Assistant Accountant

Royal Geographical Society

Hours
35 hours per week

Salary
£34,000 - £36,000 per year

About the Organisation

Royal Geographical Society (with the Institute of British Geographers) is a learned society and professional body for geography and geographers. It is also a charity and a membership organisation. The Society was founded in 1830 and has been one of the most active of the learned societies ever since. It was pivotal in establishing geography as a teaching and research discipline in British universities and continues to play a key role in geographical and environmental education.

The Society is a leading world center for geographical learning, supporting education, teaching, research, professional practice, and scientific expeditions, as well as promoting public understanding and enjoyment of geography and providing advice to policymakers

About the role

We are seeking an Assistant Accountant to support the timely processing of financial transactions, accurate accounting, consistency of financial records, and support the year-end close. As the Assistant Accountant, you will become an integral part of our dedicated team, ensuring the smooth functioning of financial operations.

Responsibilities

• Maintain and improve accounts receivable processes, review and issue sales invoices, conduct debt recovery, and follow up on invoicing queries.
• Recording receipts, subscriptions, legacies, grants, gift aid, and investment income.
• Manage and reconcile payments, including direct debits, credit card expenses, and PDQ receipts.
• Perform accurate cash and bank reconciliations and updates of bank and deposit balances.
• Reconciliation of receipts in the financial system and the CRM system.
• Perform monthly reconciliations of balance sheet accounts, including prepayments, accruals, and other key ledger accounts.
• Assist with VAT returns, ensuring compliance with accurate coding and reporting.
• Support the Finance Manager with the month-end process, including posting month-end journals and assisting with the preparation of month-end reports.
• Assist with year-end processes, including preparing schedules and supporting documentation for auditors.
• Oversee and manage multiple shared finance mailboxes.
• Support internal stakeholders with finance queries.
• Undertake ad hoc general accounting tasks as required

Skills, Competencies & Experience

Essential:

• Ability to efficiently and accurately process financial information.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including pivot tables and formulas.
• Demonstrable experience of AR procedures.
• Demonstrable experience in bank and other reconciliations.
• Ability to liaise effectively with non-financial colleagues.
• Solid numerical and analytical skills.
• Excellent organisational skills, with the ability to manage and prioritise multiple tasks effectively.
• Ability to work constructively as part of a team.
• Able to handle confidential information with a high level of integrity and trustworthiness.

Desirable:

• Knowledge and experience of the Sage 50 accounting system.
• Demonstrable experience of AP procedures.
• Good understanding of accounting procedures.
• Experience of working in a finance environment with a number of different VAT income and cost treatments.
• Experience with accounting or financial system integrations.
• Familiarity with restricted and unrestricted funding concepts.

Required Qualifications

• Educated to degree level or relevant experience in accounting or finance

Compensation & Benefits

• 25 days of annual leave per annum plus public bank holidays.
• Society closure between Christmas and New Year, in addition to the basic annual leave allowance.
• Pension scheme - 3% employee, 7.5% employer.
• Group Life Assurance at four times the basic annual salary.
• Corporate eye care vouchers.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Free 24-hour Employee Assistance helpline with available counselling support.

Conditions of employment

• You must have the right to work in the UK

Working locations

• Hybrid model, working in the London office and remotely

How to apply

• To apply, please email [email protected] with a copy of your CV and a covering letter explaining your suitability for the post and how you fulfil the selection criteria, along with the monitoring form.
• Applications must be received by 5.00 pm on 31st October 2025.

Interviews

• Interviews are planned to take place on 3rd November 2025.

Policies

The Society aims to be an equal opportunity employer.

Return to listing