Financial Controller - Theatre
10 days ago
London
Financial Controller - Theatre UK-based theatrical production company managing multiple concurrent West End, touring, and international productions are looking for a Qualified ACA, ACCa, CIMA Financial Controller, accountable for the smooth financial management across the group. You will own the month-end close, bank reconciliation discipline, accrual policy enforcement, cash oversight, and management accounts across all entities. This is a hands-on role. You will lead a small finance team and report directly to the Managing Director. You will be the primary point of accountability for finance being in control - always reconcilable, always current, always explainable. Key Responsibilities: Month-End Close & Multi-Entity Financial Control • Own and deliver the month-end close across all entities: bank reconciliations complete, accruals posted, intercompany confirmed, production accounts drafted., • Enforce entity separation rules rigorously - every cost sits in the correct entity, intercompany loan accounts are used immediately, no blurred coding., • Maintain and enforce the group's accrual policy: accrue anything above £1,000 or clearly recurring; weekly production accruals posted by performance week., • Prepare and deliver weekly and monthly management accounts, cashflow forecasts and board-level reporting for all productions and SPVs., • Own the bank reconciliation standard: every entity reconciled weekly, bank balance matching statement, oldest unreconciled item under 30 days. Production Finance • Deliver weekly production accounts for all running productions, distinguishing clearly between pre-production and running costs., • Monitor budgets and cost reporting across multiple concurrent theatrical productions., • Deliver accurate and timely royalty statements, including self-billing, minimum guarantees, and pool calculations., • Oversee and assist with weekly and monthly payroll processes across shows as required, including running payrolls when needed for cover., • Ensure weekly tour trading accruals (settlements, cast payroll, travel, theatre contra, royalties) are posted with the correct weekly class. Statutory & Compliance • Ensure compliance with VAT returns (per SPV), PAYE, and Corporation Tax, working closely with the Managing Director and external advisors., • Support Theatre Tax Relief (TTR) claims across production SPVs, maintaining clean cost categorisation to support claims., • Act as primary financial point of contact for auditors, tax advisors, and legal counsel. Cash & Creditor Management • Own weekly cash oversight across all entities, maintaining an accurate group cash position., • Actively manage creditors: weekly review of top creditors, due/overdue amounts, payment plans for the next 7-14 days, and supplier risk flags. Systems & Processes • Maintain and develop QuickBooks (per entity), payroll systems (QuickBooks Advanced), and Dext invoice processing workflows., • Strengthen financial controls, authorisation procedures, and coding standards - every transaction correctly categorised, production-coded, and week-class tagged., • Identify and implement process improvements and automation opportunities across the finance function. Leadership & Team Management • Line manage the Production Finance Manager and Accounts Assistant(s), ensuring strong delivery, development, and clear ownership of responsibilities., • Collaborate with Producers, General Managers, and external stakeholders., • Maintain the weekly finance operating cadence: Monday finance control meeting, midweek production finance ops, Thursday cash and creditors review. Strategic Support • Advise the Managing Director and Producers on financial risk, opportunity, and sustainability., • Support business planning, scenario modelling, and investor relations (including monthly investor reporting)., • Contribute to the company's long-term growth strategies. Person Specification: • Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, or equivalent) - this is a non-negotiable requirement., • Demonstrable experience owning month-end close across multiple entities or subsidiaries, ideally in a group structure., • Strong technical accounting skills: accruals, prepayments, intercompany, bank reconciliations, management accounts., • Hands-on operator comfortable in a small team - this is not a role where you delegate everything downward., • Experience with QuickBooks (or comparable cloud accounting software) and confident with Excel/Google Sheets for modelling and reconciliation., • Commercial awareness and ability to communicate financial position clearly to nonfinance stakeholders., • Experience in theatre, live entertainment, film, or media production finance., • Familiarity with Theatre Tax Relief, SPV structures, or investor reporting., • Interest in process improvement, automation, and building scalable finance operations., • Strong line/people management experience. Handle actively welcomes applicants from under-represented backgrounds - we pride ourselves on attracting the best talent for every opportunity through a commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion.