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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Accounts Administrator

💰 $35,000 - $55,000

FinanceAccountingAdministration

🎯 Role Definition

The Accounts Administrator is responsible for maintaining accurate financial records, processing invoices and payments, managing billing cycles, reconciling bank and ledger accounts, and supporting month-end and year-end processes. This role serves as the operational backbone of the finance function—ensuring suppliers are paid on time, customers are invoiced and collected, and that transactional data is clean, auditable and compliant with internal controls and statutory obligations. The ideal candidate balances efficiency with accuracy, communicates effectively with internal stakeholders and external partners, and continuously seeks ways to streamline accounts workflows using ERP and automation tools.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Accounts Payable Clerk / Accounts Receivable Clerk (1–2 years experience)
  • Bookkeeper or Payroll Assistant
  • Finance Assistant or Junior Accountant

Advancement To:

  • Senior Accounts Administrator / Accounts Supervisor
  • Assistant Accountant / Management Accountant
  • Finance Manager / Accounts Payable/Receivable Team Lead

Lateral Moves:

  • Credit Control Specialist
  • Payroll Specialist
  • Procurement / Purchasing Officer

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Manage the full cycle of accounts payable including receipt, coding, approval routing, and payment processing for suppliers while maintaining tight control of invoice accuracy and payment schedules.
  • Oversee the end-to-end accounts receivable process: issue invoices, record payments, post receipts, apply cash accurately, and follow up on outstanding balances to reduce DSO (days sales outstanding).
  • Reconcile daily and monthly bank statements to the general ledger, investigate and resolve discrepancies, and prepare bank reconciliation schedules for month-end close.
  • Prepare, post and reconcile accruals, prepayments and monthly journal entries required for an accurate month-end financial close under the direction of the accounting manager.
  • Maintain the supplier master data and vendor records, ensure correct payment terms and banking details, and conduct regular audits to prevent duplicate payments or fraud.
  • Support monthly and quarterly close activities by compiling transaction schedules, reconciling sub-ledgers (AP/AR), and delivering accurate trial balance reconciliations and variance explanations.
  • Process and reconcile credit card transactions, employee expense claims and petty cash disbursements, ensuring appropriate approvals and policy compliance.
  • Manage customer billing cycles, produce timely invoices, resolve billing disputes and liaise with sales/operations teams to ensure invoices reflect contractual terms and delivered services.
  • Execute day-to-day cash application duties, accurately allocating receipts to customer accounts and resolving unapplied payments or short payments with customers.
  • Administer credit control activities including sending statements, managing collection calls/emails, negotiating repayment plans, and escalating delinquent accounts per company policy.
  • Prepare VAT/GST or sales tax returns and supporting schedules, collate necessary documentation and liaise with external tax advisors for submission and compliance.
  • Support internal and external audits by preparing reconciliations, producing requested documentation, and implementing auditor recommendations to strengthen controls.
  • Maintain and improve accounts processes and SOPs, propose system enhancements and work with IT/ERP vendors to implement automation and workflow improvements.
  • Maintain accurate and auditable records of all financial transactions, ensuring documents are filed and stored in accordance with company record retention policies.
  • Monitor and manage supplier statements, resolve discrepancies, apply credit notes and ensure supplier reconciliations are completed on a regular cycle.
  • Generate regular management reports and KPI dashboards (e.g., aging, payable/receivable turnover) to provide actionable insights to finance leadership and business stakeholders.
  • Assist with payroll data input or reconciliation as required, coordinating with HR and payroll providers to ensure accurate deductions and payments.
  • Implement and maintain internal control procedures for payment approvals, segregation of duties and supplier onboarding to mitigate financial risk.
  • Liaise with cross-functional teams (procurement, operations, sales) to resolve invoicing questions, support contract administration and ensure financial processes align with business operations.
  • Support month-end close deadlines, prepare detailed working papers, and provide explanations for variances to budget or prior periods as requested.
  • Review and validate supplier invoices for correct coding, tax treatment and expense classification to ensure accurate financial reporting.
  • Assist with fixed asset additions, disposals and depreciation schedules when necessary, ensuring proper capitalization and ledger postings.
  • Participate in periodic system upgrades, testing and rollout activities for accounting software, providing subject matter expertise on accounts workflows.

