Having access to high-quality accounting support is extremely important for the smooth operation of most organisations, as they are like the gatekeepers for the finance department. From Accounts Payable to Payroll Officers, accounting support professionals are inquisitive problem solvers with strong influencing skills who will ultimately have a critical impact on all areas of a business.

Accounting support staff will often be required to have a high technical competency or tertiary qualifications, as well as substantial work experience to meet the demands of these positions. As businesses continue to rely heavily on having access to reliable accounting support teams, it’s important to ensure that new hires will have the proficiency to ensure everything runs smoothly within your organisation, even if it is a junior role.

While there are often many accounting support professionals available out there, it is critically important to find candidates with skills that match up with your unique business needs and company culture. Skilled individuals are available with specialties in areas from accounting operations to niche finance, who provide your organisation with a wide range of accounting support, depending on your individual requirements.

If you need to fill an accounting support position, you should align yourself with a recruiting company that understands your specific business needs. That’s why every candidate we suggest at iPlace Recruitment has already undergone rigorous testing of their skills to ensure their competency for this specific role.

Accounts Officer

Accounts Officers are usually tasked with providing support to senior accountants and the finance team in general by collaborating on various accounting projects. Accounts Officer will often assist with all aspects of budgets and accounts, such as processing invoices, account reconciliation, preparing financial statements, and creating Tax returns. Other common responsibilities for an Account Officer may include ensuring financial records are current, dealing with inaccuracies, and handling general account queries.

This is a hugely instrumental role which helps finance teams make decisions about improving business performance. While experience isn’t always required as on-the-job training is provided, an Account Officer will need to maintain accurate financial records, so knowledge of basic accounting procedures is often preferred. Otherwise, the right candidate will be open to learning, excellent with numbers, with a keen eye for detail, and a high level of communication skills.

Accounts Payable

Typically reporting directly to the Accounts Payable Manager or Finance Manager, Accounts Payable works in financial administration and provides clerical support to the other members within the team. Accounts Payable is usually responsible for the day-to-day management of payment cycles by processing, verifying, and then reconciling vendor invoices both accurately and expediently.

A vital member of the finance team, Accounts Payable is required to keep track of all payments and expenditures by maintaining historical accounting records, such as payrolls, invoices, statements, and purchase orders. While many employers don’t ask for any qualifications, the right hire in this role will likely have at least a basic understanding of accounting and bookkeeping.

Accounts Receivable

Typically reporting to the Accounts Receivable Manager or Finance Manager, Accounts Receivable tracks business revenue and ensures payments for goods and services are received on time, and the transactions are always accurately recorded. Accounts Receivable are required to efficiently manage outstanding debts owed by customers, which usually requires them to resolve any discrepancies or disputes by verifying and sending receipts or statements to secure all outstanding revenue.

While a bachelor’s degree isn’t always required, most employers would prefer hiring someone who has some working experience in an accounting environment. The right candidate for Accounts Receivable roles will be extremely organised, excellent with numbers, and have a keen eye for detail.

Assistant Accountant

​Assistant Accountants are usually tasked with providing support to senior accountants and the finance team by preparing financial statements, processing invoices, creating budgets, and maintaining accurate financial accounts. Assistant Accountants may also assist with various projects like performing account reconciliation, which is hugely instrumental in helping management make important financial decisions about business performance. As a key member of a finance team, Assistant Accountants are also often responsible for finalising EOM and EOFY accounts.

Typically reporting to Senior Accountants or Finance Managers, Assistant Accountants perform a wide variety of accounting duties which provides support to the rest of the financial team, and the organisation as a whole. While some employers may look for candidates with a relevant bachelor’s degree, Assistant Accountants a huge amount of experience isn’t usually required, with on-the-job training provided.

Credit Manager

Because proper management of credit accounts is essential for the healthy cash flow of a business, the Credit Manager is responsible for ensuring accurate debtor accounts and payment of outstanding invoices. Credit Managers, or sometimes known as Credit Control Managers, are responsible for managing a financial team who work together to recover outstanding debts. These unpaid invoices will either be commercial collection from businesses or consumer collection from individuals, so the role of Credit Manager often shares responsibilities with the Accounts Receivable department.

Credit Controllers report potential debtor problems and outstanding issues to management when required, and they may also conduct credit checks on customers, resolve payment disputes, as well as reconciling complex accounts at EOM. The right hire for a Credit Controller position will have at least a bachelor’s degree in finance or another related field, and be able to communicate efficiently with customers in a friendly manner.

Finance Officer

Finance Officers are commonly tasked with providing administrative, financial support to internal finance or accounting teams, other colleagues, clients, and even stakeholders of the organisation. A Finance Officer generally assists with preparation of budgets, managing records, preparing balance sheets, processing invoices and reconciling transactions. This is a role that often attracts applicants looking to move up the corporate ladder, who may have ambitions of eventually becoming a Finance Manager, or even CFO.

Well suited to candidates who have university qualifications from relevant fields, the right hire for a Finance Officer role must be a strong communicator, who is focused on outcomes, and excellent with problem-solving. Many employers would prefer a high-quality and multi-skilled candidate for this role, who also has some experience with accounting programs.

Reconciliations Officer

Typically reporting to the Finance Manager or Financial Accountant, a Reconciliation Officer ensures that cash amounts in accounting ledgers are the same as bank balances. The role may also require them to reconcile payments within their accounting systems to ensure they reflect accurate transactions, which can include general ledgers, bank accounts, and inventory control.

Reconciliations Officers may also work with a variety of other financial transactions and data such as accounts receivable, month-end processes, and payment receipts. While many employers may seek candidates for this position who have an associate degree or bachelor’s degree in business or accounting, the role of Reconciliation Officer may only need a high school diploma and then receive training on-the-job.

Payroll

Typically reporting to Payroll Managers or Financial Controllers, the Payroll position is critical in any organisation. Whether a member of the payroll team or the sole patrol processor, a Payroll professional is responsible for the smooth processing of the payroll function. Payroll is required to ensure all transactions for payroll are processed accurately and efficiently. After initially collecting, calculating, collating, and entering all payroll data correctly, Payroll staff can easily maintain, access, and update the information, as well as compile summary reports for earnings, deductions, leave, and taxes whenever they are required.,

While most employers don’t require a degree for Payroll positions, some may prefer a candidate who has a finance or economics degree. The right hire for payroll should have excellent organisational and communication skills, with a solid grasp of mathematics, and outstanding attention to detail.

iPlace Recruitment

Our specialist accounting support consultants understand your recruitment requirements because they all have backgrounds in accounting. This firsthand experience means that we understand the competencies and core requirements you require, which is invaluable to source the most suitable and professional candidates possible.

iPlace Recruitment has access to a diverse range of candidates from multiple sectors so that we can provide you with the most suitable tier-one candidates for your available position. This gives you the best chance of hiring the right candidate quickly and without any compromises on quality.

We are so confident in our selection process of candidates that we offer a six-month guarantee so you can monitor and evaluate your choice. iPlace Recruitment is available to help you secure the most exceptional candidates for accounting support, so you can get back to concentrating on running your business.