Finance Assistant / Assistant Accountant

🌟 Join the Award-Winning Team at Man Bites Dog! 🌟  

Do you take pride in keeping a finance function running like clockwork? Are you someone who values consistency, accuracy, and ownership in your work? If so, we’d love to hear from you. 

Man Bites Dog is seeking a Finance Assistant or Assistant Accountant / Finance Manager (depending on experience) to play a key role in our small but highly effective finance function. 

This is a broad and hands-on position suited to a finance professional who enjoys variety, takes ownership of their work, and is comfortable operating independently in a fast-paced SME environment. Whether you’re earlier in your career and confident with transactional finance, or more experienced and looking for a stable role where you can embed yourself and make a lasting impact, this position offers the opportunity to take full responsibility for a well-established finance function. 

We’re looking for someone dependable, detail-oriented, and proactive - someone who will ask questions when needed, communicate confidently with stakeholders across the business, and ensure processes run smoothly and consistently. This is not a role focused on rapid progression, but rather one where you can build stability, autonomy, and mastery, helping to keep the finance function efficient and robust. 

You’ll be exposed to a wide range of financial responsibilities, offering far more variety than a typical large-company role, and will become a trusted part of a small, collaborative team. 

About Us: 

Man Bites Dog is an award-winning global B2B thought leadership and strategic marketing consultancy working with some of the world’s most exciting companies, including global leaders in technology, professional and financial services and engineering sectors. From sustainability and energy transition to AI and the future of work, our campaigns focus on some of today’s biggest issues and apply fresh thinking to fascinating subjects in order to deliver brand and sales impact for our clients. 

Role Overview: 

Reporting to the Finance Director, this role is integral to the smooth day-to-day operation of the finance function within a fast-paced SME environment. Working closely with the Finance Director, client teams, and budget holders across the business, it blends hands-on financial processing with broader operational and project-based support. 

This is a broad and varied position suited to a highly organised, detail-oriented individual who is comfortable managing transactional finance activities independently. The role requires a multi-skilled finance professional with experience in an SME, across accounts payable, accounts receivable, credit control, payroll support, VAT returns, expenses and suppliers. 

In addition to core finance responsibilities, the role will support the COO with utilisation reporting, project resourcing, and project management activities, while also assisting with ongoing ISO accreditation requirements, particularly during audit periods. The successful candidate will help maintain supplier sustainability standards and ensure compliance with environmental, ethical, and social procurement processes, requiring strong communication skills and the ability to collaborate effectively across teams. 

Responsibilities: 

• Perform daily bank reconciliations and maintain accurate cash records 

• Identify and resolve discrepancies, ensuring a high level of accuracy across all financial records and processes 

• Process and code employee expense transactions using Pleo 

• Manage weekly purchase ledger activities, including supplier invoice processing and payment preparation 

• Carry out credit control activities, following up on outstanding debt and maintaining strong client relationships 

• Provide monthly payroll support, ensuring accurate and timely submission of payroll information 

• Assist with monthly finance processes, including VAT checks, accruals, prepayments, and balance sheet reconciliations 

• Prepare and submit quarterly VAT returns in line with statutory requirements 

• Support the preparation of annual statutory accounts and year-end audit processes 

• Maintain accurate supplier records and support supplier onboarding, including sustainable procurement checks covering environmental, ethical, and social considerations 

• Support the business in maintaining ISO accreditation standards, including preparing documentation and assisting during audit periods and providing data for our emission report 

• Work collaboratively with client teams and budget holders to support invoicing, reporting, and financial processes 

• Assist the COO with utilisation reporting, project resourcing, and project management administration 

• Use finance and operational systems effectively, including Xero, Dext, Pleo, and Synergist, or comparable systems