Head of Finance (Venues)

Job details

Job reference REQ01317 Date posted 30/06/2026 Application closing date 14/07/2026 Location Woking Salary Competitive DOE Package Contractual hours 40 Basis Full time Job category/type Finance
Job description

TRAFALGAR ENTERTAINMENT

Founded by Sir Howard Panter and Dame Rosemary Squire in 2017, Trafalgar Entertainment is an award-winning global live-entertainment business focused on new productions, venue operations, live music and comedy, events and hospitality, Performing Arts education, ticketing, the distribution and filming of event cinema and TV live-streaming (from David Tennant in Macbeth to Taylor Swift) and the provision of great spaces where people can come together to share in the experience of live entertainment. With a growing international footprint, we are fast paced and evolving, driven by a desire to deliver world-class experiences to audiences globally.

Role Purpose

The Head of Finance plays a key leadership role within the venues division, leading the financial operations of a dynamic, multi-site live entertainment business. The role is responsible for delivering strong financial control, high-quality reporting, and commercially focused insight to support performance and growth across the estate.

Working closely with the divisional leadership team, the Head of Finance will lead a small, capable finance team, embed consistent processes and controls, and act as a trusted partner on programming, operations, and strategic decisions.

This is a hands-on leadership role in a fast-moving environment, requiring strong judgement, pace, and the ability to balance financial discipline with commercial opportunity.

This is an opportunity to play a central role in a growing, entrepreneurial venues business, working at the intersection of finance, live entertainment, and commercial decision-making.

Key Responsibilities:

Leadership and Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing finance team, supporting capability building and succession.
• Create a culture of accountability, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Act as a senior member of the divisional leadership team, contributing to business planning and decision-making.
• Ensure clear priorities, strong delivery discipline, and effective workload management across the team.

Financial Planning, Reporting and Insight

• Lead the annual budgeting process and in-year reforecasting, aligned to commercial and operational objectives.
• Oversee the production of timely, accurate monthly management accounts, KPIs, and variance analysis.
• Provide clear financial insight and recommendations to support programming, pricing, and cost management decisions.
• Support long-term planning, capital decisions, and performance improvement initiatives.

Financial Operations and Control

• Oversee day-to-day accounting operations across the venues, including:
• • Accounts payable and receivable.
  • Payroll oversight and analysis.
  • Month-end and year-end close.
  • Journals, accruals, prepayments, and balance sheet reconciliations.
  • VAT and statutory returns.
• Maintain strong balance sheet control and clear audit trails.
• Monitor and manage cash flow, supporting working capital discipline and capital planning.
• Ensure accurate financial records and effective use of the general ledger and chart of accounts.

Compliance, Risk and Governance

• Ensure compliance with UK accounting standards, tax regulations, and internal policies.
• Lead the year-end audit process and preparation of statutory accounts.
• Design and maintain effective internal controls and risk management practices.
• Keep abreast of regulatory changes and advise on potential business impacts.

Systems and Process Improvement

• Drive continuous improvement in financial systems, reporting tools, and processes.
• Lead or support system upgrades, integrations, and process redesign.
• Work closely with programming, operations, and box office teams to improve data quality and reporting consistency.
• Simplify and standardise processes across multiple venues.

Stakeholder Engagement and Commercial Support

• Act as the primary finance partner to the divisional leadership team.
• Present financial performance, risks, and opportunities clearly to senior stakeholders.
• Support commercial initiatives including:
• • Show costing and investment decisions.
  • Pricing strategies.
  • Partnership and contract evaluations.
  • Margin and cost-efficiency analysis.
• Build strong relationships with auditors, advisors, and internal stakeholders.

Essential Qualifications and Experience

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).
• Significant post-qualification experience in a senior finance role.
• Experience in a multi-site, customer-facing or transactional business, ideally within live entertainment, arts, leisure, or hospitality.
• Proven experience leading and developing finance teams.
• Strong technical grounding in UK accounting standards and financial controls.
• Experience delivering clear, commercially focused financial insight.
• Experience working with multiple finance systems; experience with Business Central desirable.

Key Competencies

• Strong commercial judgement and strategic awareness.
• Effective business partnering with operational leaders.
• Clear, confident communication with finance and non-finance stakeholders.
• Analytical, structured, and solutions-focused.
• High attention to detail with strong delivery discipline.
• Resilient, adaptable, and comfortable in a fast-paced environment.

Reporting Structure:

• Reports to: Finance Director (Group Level)
• Direct Reports: Finance Managers
• Indirect Reports: Assistant Management Accounts, Assistant Accountant.

Location and Hours:

• Primarily Woking with some need to visit the London office and occasional visits to venues around the country. Flexibility for hybrid working arrangements as appropriate.

Package:

Competitive salary and benefits package, including private medical, life cover, contributory pension and critical illness cover.