Job Description

We are seeking a Finance Analyst to join our Children's division and play a key role in supporting some of our most beloved brands -- including Bluey, Peter Rabbit, Roald Dahl, and Diary of a Wimpy Kid. This full-time, permanent position offers an exciting opportunity to work at the heart of a creative, fast-paced publishing environment where your insight will help shape the stories that inspire young readers everywhere.
Reporting to the Finance Manager, this role plays an integral part in providing financial and commercial support to the Children's division with the collection, preparation and presentation of financial and management information. This information supports and informs decision making within the team and contributes to the maintenance and development of relevant reporting and information systems.
Key responsibilities:

• Month end routines - reconciling P&L lines, preparation & posting of journals, KPI packs, overhead reports, top brand/author sales analysis
• Preparation of regular analysis of divisional financial performance
• Budget and forecasting preparation including providing grids to sales teams and processing revised sales assumptions
• Acquisition P&L's for new titles and calculation of bonus advances
• Invoice checking & coding and answering queries
• Liaising with the marketing team to update and review marketing spend
• Clear ad-hoc analysis on Publishing House/department/author or title performance to support decision making
• Understanding revenues and costs associated with publishing and following group accounting policies

What you'll bring
Essential criteria:

• Excellent numeracy skills and good commercial outlook
• Ability to convey complex financial information to non-finance colleagues and partners across the business, and build strong working relationships
• Good excel skills including pivot tables and advanced formulas
• Organised and proactive, with strong attention to detail
• Ability to learn new IT systems and processes
• Ability to analyse, evaluate and interpret commercial and financial data
• Experience of using financial accounting systems is preferred

Preferred criteria:

• Experience in commercial finance within a similar role

Disability Confident
As a Disability Confident Committed organisation, we offer interviews to candidates with a disability who meet the essential criteria for the role, and opt-in on their application form. The essential criteria for this role are listed as part of the 'What you'll bring' section. There may be times when the volume of applications means we cannot take all eligible candidates to interview. We encourage you to tell us about any reasonable adjustments you may need by emailing PRHCareersUK@penguinrandomhouse.co.uk. Remember, you only need to share what you are comfortable with, for us to support your request.
Application instructions
Please apply with your CV and cover letter outlining why you are the right candidate for the role by 11:59pm on Thursday 8th January 2026. Please note that due to the festive period, we'll begin reviewing applications in January 2026.
Please ensure you include a cover letter, as it is a crucial part of our assessment process. The cover letter offers an opportunity to show how your experience and interests align with the role requirements. Typically, we expect the cover letter to be no more than one or two pages in length.
Here at Penguin, we believe in the power of authenticity and human creativity. When you apply for a position, we want to encourage you to showcase your unique voice. Throughout our recruitment process, please share your own thoughts, experiences, and skills. This helps us get a true sense of who you are and what you might bring to our team.
We celebrate creativity and diverse perspectives, so please be yourself! While we recognise AI tools can be helpful, we recommend using them thoughtfully to ensure your responses reflect you.
Salary
28,500 - 35,000 dependent on how your skills and experience align to the role, plus bonus and benefits.
Hybrid working
While our offices across the UK are places to connect, collaborate and celebrate with colleagues, we recognise that flexibility around where you work is just as important. For this role we expect that you will work from our office in London 3 days a week (Tuesday-Thursday).
Company: The Random House Group Limited | Job ID: 285376

Skills Required