Senior Finance Assistant

Senior Finance Assistant – Co-op Legal Services
Work level 6B plus excellent benefits
Bristol or Stratford-Upon-Avon - hybrid working available with minimum of one or two days a week in the office

We’re looking for a senior finance assistant to join our finance operations team within Co-op Legal Services.

Our finance operations team is responsible for the processing and safeguarding of all client money and other financial transactions into and out of the business, as well as making sure that Solicitors Accounts Rules (SRAs) are adhered to. We’ll look to you to complete financial case transactions and reconcile accounts, making sure control standards and service levels are met in a highly regulated environment. This an exciting opportunity to gain valuable exposure across all our practice areas, developing a breath of knowledge within finance operations. 

What you’ll do

• Review and process client and business payments, ensuring all transactions are processed accurately and in accordance with SRA Account Rules
• Reconcile client and business bank accounts, in line with the required standards and timescales with adherence to internal and external policies
• Reconcile balance sheet accounts and supplier statements, investigating any differences and working with case handlers to drive resolution of aged balances.
• Record and investigate any breaches of the Solicitors Accounts Rules.
• Deliver Training to Case Handlers on Financial Processes
• Complete period end closure and reporting in the Case Management system
• Provide support and cover to the Finance Assistants and wider Finance team

This role would suit people who have

• Previous experience within a finance role
• A strong attention to detail with the ability to prioritise your work
• Good Microsoft Excel skills
• The ability to build meaningful relationships with colleagues and work well as part of a team
• A proactive approach and the ability to adapt to change

Why Co-op? 

Here you’ll do work that matters. We’re a commercial organisation with a purpose beyond profit, you’ll have an opportunity to help us build a stronger Co-op and stronger communities. You’ll also get a package that includes:

• a pension with up to 10% employer contributions
• incentive scheme up to 10% after probation 
• 28 days holiday plus bank holidays (rising to 32 in line with service)
• wellbeing benefits to support your physical financial and mental health
• coaching, training and support such as study leave, to help you develop your skills and progress your career
• discounts on Co-op products and services
• Wagestream - a money management app that gives you access to a percentage of your pay as you earn it

Building an inclusive work environment 

We’re actively building diverse teams and we welcome applications from everyone. We want to build inclusive work environments, where our colleagues have equal opportunities to reach their full potential. We celebrate our differences, and recognise the importance of our teams reflecting the communities they serve. 

If you have a disability, we can make reasonable adjustments to our recruitment process according to your needs. We're also part of the Disability Confident scheme, meaning we'll always offer an interview to disabled candidates who apply through the scheme if they meet the minimum criteria for a job.

We'll ask whether you’d like to be considered under the Disability Confident scheme when you apply. 

If we invite you to take part in the recruitment process for any of our jobs, we’ll ask you if you need any reasonable adjustments to enable you to participate.

You can find out more about our recruitment process at jobs.coop.co.uk/apply-process. 

You can find out more about the Disability Confident scheme and all our commitments to diversity and inclusion at colleagues.coop.co.uk/diversity-inclusion-and-wellbeing.

If you’re successful in your application, we’ll perform some background checks as part of our pre-employment screening process. These will include an SRA check, credit checks, and a DBS (disclosure and barring service) check. Please note Co-op does not offer visa sponsorship for this role.