Accounts Assistant

The Fragrance Shop, the UK’s leading independent fragrance retailer, is seeking an Accounts Assistant to join its first-class Finance team. This role is essential to ensuring accurate and timely reconciliation of cash and expense data, playing a vital role in loss prevention, cashflow analysis, and online payment integrity. Working under the Group Financial Controller, the successful candidate will demonstrate ownership, attention to detail, and a proactive approach to continuous improvement in a fast-paced retail environment.

Key responsibilities

• Daily reconciliation of tender to sales across the store estate.

• Manage store banking procedures and documentation.

• Online reconciliation across all tenders, including exception reporting.

• Weekly store expense control and monitoring.

• Ownership of KPI reporting for cash and expense management.

• Assist in the month-end process and support compliance reporting.

• Develop and maintain business-wide procedures to improve loss prevention.

• Handle online queries and chargeback support in collaboration with Customer Services.

• Ensure accurate transactional audit processes and timely control account reconciliations.

• Liaise with stores and assist with finance-related queries.

• Provide ad hoc financial support to the wider team.

Key skills & Competencies

• Prior experience working with transactional ledgers, ideally in a retail or high-volume environment.

• Advanced Excel skills; knowledge of reconciliation processes.

• Meticulous and methodical, ensuring accuracy and timely delivery.

• Confident liaison with internal and external stakeholders.

• AAT qualification or active training are desirable.

• Self-starter who can work independently and within a team.

What you can expect

• Flexible working options and a hybrid working scheme.

• Free on-site gym facilities.

• Generous employee discounts on luxury fragrances.

• Duvet days and home working allowances.

• Excellent learning and development opportunities.

Key Objectives

• Maintain accurate cash and expense reconciliation across all retail stores and online channels.

• Prevent chargebacks and support audit compliance.

• Improve financial processes to support loss prevention and cash flow visibility.

• Ensure accurate financial reporting to support wider business performance.

Deliverables

• Daily reconciliation reports and audit documentation.

• Weekly store expense and KPI reports.

• Chargeback response documentation with CS.

• Online payment and tender exception logs.

• Month-end support documentation and account balances.

• Continuous improvement updates for loss prevention processes.