Accounting Manager, UK (Remote, South Africa)

About Sleek

Through proprietary software and AI, along with a focus on customer delight, Sleek makes the back-office easy for micro SMEs.

We give Entrepreneurs time back to focus on what they love doing - growing their business and being with customers. With a surging number of Entrepreneurs globally, we are innovating in a high-growth space.

We operate 3 business segments:

Corporate Secretary: Automating the company incorporation, secretarial, filing, Nominee Director, mailroom and immigration processes via custom online robots and SleekSign. We are the market leaders in Singapore with ~5% market share of all new business incorporations

Accounting & Bookkeeping: Redefining what it means to do Accounting, Bookkeeping, Tax and Payroll thanks to our proprietary SleekBooks ledger, AI tools and exceptional customer service

FinTech payments: Overcoming a key challenge for Entrepreneurs by offering digital banking services to new businesses

Sleek launched in 2017 and now has around 15,000 customers across our offices in Singapore, Hong Kong, Australia and the UK. We have around 500 staff with an intact startup mindset.

We have recently raised Series B financing off the back of >70% compound annual growth in Revenue over the last 5 years. Sleek has been recognised by The Financial Times, The Straits Times, Forbes and LinkedIn as one of the fastest growing companies in Asia.

Backed by world-class investors, we are on track to be one of the few cash flow positive, tech-enabled companies to achieve a public listing in the Asia Pacific region.

Mission:

Own a portfolio that starts at around 300 UK small business clients and grows to around 500 through 2027, delivered through a team of accountants based mostly in India and the Philippines. You are responsible for every client in it: their work is filed on time and accurate, and they can rely on you to explain what their numbers mean. This role is remote in South Africa but reports into leadership seated in our UK office.

What you’ll do

• Run your portfolio end to end: year end accounts, corporation tax returns, VAT returns and confirmation statements.
• Review and sign off your team’s work, and coach them so it’s right the first time.
• Prepare management accounts for clients who need them, and take calls with clients to explain their accounts and what they mean for their business.
• When a client’s delay puts a deadline at risk, chase early, keep a record, and make sure the client understands the consequences in good time.
• Keep client records and workflow data accurate, so anyone can see where each client stands.
• Work with Product, Tech, Sales, Support and Onboarding to fix problems where they start.
• Use the AI tools we are building into our products and workflows, and help shape them.

Key Outcomes

1. No statutory deadline in your portfolio missed because of us.
2. Client satisfaction at or above our 97% target.
3. Fewer review rounds on your team’s work, measured from when you start.
4. Your portfolio’s workflow data is accurate enough to run the business from

Requirements

• Fully qualified member of ACCA, ICAEW (ACA) or ICAS (CA) is required
• At least 5 years in UK accounting practice, including at least 2 running your own portfolio of 150 or more SME clients.
• Expert knowledge of UK statutory accounts (FRS 102 and 105) for private limited companies.
• Strong knowledge of corporation tax and VAT for private limited companies, including preparing and reviewing corporation tax and VAT returns.
• Experience preparing management accounts and explaining them to business owners in plain terms.
• Experience reviewing and managing a team’s work, including people working remotely or offshore.
• Confident with Xero or a similar cloud accounting package.
• Based in South Africa with legal working rights. This role reports into leadership seated in our UK office.

Must-have Attributes

1. Ownership: your portfolio is yours, and you fix problems rather than pass them on.
2. Knowledgeable: you give your team and clients a definite answer.
3. Great communicator: clear in writing and in person, with clients and with a team in another country.
4. One team: you help other teams succeed, not just your own portfolio.
5. Influence: you can get other teams, particularly Product, Tech, Sales and Support, to change something without having authority over them.
6. Process, data and compliance: you follow the process, keep records clean and never cut corners on compliance.
7. Open to AI: growing to 500 clients is only workable because our tools take on more of the routine work.

The interview process

The successful candidate will participate in the below interview stages. We anticipate the process to last no more than 3 weeks from start to finish.

Whether the interviews are held over video call or in person will depend on your location and the role. 

Screening Interview

A 30-minute screening call with a member of our Talent Acquisition team to discuss your background, evaluate mutual fit for the role, address expectations, and answer your questions.

Technical round and live case study
A 45-minute virtual session with the Hiring Manager, running through the technical experience of your background. They will discuss your last 1–2 roles to explore your background in more detail.

Behavioral/ Soft Skills round

A 30 minute chat with a member of the leadership team, where they will dive into some of your recent work situations to understand how you think and work.

Reference verification

Prior to final offer confirmation, we will conduct one professional reference check with your recent direct manager or supervisor. To keep the process moving smoothly, this step may be initiated during the final interview stages.

Requirement for background screening

Please be aware that Sleek is a regulated entity and as such is required to perform different levels of background checks on staff depending on their role. 

This may include using external vendors to verify the below:

• Your education
• Any criminal history
• Any political exposure
• Any bankruptcy or adverse credit history

We will ask for your consent before conducting these checks.  Depending on your role at Sleek, an adverse result on one of these checks may prohibit you from passing probation.

By submitting a job application, you confirm that you have read and agree to our Data Privacy Statement for Candidates, found at sleek.com.

Benefits

Some other great things about working at Sleek…

Humility and kindness: Humility is a core attribute we hire for, which means we have a culture of not taking ourselves too seriously and being able to laugh. Kindness is also incredibly important. We are committed to creating and nurturing a diverse and inclusive environment. 

Flexibility: You’ll be able to work from home. If you need to start early or start late to cater to your family or other needs, we don’t mind, so long as you get your work done and proactively communicate. You can also work fully remote from anywhere in the world for 1 month each year

Financial benefits: We pay competitive market salaries and provide staff with generous paid time off and holiday schedules. Certain staff at Sleek are also eligible for our employee share ownership plan and can share in the upside of our stellar growth trajectory as we work toward listing on a prominent stock exchange in the Asia Pacific region.

Personal growth: You’ll get a lot of responsibility and autonomy at Sleek - we move at a fast pace so you’ll be making decisions, making mistakes and learning. There’s also a range of internal and external facing training programmes we run. We’re also at the forefront of utilising AI in our space and are developing a regional centre of AI excellence. It is our intention that if you leave Sleek, you leave as a more well-rounded person and professional.

Sleek is also a proudly certified B Corp.  Since we started our journey in 2017, we’ve been committed to building Sleek as a force for good. In just over 5 years, we’ve joined a community of industry leaders like Patagonia, Ben & Jerry's, and P&G who are building an inclusive, equitable, and a regenerative economy.