Production Accountant 12 Month FTC

ABOUT BBC STUDIOS

BBC Studios is a world-renowned content studio and channels & streaming business, powered by British creativity, with a reach that touches audiences in every corner of the globe.

We work with outstanding creative talent who are responsible for platform-defining shows from Strictly Come Dancing to Bluey, Eastenders, Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III.

The range and quality of our content is unsurpassed, creating critical and commercial successes and global phenomena.

From BAFTAs to RTS Awards, BBC Studios is Britain's most awarded production company and the only producer with three of the top ten shows on IMDB; we're the home of bbc.com, the widest-read English language news website in the world; and the UK's largest distributor of British content.

Key Responsibilities and Accountabilities

This role is part of a team of Production Accountants and Assistant Production Accountants who, although being part of a wider finance community, are embedded within production departments, working closely with the Production Management teams. The purpose of this role is to:

• Manage the financial control of a slate of productions and/or provide financial support on a more dedicated basis on a more complex production
• Ensure the delivery of timely and accurate financial information to support effective cost management of productions.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Accounting & Reporting:
   • Provide effective financial control and management of budgets on productions, providing regular cost reports and timely advice on budgetary control to the production management team.
   • Ensure that the accurate provision of accruals and commitments are made throughout the production lifecycle.
   • Highlight potential overspends and notify relevant stakeholders.
   • Prepare final accounts and ensure all outstanding claims are settled and close the production accounts in line with agreed procedures.
   • Contribute to the preparation of accurate and achievable month-end forecasts, balancing creative aspirations with financial and resource constraints.
   • Prepare and revise a phased final cost forecast to support effective and timely decision-making and aid centralised cash flow forecasting.
2. Controls and Compliance:
   • Complete statutory and corporate financial returns for location spend items on behalf of the production.
   • Establish and maintain an audit trail for all work undertaken and liaise with auditors as necessary.
   • Operate within and adhere to agreed BBC standards and procedures.
   • Manage location bank accounts and local cash facilities in accordance with relevant policies.
3. Cost Management:
   • Monitor and control actual expenditure against budget.
   • Be responsible for reflecting the budget accurately and correctly in the BBC's main accounting package.
4. General Activities:
   • Contribute to ensuring new ideas and best practices are brought into BBC Finance and adopted on a continuous improvement basis to improve quality and efficiency.
   • Manage Assistant Production Accountants for the duration of a production, identifying skill gaps and working with the Production Accounting Manager to set objectives and development plans.
   • Ensure compliance with regulatory requirements as well as internal control mechanisms, thus promoting an efficiency-driven culture within BBC.
   • Facilitate self-development by identifying and meeting own skill development needs and future career opportunities with the support of the Production Accounting team.

WHAT DOES IT TAKE?

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Knowledge and experience of working in production finance within a media organisation.
• Understanding of the financial conventions in production, ability to identify cost drivers and understanding of the reasons for accurate cost control and forecasting.
• Ability to maintain overall control of the production budget through regular and detailed monitoring and information recording.
• Understanding of the financial impact of editorial decisions and the implications of different options.
• Ability to balance the needs and deadlines of a production with the need for financial control.

DESIRABLE CRITERIA:

• Professional Accounting qualification e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent.

LIFE AT BBC STUDIOS

We don't focus simply on what we do - we also care how we do it. Our values and the way we behave are important to us. The BBC is committed to building a culturally diverse workforce that represents the audiences we serve and encourages applications from candidates from any background, especially people from diverse communities. Equity of opportunity is important to us, and we endeavour to make our processes equal, fair and meritocratic for everybody.

PACKAGE DESCRIPTION

Job Reference: 19343
Band: C
Salary: £36,000 - £42,500 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.
Contract type: 12 month FTC

Location: Office Base is Salford, Manchester. This is a hybrid role and the successful candidate will balance office working with home working. Please note that some travel will be involved to various production sites.

WHAT WILL YOU GAIN FROM WORKING AT BBC STUDIOS?

• We offer a competitive salary package.
• Flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance.
• Parental leave for new parents, regardless of gender, of up to a year with 18 weeks fully paid.
• 26 days holiday (plus an additional day which is a Corporation Day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days.
• A defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more.
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP).
• Excellent career progression - access to courses, webinars, workshops and the opportunity to work in different areas of the organisation.

NEXT STEPS

We appreciate your interest in this position and understand how important this opportunity is to you. Due to the high volume of interest, we may need to close the application period earlier than anticipated. Thank you for your understanding.