Bookkeeper/Secretary - Leighlinbridge, Carlow

Bookkeeper/Secretary - Leighlinbridge, Carlow

Arboretum is a busy garden centre and café business based in Leighlinbridge, Co. Carlow, with locations in Wicklow and Dublin. We are looking for a reliable and organised Bookkeeper/Secretary to join our small admin team. This is a hands-on role covering day-to-day bookkeeping on Xero, cash management, payroll administration support, statutory returns, and general office duties.

• Report To: Fractional CFO
• Hours: Minimum 32 hours per week (flexible over 4/5 days)
• Contract: Permanent (subject to 6-month probationary period)

Main Responsibilities:

• Reconcile bank accounts, credit card, and PayPal transactions daily, coding and processing invoices and receipts.
• Coding and processing supplier invoices (both from the Integrated EPOS system and manually for café and service invoices). To gain an Understanding of the stock control systems and work to support the purchasing department
• Manage accounts receivable for a small number of credit customers - issue monthly statements and follow up on payments.
• Reconcile supplier statements at month end and prepare payment runs for both companies with remittances issued to suppliers.
• Maintain internal accounts (food account, marketing, and other internal cost tracking) and clear at month end.
• Complete bookkeeping for Arboretum Investments - quarterly VAT return, monthly customer invoices and statements, bank reconciliation.
• Monitor the Chart of Accounts watchlist and shared accounts inbox, responding to queries.

Statutory Returns:

• Repak returns (bi-annual - June and December).

Cash & Till Management:

• Monitor daily till reconciliations from store and café managers, investigating differences in a timely manner.
• Manage the site cash and collection - track replenishments, order cash/change and arrange servicing as needed.
• Reconcile Site takings and maintain petty cash records.

Payroll Administration:

• Oversee roster scheduling for the admin team on Bizimply, ensuring timesheets are accurate and reconciled.
• Collect and submit employee expense forms to the external payroll company, retaining all receipts.
• Upload the payroll bank file and enter the payroll journals, allocating costs to the correct departments.
• Upload holiday forms and manage annual leave records for the admin team.

General Office & Administration:

• Manage filing and maintain an organised records system.
• Order stationery and other items as requested.
• Maintain the supplier database.
• Track vehicle tax renewals for company vans and cars.
• Provide support to the shop and café team with queries as they arise.
• Cover stock invoice matching during colleague absences.
• Assist management with Ad Hoc queries as required.

Skills & Experience Required:

• Previous Accounting experience is essential.
• Proficiency with Xero is preferred (or a willingness to learn quickly).
• Good working knowledge of VAT and other statutory returns.
• Strong attention to detail and a methodical approach to daily reconciliation.
• Good organisational and time management skills - able to manage a varied workload and meet deadlines.
• Competent with Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook).
• The position and experience this role offers may suit a part qualified / finalist AAT trainee looking to build on their experience. Support is available in training where required
• A friendly and professional manner when dealing with suppliers, customers, and colleagues.

Why Join Arboretum:

At Arboretum, we believe retail should be inspiring, supportive, and community-driven. We offer:

• Daytime working hours for better work-life balance.
• Abeautiful, award-winning environment to work in.
• Staff discounts across our store, café, and garden centre.
• Training and career development opportunities.
• A values-led culture built onCommunication, Commitment, Customer Service, Reputation, and Leadership.

This job specification is not exhaustive. Duties may change from time to time to meet the needs of the business.