Secondary Functions

  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives to streamline invoices-to-pay and order-to-cash cycles using automation tools and best practices.
  • Support ad-hoc financial and operational reporting requests from business partners, providing clean data extracts and reconciliations.
  • Help train and mentor junior accounting staff and temporary personnel during peak periods to maintain productivity and accuracy.
  • Assist with onboarding of new suppliers and customers, ensuring required documentation, tax forms and banking details are collected and verified.
  • Support month-end and year-end audit preparations by compiling documentation and responding to auditor queries in a timely manner.
  • Liaise with IT to troubleshoot routine issues in ERP, billing or expense management systems and document recurring problems for resolution.
  • Participate in cross-functional projects such as ERP implementations, process re-engineering or policy updates to improve compliance and efficiency.
  • Provide backup support for other transactional finance functions (e.g., payroll processing, purchasing) during staff absences or peak cycles.
  • Maintain up-to-date process documentation and standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all accounts administration tasks.
  • Help manage cash flow forecasts by providing accounts payables and receivables projections to the finance team.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • Proficient with accounting and ERP systems such as Xero, QuickBooks, Sage, SAP Business One, NetSuite or similar.
  • Advanced Excel skills including pivot tables, VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, INDEX/MATCH, conditional formatting and basic macros for reconciliation and reporting.
  • Strong understanding of accounts payable and accounts receivable workflows, billing, credit control and cash applications.
  • Experience preparing bank reconciliations, journal entries, accruals/prepayments and month-end close schedules.
  • Knowledge of VAT/GST/sales tax rules, preparation of returns and ability to compile supporting documentation for filings.
  • Familiar with invoice processing technologies (OCR, e-invoicing), AP automation tools and document management systems.
  • Experience working with credit terms, dispute resolution, aged debtor management and collection strategies.
  • Ability to compile management reports and KPIs (aging reports, DPO/DSO) and present findings to finance stakeholders.
  • Basic knowledge of payroll and benefits reconciliation is advantageous.
  • Understanding of internal controls, segregation of duties and basic audit procedures.
  • Experience using CRM/billing systems or procurement systems to reconcile transactional data is a plus.
  • Familiarity with statutory compliance, retention policies and record-keeping best practices.

Soft Skills

  • High attention to detail with strong numerical accuracy and the ability to spot discrepancies quickly.
  • Excellent communication skills—clear, professional written and verbal communication with vendors, customers and colleagues.
  • Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to prioritize competing deadlines and maintain workflow during peak periods.
  • Problem solving and investigative mindset—able to research transaction anomalies and propose permanent fixes.
  • Trustworthy and discreet when handling confidential financial and payroll information.
  • Customer service orientation with a professional approach to debt collection and dispute resolution.
  • Adaptability and willingness to learn new systems, processes and technologies.
  • Team player who collaborates across functions and supports continuous improvement efforts.
  • Initiative and ownership for end-to-end tasks, follow-through on outstanding issues and drive to meet SLAs.
  • Resilience and composure under pressure, particularly at month-end and during audit season.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • High school diploma or equivalent with formal bookkeeping or accounting certification (e.g., AAT Level 2/3, accounting technician course).

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business Administration, Commerce or Economics.
  • Professional qualifications or study towards AAT, ACCA, CIMA or CPA (advantageous).

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Accounting
  • Finance
  • Business Administration
  • Commerce
  • Economics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range:

  • 2–5 years in accounts administration, accounts payable/receivable or bookkeeping roles.

Preferred:

  • 3+ years of hands-on experience with AP/AR, bank reconciliations and month-end closing in a medium to large organisation.
  • Demonstrated experience with ERP and accounting packages (QuickBooks, Xero, Sage, NetSuite, SAP).
  • Prior exposure to audit support, VAT/sales tax filings and process improvement projects.
  • Industry-specific experience (e.g., manufacturing, professional services, retail) preferred for certain hiring managers.
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