Finance Accounts Assistant

Unicare Complex Care Specialist Ltd – Croydon, CR0
Salary: £26,000 – £28,000 per year
Full-Time | Monday to Friday | Office-Based

Start Your Finance Career with a Growing Specialist Care Provider

Are you an Accounts Assistant, Junior Finance Assistant, Bookkeeper, or AAT student looking for the next step in your finance career?

Unicare Complex Care Specialist Ltd is looking for a motivated and organised Junior Finance & Accounts Assistant to join our growing finance team in Croydon.

This is a junior finance position designed for someone who already has some practical finance or bookkeeping experience but wants to develop broader skills across the full finance function.

You will work closely with our Finance Manager and receive support and guidance while developing experience in areas including sales ledger, purchase ledger, bank reconciliations, payroll, pensions, invoicing, month-end processes and financial reporting.

This is an excellent opportunity for someone studying towards AAT or looking to build a long-term career in finance.

About Unicare

Unicare Complex Care Specialist Ltd is a CQC-registered specialist care provider delivering supported living and complex care services to adults with autism, learning disabilities, mental health needs and complex support needs.

Headquartered in Croydon, we operate across Sussex, Surrey, Berkshire and South London.

As the organisation continues to grow, we are strengthening our finance department and looking for someone who is enthusiastic about learning, developing and progressing within the business.

What You’ll Be DoingSales Ledger & Income

• Raising invoices to local authorities, commissioners and private clients.
• Maintaining accurate sales ledger records.
• Allocating incoming payments.
• Monitoring outstanding invoices and assisting with credit control.
• Producing aged debtor reports.
• Following up outstanding payments where required.

Purchase Ledger & Suppliers

• Processing supplier invoices.
• Matching invoices against purchase orders and supporting documentation.
• Reconciling supplier statements.
• Preparing supplier payment information for approval.
• Responding to supplier queries.
• Investigating invoice discrepancies.

Bank & Account Reconciliations

• Completing regular bank reconciliations.
• Processing and reconciling expenses.
• Supporting petty cash and company card reconciliations.
• Investigating unreconciled transactions.
• Maintaining accurate records within the accounting system.

Payroll & Pensions

You will receive training and support in this area where required.

Responsibilities may include:

• Supporting weekly and monthly payroll preparation.
• Processing starters, leavers and payroll changes.
• Checking overtime, holiday pay and other payroll information.
• Supporting pension auto-enrolment administration.
• Assisting with payroll queries from staff.
• Learning HMRC RTI and payroll reporting processes.

Month-End & Reporting

As you develop within the role, you will also support:

• Month-end reconciliations.
• Accruals and prepayments.
• Journal entries.
• Management account preparation.
• Weekly and monthly finance reports.
• Year-end information and external accountant queries.

Finance Systems & Compliance

• Maintaining accurate information within Xero and Sage.
• Supporting VAT preparation.
• Keeping finance records organised and audit-ready.
• Following internal financial controls and procedures.
• Helping identify opportunities to improve finance processes.

What We’re Looking ForEssential

• Some previous experience within finance, bookkeeping, accounts administration or a similar role.
• Ideally around 1–2 years of practical finance experience, although strong junior candidates with relevant experience will also be considered.
• Basic understanding of sales ledger, purchase ledger and bank reconciliations.
• Experience using Xero, Sage, QuickBooks or similar accounting software.
• Good Microsoft Excel skills.
• Strong numerical accuracy and attention to detail.
• Good written and verbal communication skills.
• Organised and able to manage priorities and deadlines.
• Willingness to learn payroll, pensions and wider finance processes.
• A proactive attitude and genuine interest in building a career in finance.
• Comfortable working from our Croydon office Monday to Friday.
• Permanent right to work in the UK without requiring sponsorship.

Desirable

• Currently studying towards AAT Level 2, 3 or 4, or planning to begin AAT studies.
• Previous bookkeeping experience.
• Payroll administration experience.
• Experience with pension administration.
• Exposure to VAT returns.
• Experience within healthcare, supported living, care services or another multi-site organisation.
• Experience invoicing local authorities, NHS organisations or other public-sector commissioners.

What You’ll Get

• £26,000 – £28,000 salary, depending on experience.
• Salary reviews linked to performance and professional development.
• Support towards your AAT development and progression.
• Exposure to the full finance function rather than being restricted to one area.
• Training and support from the Finance Manager and wider management team.
• Clear opportunities to progress as your skills and responsibilities develop.
• 28 days annual leave including bank holidays.
• Workplace pension scheme.
• Full-time permanent position.
• Modern Croydon head office environment.
• Opportunity to build a long-term finance career within a growing organisation.

Who This Role Is For

This opportunity would suit:

• A Junior Accounts Assistant ready to develop broader skills.
• An Accounts Assistant looking for more responsibility and progression.
• A junior bookkeeper wanting to move into a structured finance department.
• An AAT student wanting practical experience alongside their studies.
• Someone with a basic understanding of finance who is keen to learn.
• Someone who wants exposure to payroll, management accounts, invoicing, reconciliations and month-end processes.
• Someone looking for a long-term career path rather than simply their next short-term job.

Who This Role Is Not For

This is a junior finance position, so it is unlikely to suit someone who is already highly experienced or professionally qualified at senior accountant level.

It is also:

• Not a remote or hybrid position.
• Not a completely inexperienced trainee position.
• Not limited to invoice processing alone.
• Not suitable for applicants requiring visa sponsorship.
• Not intended for fully qualified accountants seeking a senior-level finance position.

Career Progression

For the right person, there is genuine scope to develop from:

Junior Finance & Accounts Assistant → Finance Assistant → Senior Finance Assistant → Assistant Management Accountant → Finance Manager

Progression will depend on performance, experience, professional development and the needs of the business.

How to Apply

Click Apply Now and submit your CV together with a short covering note explaining:

• Your current finance or bookkeeping experience.
• Your current AAT level, if applicable.
• Which accounting systems you have previously used.
• Why you would like to join Unicare.
• What you are hoping to achieve in your finance career.

Shortlisted applicants will be invited to complete a short pre-screening questionnaire followed by an interview at our Croydon head office.

The interview may include a short practical finance or reconciliation exercise.

Applications will be reviewed on a rolling basis and the vacancy may close early if sufficient suitable applications are received.

Unicare Complex Care Specialist Ltd is an equal opportunities employer. We welcome applications from all backgrounds and are committed to maintaining a diverse and inclusive workforce.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: £25,000.00-£28,000.00 per year

Application question(s):

• This is a fully on-site role at 128 Whitehorse Road, Croydon CR0 2LA, Monday to Friday. What is your current postcode, and how would you typically travel to the office? Roughly how long would your one-way commute take?
• What is your highest completed qualification, including the subject and grade? If you have studied maths, statistics, accounting, business, or economics at A-level or above, please confirm the grade. Are you currently studying — or planning to study — toward AAT, ACCA, CIMA, or a similar finance qualification?

• Have you ever used Xero, Sage, QuickBooks, or any other accounting software, even briefly during studies, work experience, or for a side project? If yes, please briefly describe what you did. If no, that is absolutely fine — please tell us how comfortable you are picking up new software systems and give an example of software you’ve taught yourself.

• On a scale of 1–5, please rate your current Excel or Google Sheets ability, where 1 = “I can open a spreadsheet and type into cells” and 5 = “I’m comfortable with VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, and basic formulas.” Briefly describe the most complex thing you’ve ever done in a spreadsheet.
• Whilst working at Unicare, you would have access to sensitive financial information — staff payroll data, supplier contracts, and rent records relating to vulnerable service users. A close friend asks you over the weekend, “How much does your company pay its support workers?” because they’re thinking of applying for a different care job. What do you say, and why?

• This role involves repetitive, detailed work — invoice processing, reconciliations, receipt allocation — often done the same way every day. Please be honest: how do you stay focused and accurate on routine tasks, and tell us about a time you spotted an error or inconsistency in something you were doing that others might have missed.
• In your own words, what does it mean to “reconcile” something in accounting, and why is it important? If you have ever performed any kind of reconciliation — whether bank, supplier statement, petty cash, sales ledger, or even reconciling your own personal accounts or a club’s finances — please briefly describe what you did, how often, and what tools you used (Excel, Xero, Sage, paper). If you have no formal experience, tell us how you would approach checking that two sets of figures match and what you would do if they didn’t.

• Have you had any exposure to processing or generating invoices, allocating receipts to customer accounts, or chasing outstanding payments — in any context, including work experience, family business, voluntary roles, or running anything yourself (e.g. eBay/Vinted/Etsy at scale, freelancing, sports club subs)?

Please tell us:
a) What you did, the volume (rough number per week or month), and the system used.
b) A time you found a discrepancy between an invoice and what was actually paid or delivered — how did you spot it, and what did you do?
c) If you have no experience at all, please explain in your own words what you understand by “sales ledger” and “debtor control.”

• Unicare runs weekly payroll for support workers and monthly payroll for office and management staff, with pension contributions processed through our provider each pay cycle. Please tell us:

a) Have you had any exposure to payroll — processing it, checking it, querying your own payslip in detail, or supporting a family member or friend with theirs? Briefly describe.
b) Looking at a payslip, please list as many of the standard deductions you can name that come off an employee’s gross pay before they receive their net pay.
c) In your own words, what is auto-enrolment and roughly what is the current minimum employee and employer pension contribution percentage in the UK?

Work Location: In person