Job Description

JOB DETAILS

---------------

Job reference

REQ01193

Date posted

22/04/2025

Application closing date

06/05/2025

Location

Woking

Salary

53,000 to 58,000 depending on experience

Package

Contractual hours

40

Basis

Full time

Job category/type

Finance

Job description

ABOUT TRAFALGAR ENTERTAINMENT (TE)

We're a leading live-entertainment group with a national and international footprint.



Co-founded by Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire in 2017, Trafalgar Entertainment is a business focussed on bringing people together to share in the live experience; through new productions, through the operation of amazing theatre and live-event spaces, and through distribution of live-streaming content. The group is home to Trafalgar Theatres, Trafalgar Theatre Productions, Trafalgar Releasing, Stagecoach Performing Arts, Drama Kids, Trafalgar Tickets, London Theatre Direct, Stagedoor App, Jonathan Church Theatre Productions and Chiswick Cinema.

PURPOSE OF THIS ROLE

Reporting to the Head of Venues Finance, the Venues Finance Manager is responsible for overseeing the financial operations of the venues finance division and managing the venues finance team, to ensure efficient, timely and accurate delivery of all aspects of financial reporting for Trafalgar's UK theatres (currently there are 15 theatre sites). The role will be responsible for overseeing and developing the Venues finance team, currently two Assistant Management Accountants and a Finance Assistant.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE

A highly professional and proactive accountant with excellent communication, organisational and system skills. A proven team leader adept at managing, developing and getting the best out of a team. Ability to delegate and distribute workload across the team to ensure financial deadlines are met. Self-motivated, used to working in a large, fast paced, multi-site company, you will be flexible to the ever-changing business priorities, be hard working and have a calm attitude.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

Team Leadership and Management

Lead, mentor and develop the venues finance team to maximise performance. Assign tasks and set performance objectives to ensure deadlines are met. Maintain regular communication to ensure the team fully understand the tasks allocated to them and to ensure that the tasks are being completed to deadlines. Conduct weekly team meetings to ensure clarity for the venues team of what is coming up and expected of them. Discuss financial performance, give updates and discuss challenges. Support the team, whilst ensuring that they take ownership of their workload and don't become over reliant on you to solve all queries - helping to develop their problem solving skills. Provide training, support and guidance to improve team members' performance. Improved performance includes the team being more robust in questioning and challenging the TD's/venues explanations. Ensure the team maintain good attendance, punctuality and a strong quality of work, managing any underperformance. Training all new members of the venues finance team on the financial accounting software, financial systems and finance processes, including month end procedures. Review key tasks ensuring segregation of duties where appropriate. Work with the Head of Venues Finance to agree the correct split and allocation of venues and workload across the venues finance team. Identify areas for improvement and encourage initiatives to resolve issues and reduce areas of risk.

Financial Reporting & Compliance

Preparation of monthly management accounts (full Profit & Loss, Balance Sheet and cashflow, including relevant journals), variance analysis & commentary, for initial review with Head of Venues Finance before distribution to senior managers and theatre directors. Review draft monthly management accounts with Head of Venues Finance and Group Finance Director. Take direct ownership of the financial reporting of at least 3 theatre venues, including building relationships with key stakeholders at each of these venues. Balance sheet reconciliations - perform reconciliations for your own venues and review other team members' monthly balance sheet reconciliations, investigating and resolving any discrepancies to ensure that every balance sheet item for all venues reconciles every month. Manage 2 key month end finance processes across all venues (examples of which include hospitality trackers and associated costs of sale and margins, settlements, fixed assets, new systems, deferred income, credit cards/expense management) Assist with the migration of accounting system from Sage X3 to Microsoft Business Central, including testing of the new system and implementation of new processes and reporting within venues finance due to the system change. Key contact for the year end Audit process for Venues Finance, responding to audit queries that come in from our auditors, Moore Kingston Smith, on a timely basis to deadlines. Manage the cash flow process, including the preparation of a 12 week cash flow reporting cash requirements to Trafalgar Entertainment group Work with venues finance team and AP to ensure the smooth running of the sales and payment cycles. Authorise payments and payrolls on HSBC and ensure payments are made accurately and on time and sales receipts are received promptly. Assist the Head of Venues Finance with the integration of new venue acquisitions. Mange intercompany with venues and ensure that all intercompany balances reconcile and are accurate each month. Review Stock Audits Prepare VAT returns Help with preparation of annual budgets and forecasts and assist in the review of management accounts versus budgets/reforecasts. Understand the financial processes, make recommendations for improvements to processes to ensure a tight internal control environment and best practise to reduce financial risk. Take ownership of the accounting processes on X3 and be a master-user of X3/ SEI/ Microsoft Business Central and associated systems, for Venues finance. Holiday and sickness cover for Venues finance team. Respond to ad-hoc data and analysis requests in a timely and effective manner.

Collaboration & Stakeholder Management

Create and maintain close working relationships across all departments including Group finance, Hospitality, Programming, Operations, Marketing, HR & payroll, Systems and IT. Regularly liaise and build strong relationships with the rest of the Venues Finance team, Regional Directors, Theatre Directors, Theatre Administrators and Venues management teams. Regularly liaise with venues theatre directors (TDs) including arranging and leading monthly meetings to discuss prior and current month financial performance at the venue and any issues arising that could impact financial performance. Circulate draft and final monthly management accounts on a timely basis to TD's and regional directors for commentary.

Skills, Experience and Qualifications

A minimum of 3 years' experience working as a senior management accountant with management responsibilities. Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA) Experience in managing and developing a finance team. Advanced Excel and IT skills. Experience with a complex accounting system, ideally Sage X3/Microsoft Business Central. Strong attention to detail Excellent interpersonal skills; committed and enthusiastic. The ability to work calmly, effectively and professionally in a fast-paced environment. Dynamic, enthusiastic, self-starter and willing to go the extra distance to make a difference. Ideally knowledge of and/or experience in live theatre, entertainment or hospitality.

This is not an exhaustive description of your duties. You will be required to adopt a flexible approach to your role and responsibilities. In particular, from time to time, you may be required to undertake such alternative or additional duties as may be commensurate with your skills, experience and capabilities.

If this sounds like you, we'd love to hear from you. Please submit a CV and Covering Letter as to why you think you are suitable for the role via the Recruitment Portal.

Trafalgar Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive environment for all employees. We welcome applications from people in groups where we are under-represented, for example people with disabilities, from minority ethnic groups, older returners and people who are neurodivergent.

We are curious, courageous, and ambitious, empowering people to challenge and innovate in pursuit of excellence.