Job Description

PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT - JOB DESCRIPTION & PERSON SPECIFICATION

Responsible to

: Finance Director

Key relationships:

Co-Executive Producers, Senior Producers, Producers, General Manager, Heads of Departments, Finance Officer

Salary:

40,000 per annum

Contract

: Full time, Fixed-Term contract (1 year with the possibility of extension)

Deadline for applications

: 5 September 2025

If you are interested in this role, we encourage you to submit your application as early as possible. We reserve the right to close this vacancy as soon as we have received sufficient applications for the role.

How to apply:

Complete the application form , including your CV and cover letter.

If you have any questions or are experiencing any difficulties with the application process, please contact

OUR HISTORY

Founded in 2000 by Felix Barrett, Punchdrunk has pioneered a game-changing form of theatre which places the audience at the very heart of the action. Recently listed amongst the 50 most influential artists of the last 50 years (Sky Arts, 2022) alongside Bowie, Sir Steve McQueen and Vivienne Westwood, Punchdrunk disrupts the theatrical norm, creating worlds in which audiences can rediscover the childlike excitement of exploring the unknown.

Its iconic "mask" shows, which redefined the genre of immersive experiences, have been cited amongst the 40 creative moments that changed culture (Creative Review), and have found phenomenal success across the globe, with record-breaking productions established in the US, UK and China. Sleep No More in New York has been playing to sell out audiences since 2011, and in Shanghai the show has been running since 2016, making it the longest running show in the city's history. The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable broke the National Theatre's box office records when it went on sale in 2013. Punchdrunk's 2022 London production, The Burnt City, became the company's longest-running show in its home city, coinciding with the opening of its first permanent venue at 1 Cartridge Place in Woolwich.

In 2024, Viola's Room debuted in Woolwich, marking a bold shift from Punchdrunk's signature mask performances. This intimate, barefoot sensory experience distilled two decades of the company's immersive expertise, using binaural sound to create a deeply personal journey.

Alongside these landmark live theatrical experiences, Punchdrunk has taken its ground-breaking approach to cross-cultural collaborations in music, tech, fashion and TV: from projects with Rihanna to Jack White, Louis Vuitton to Alexander McQueen, and HBO to Brad Pitt's Plan B Studios - most recently with TV series The Third Day, starring Jude Law, Naomie Harris, Katherine Waterston, Emily Watson and Paddy Considine which included the Bafta-nominated live event: The Third Day: Autumn: a 12-hour live episode, filmed in one continuous take.

Punchdrunk's past theatrical works include: The Drowned Man: A Hollywood Fable (with the National Theatre), The Crash of the Elysium (Manchester International Festival), The Duchess of Malfi (with ENO), Sleep No More (with the American Repertory Theatre, Boston, Mass.), It Felt Like A Kiss (with Adam Curtis and Damon Albarn, Manchester International Festival), Tunnel 228 (in collaboration with The Old Vic), The Masque of the Red Death (with Battersea Arts Centre), Faust (in collaboration with the National Theatre), and The Burnt City.

THE ROLE

We are seeking a dynamic Production Accountant to oversee the production accounts and support the financial operations of the company. Working closely with the Finance Director and the Finance Officer, you will help to maintain and improve accounting and financial processes across the organisation, enhancing efficiency and ensuring robust financial controls. You will provide high-quality accounting support to internal stakeholders, ensuring accurate financial reporting and budget management.

We are looking for someone who enjoys the challenge of working with a team to improve, create and implement new processes and templates and someone who likes to find creative ways of presenting financial information to a variety of different audiences. The role requires excellent organisational skills, the ability to meet deadlines, and a collaborative approach to building strong relationships across teams. Your contributions will be essential in optimising financial workflows and supporting the financial health of both the company and its productions.

Key Responsibilities Summary:

Developing and instigating financial dashboards and spreadsheets for the Executive Team to track and project financial expenditure on projects Creating, in collaboration with the Co-Executive Producers and Senior Producers, standardised templates for project budgets and project financial modelling Holding monthly project budget meetings with Senior Producers and Project Producers, helping track and manage financial performance Reporting monthly variance analysis and commentary across all active productions to the Executive Producers and Financial Director, highlighting budget status and flagging any anomalies and risk Monitoring all pre-production, running, and get-out budgets, and producing regular cost reports for Producers to reconcile Setting up new productions, including reviewing and adjusting finalised production budgets, creating PO trackers, and training Producers on the Finance systems and timeline Building and forecasting a 12-month rolling cash flow across all active and development productions Invoicing milestones and recharges based on production schedules and executed contracts Posting monthly journals including revenue recognition, production accruals, and overhead recharges across projects Overseeing the royalties process from invoicing clients through to creating and sending out royalty statements to creatives for payment Producing weekly P&L reports for the Front of House bar on running productions, including reconciling bar sales and stock management Reviewing weekly box office sales for running productions and reporting on performance to the Finance Director Reviewing weekly crew timesheets and payroll on Quickbooks for in-house productions, cross-checking coding and amounts against budgets Work with the Finance Officer to ensure all postings are coded correctly to the right projects or overhead nominal ledger accounts Supporting integration to the new accounting system, Quickbooks, including building a new chart of accounts, and streamlining reporting across all Punchdrunk productions

GENERAL

Be a passionate advocate for Punchdrunk's work Promote a culture of inclusivity, creativity and encouragement, where everyone takes pride in their work and the highest standards are achieved through a collaborative and supportive environment Adhering to Punchdrunk's Company policies at all times Use best endeavours to promote, protect, develop, and extend the business of the Company Attend internal and external meetings as required and contribute to all aspects of the operation and development of the company

Essential Qualification & Experience

Minimum 2 years experience as a production accountant, or in a similar finance role Professional finance qualification (part or fully qualified ACCA/CIMA/ACA) Experience in theatre and live events is desirable Strong attention to detail and accuracy Advance Excel with strong analytical skills

EMPLOYMENT TERMS

:

Fixed-term contract / Full time (1 year with the possibility of extension) Pension contribution, following completion of probation period 20 days holiday per annum (rising to 25 days after one year) + UK bank holidays 3 month probation Place of Work: Punchdrunk offices in Woolwich 40,000 per annum No overtime is paid but the Company operates a TOIL policy

THE WORKPLACE CULTURE

The Punchdrunk environment is fast-paced, often reactive, and endlessly evolving. The workforce comprises a brilliant team of passionate, creative and committed staff and freelancers who thrive in a collaborative, supportive and non-hierarchical environment. The projects always strive to break new ground, which means that there is often no template or guideline for the work that is created. The ideal candidate is one who will be excited to be part of a team (whilst equally willing to be a proactive self-starter), happy to get their hands dirty, and who is comfortable with navigating the unknown.

NOTES TO APPLICANTS

This is a guide to the nature of the work required. It is not wholly comprehensive and may be reviewed with the post holder and the line manager from time to time.

If you are called for an interview you will be required to sign Punchdrunk Non-Disclosure Agreement in advance of the meeting.

All applicants must be eligible to work within the UK.

Job Type: Full-time

Pay: Up to 40,000.00 per year

Benefits:

Casual dress Company events Company pension Employee discount Health & wellbeing programme
Education:

Bachelor's (preferred)
Licence/Certification:

finance qualification (ACCA/CIMA/ACA). (required)
Work Location: In person