Accounts Assistant

To deliver high-quality transactional finance support across UCAS through clear ownership of core transactional task/processes, ensuring accuracy, robust financial control, and timely delivery. The role holds end-to-end responsibility for cashbook management, invoicing, credit control, payment processing, and month-end activities, while maintaining strong stakeholder relationships and a commitment to continuous improvement across the finance function.

Key accountabilities:

• Own the end‑to‑end process for analysing and reconciling cashbooks across multiple bank accounts and subsidiaries, ensuring discrepancies are thoroughly investigated, resolved accurately and addressed through robust root‑cause analysis.

• Ensure use of online banking systems complies with approved access control and authorisation procedures, including appropriate approvals, segregation of duties, and adherence to financial security requirements.

• Financial onboarding of new customers, ensuring accurate customer set‑up and strict adherence to internal controls, approval processes and governance requirements.

• Own the monthly invoicing process end-to end, including data extraction from multiple third-party systems (such as Salesforce and events booking platforms), ensuring invoices are accurate, complete and fully compliant with policy.
  
  

For full job description, please see role profile attached.

Skills, qualifications, and experience

• Significant experience in transactional finance, with clear ownership of end-to-end processes such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, bank reconciliations, journals, and general ledger maintenance.

• Strong IT and systems capability, including use of ERP accounting systems and high-level of Excel proficiency with the ability to confidently apply functions such as VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, data validation and conditional formatting.

• Proven ability to manage competing priorities and high workloads while consistently meeting deadlines with high accuracy and attention to detail.

• Clear and confident communication skills, with the ability to discuss/explain transactional finance activities to non-financial colleagues/stakeholders.

• Demonstrated ability to build effective working relationships across departments, influencing and collaborating with a wide range of internal and external stakeholders.

• Adaptable, approachable, and capable of working independently with minimal supervision, while also contributing positively to a high-performing finance team.

• Working knowledge of VAT and its practical application within day-to-day transactional finance operations, including the ability to identify, investigate, and escalate VAT-related issues.

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, proactively identifying process inefficiencies, implementing improvements, and supporting continuous improvement initiatives.

• Experience supporting month-end and/

Pacakge

Salary - Up to £28,000.

• Purpose-driven work in a charity-led organisation connecting people to education and opportunity

• Internal training, mentoring, and access to industry-recognised certifications through our development academies

• Hybrid working model built on trust and flexibility, with a 35-hour week and flexible contracts

• 30 days annual leave, 3 concessionary days over Christmas, bank holidays, and the option to purchase additional leave

• Everyday wellbeing support through Perkbox, offering discounts and wellness tools

• Onsite facilities including a subsidised gym, café, and free parking at our Cheltenham office

• Inclusive culture supported by employee networks, wellbeing champions, and Mental Health First Aiders

• Recognition and reward through our quarterly employee scheme and an ex-gratia bonus for going above and beyond

If you have any questions and would like to find out more about the role before applying please email the Talent Acquisition team via careers@ucas.ac.uk and one of us will be in touch.

How to apply

Please visit our website by clicking on the Apply Now button to see vacancies and to download and complete our application form.