Finance Assistant

Be part of a legacy that blends tradition, innovation and excellence – welcome to Laings. With a reputation built on quality, trust, craftmanship and timeless design, Laings has continued to build on a rich heritage, whilst simultaneously investing in its future. With seven showrooms, we are proudly one of the largest independent family-owned jewellers and purveyors of luxury watches in the UK. We carry forward a tradition of excellence in craftsmanship, outstanding customer care and a deep-rooted history that anchors our Laings story. With the sixth-generation of the Laing family at the helm we are a family, a legacy and a community of passionate professionals that collaborate and contribute a wide range of skills and experience across all areas of our business. We offer supportive and inspiring environments, where expertise and personal connections flourish. As you consider beginning your journey with us, know your enthusiasm and dedication will lead to growth, opportunity, and a fulfilling career. Bespoke training and career development are at the heart of our ambition; we aim to enhance your skills and provide you with access to leadership professionals, as you tell your story alongside ours. About You: The Purchase Ledger Assistant will be responsible for supporting the effective operation of the accounts payable function, ensuring supplier invoices are processed accurately and in a timely manner. The role will involve working closely with colleagues across the business and with external suppliers to maintain accurate records, resolve queries and support the smooth running of payment processes. What awaits you? Sales Ledger and Corporate Invoicing • Generate sales invoices and credit notes accurately and in a timely manner for corporate customers. • Process agreed customer and brand recharges, including recharges to brands such as Rolex. • Issue monthly statements to corporate customers. • Maintain accurate customer account records and supporting documentation. • Review debit-balance debtors and unallocated customer account balances each week, investigate issues identified and escalate unresolved matters to the Finance Supervisor where appropriate. • Respond promptly and professionally to sales invoice and customer account queries. • Investigate account discrepancies and escalate unresolved matters where appropriate. Sales Reporting, Banking and Retail Finance • Prepare accurate daily, weekly and monthly sales reports and reconciliations for issue to stores and other stakeholders as required. • Complete VAT and export checks and ensure appropriate supporting documentation is obtained and retained. • Complete the initial review of daily banking returns submitted by stores. • Complete the second-stage comparison of bank transactions against the relevant bank nominal ledger accounts, investigating and escalating differences as appropriate. • Investigate differences identified through banking and sales reconciliations and escalate unresolved exceptions appropriately. • Review V12 retail finance applications each week and investigate or escalate discrepancies identified. • Prepare and reconcile buy-in information against the relevant finance or stock system, investigating any differences. • Prepare and reconcile weekly accounting entries relating to watch trade-in transactions. • Maintain clear and accurate records to support all sales, banking and retail finance reviews. Expenses, Petty Cash and Employee Transactions • Process employee expense claims accurately and in accordance with company policy. • Review supporting documentation and ensure appropriate authorisation has been obtained before expense claims are processed. • Review and post monthly petty cash submissions from all stores in accordance with company policy. • Investigate incomplete, inaccurate or unsupported submissions and liaise with the relevant colleague or store to resolve queries. • Respond promptly and professionally to employee and store queries relating to expenses and petty cash. • Prepare and post company credit card reconciliations accurately and within agreed time-scales. • Maintain complete records and audit trails for all expense and petty cash transactions. Purchase Ledger Support and Cross-Cover • Support the Purchase Ledger function with invoice processing and related administration as required. • Match purchase invoices to delivery notes and other supporting documentation and process invoices within the finance system. • Obtain appropriate authorisation for invoices and ensure they are processed within departmental deadlines. • Assist with monthly supplier statement reconciliations and investigate differences identified. • Respond professionally and courteously to supplier invoice and payment queries. • Provide appropriate information and supporting documentation to help resolve supplier account queries. • Provide cross-cover and additional support to the Purchase Ledger team duri