not always possible. We believe that the successful recruitment for any role at SoPost is as much about giving you the opportunity to find out as much as possible about us and our company as it is about us finding out about you and your capabilities. We want you to be as excited about joining SoPost as we are about being here With that philosophy in mind, we will be running the following selection process to ensure that each candidate is given a comprehensive view of what we are all about: Stage one: A virtual initial interview will be with our Assistant Management Accountant, Madeleine. Stage two: An in-person interview with our Assistant Management Accountant, Madeleine, and our Senior Finance Business Partner, Matt, including a short assessment task. Stage three: A final interview with our CFO, Russell. If successful, we will then make an offer subject to references. This role is UK based and starting employment will be conditional on the candidate's right to work in the UK. Visa sponsorship by SoPost is not available. SoPost is committed to the fair treatment of its staff, potential staff or users of its services, regardless of offending background. We are required to carry out a basic criminal check as part of our pre-employment checks. A written policy on the recruitment of ex-offenders is available on request.