Finance Associate

**FINANCE ASSOCIATE**

**ABOUT OUR COMPANY**

FIRST is a leading global events agency with offices in London, New York, Los Angeles and Singapore. Some of the world’s most recognized companies trust us to develop their event strategies, design and produce engaging live experiences. FIRST clients span many industries including financial services, aerospace, technology, consumer electronics, healthcare, automotive, media and non-profit. We are ‘Gold’ _Investors in People_ and ranked 14th Place at the _UK’s Best Workplaces_ Awards.

**JOB DESCRIPTION**

A fantastic opportunity has arisen within our Finance Department for an ambitious **Finance Associate** to join the team.

Reporting to the Regional Accountant, you will take full ownership of the purchase ledger function for all the companies in the APAC region, with plenty of opportunities for exposure to management accounts preparation and working with the global finance team. Your role is an integral part of the overall business and will require a great deal of attention to detail, excellent time management and the ability to work individually and as a part of a team.

**RESPONSIBILITIES**:

- Ownership of the accounts payable function, including the production of payment runs
- Resolve supplier queries and drive resolution via the appropriate escalation routes
- Bank reconciliations, including foreign currency accounts
- Maintain staff expenses & credit cards, preparing monthly expense reporting
- Monthly intercompany reconciliations
- Assisting with credit control and customer queries whilst working closely with project accountants
- Assist with weekly/monthly reporting as required
- Assist the Regional Accountant with the monthly management accounts
- Liaise with internal & external stakeholders, including auditors and non-finance employees internationally
- Other ad hoc tasks

**REQUIREMENTS**:

- Previous experience in Accounts Payable and/or Accounts Receivable
- Experience with expense software, Concur, ideally
- Intermediate experience with Microsoft Excel (pivot tables, VLOOKUPs) preferred
- Knowledge of accounting systems and processes; experience with complex accounting systems such as SAP ByDesign preferred but training will be provided
- Experience of working in a project-based multi-entity, multi-currency organisation would be useful
- Strong attention to detail and highly organized
- Multi-tasker that can work under pressure and meet multiple deadlines
- Ability to work well, both independently and as part of a team, and meet professional challenges
- Proactive and driven to succeed
- Excellent communication

**ADMINISTRATION & GENERAL**:

- Assume responsibility for own environment, ensuring adherence to health and safety policies while having clean smart surroundings
- Work intelligently and ensure management is aware of problems or issues which negatively affect productivity
- Build excellent relationships with the team through positive communications.
- Ensure knowledge is shared within the team to enable them to work smarter and more efficiently