COMPANY OVERVIEW

Charcoalblue was established in the heart of the UK theatre industry in 2004. Since then, we have carved out a reputation as the world's leading integrated Theatre, Acoustic and Experience Consultancy service. We now operate as a cohesive and collaborative team across six international studios in the UK, USA, and Australia, delivering projects to every corner of the globe. Theatre, acoustic, project management and digital design runs in our blood and each one of us has at some point worked within the industry we now design for. We provide a full spectrum of consultancy services from strategic analysis and creative concept generation through to detailed design and full project leadership. Simultaneously, we have the expertise to integrate world-class acoustic, technical, and digital design solutions from the outset.

DESCRIPTION OF ROLE

As the Finance Assistant, EMEA & AUS, you will undertake all day to day bookkeeping activity for our companies in the UK and Australia, and work alongside the Finance Assistant for the US, who undertakes the bookkeeping for our company in the USA. You will also provide general financial support within the Finance function of this busy international Theatre, Acoustic and Experience Consultancy practice.

Your Line Manager will be the Associate Director of Finance. You can be based anywhere in the UK and will be associated with one of our UK studios in London or Bristol.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

The role encompasses general bookkeeping and assisting the Associate Director of Finance in ad hoc day to day accounting tasks for our UK and Australian businesses, including but not limited to:

• Bank reconciliations including currency accounts and control account reconciliations.
• Day-to-day maintenance of company bank accounts and invoice payments.
• Prepare VAT returns, file and pay as required.
• Day to day maintenance of credit control.
• Regular journal entry, i.e. depreciation, prepayments and accruals.
• Payment of staff expenses.
• Preparation of UK and Australian company payroll, and associated HMRC/ATO taxes returns and payments.
• Manage employees starter checklists, P60, P11D & P45.
• Purchase Ledger including invoice entry and payment of suppliers.
• Sales Ledger including invoice preparation, emailing, and chasing payments.
• Ad hoc spreadsheet preparation and analysis as required.
• Ad hoc help with our US company accounting if required.
• Dealing with ad hoc financial queries and information for the Partners and team members.

This list is not intended to be exhaustive and may be subject to alteration over time as we develop the service.

QUALIFICATIONS & KEY SKILLS

We are open to receiving applications from candidates with a varied range of experience and education. If you meet most of the qualifications below, we encourage you to apply.

ESSENTIAL

• Previous bookkeeping experience for a medium-sized audited business with qualifications in accounting, AAT or CIMA/ACCA or similar.
• Expert knowledge in Excel and experience of using Sage Intacct or similar software.

DESIRABLE

• Finance experience within an international business with operations in the UK and Australia is preferred.
• High level of IT literacy, including a good working knowledge of MS Office, Google Suite, and Adobe Acrobat Suite.
• Ability to manage and prioritise a diverse workload, sometimes in a pressured environment; keeping to deadlines; maintaining both perspective and a sense of humour.
• Highly numerate; ability to analyse and manage budgets.
• Willing and able to take on a broad range of finance/basic ad-hoc administrative tasks.
• Previous experience of working in the arts or design/construction-based industry.
• An interest in the companys work and the arts.

INTERPERSONAL SKILLS

• Excellent communications skills, both verbal and written.
• Excellent accuracy and attention to detail.
• Adept at multi-tasking.
• Able to work calmly under pressure.
• Well-organised, reliable and honest.
• Able to work on own initiative, as well as part of a team.
• Friendly, professional manner.
  

EMPLOYMENT DETAILS

The role is being offered at 40 hours per week Monday to Friday, including a comprehensive benefits package, plus an hour per day (unpaid) for lunch, with an understanding that flexible working hours will apply to meet our clients needs and to accommodate the companys global time zones. Charcoalblue does not provide for the payment of overtime. The nature of the job and the Partnerships business could occasionally entail some work outside normal working hours.

There is a three-month probationary period for permanent roles.

We are currently working in a distributed (remote) model, meaning you will work from your home or other place of your choosing, with optional working hours at one of our UK studios (London or Bristol). We will provide you with the necessary IT hardware and software to enable you to carry out your role successfully in line with your duties.

Please note, although the role is distributed, the successful applicant must be based in the UK to effectively meet the current needs of our work and local team, and you should be able and willing to travel to meetings at our UK studios if required, with notice.

Annual leave entitlement: 20 days minimum per annum (based on 40 work hours per week), plus statutory public holidays. We traditionally close our studios between Christmas and New Years Day, resulting in an additional average 4-5 paid holiday days per annum.

EMPLOYEE BENEFITS

Charcoalblue operates a bonus scheme which you will benefit from following successful completion of a three-month probationary period as a permanent employee. Please note that this is subject to the Partnerships performance year on year and is not guaranteed.

Following successful completion of your probationary period, you will be eligible to participate in our company benefits package, including our pension auto-enrolment scheme, our annual bonus scheme and allocation of theatre or other live event tickets per month. We offer this benefit to encourage you to immerse yourself in the theatre and arts industry as far as possible. We will also contribute to your home broadband and give you a monthly contribution towards your home utilities to enable you to work from home effectively in line with our distributed working model. Other benefits are accumulative as you progress with the company.

Following successful completion of your second year, you will be eligible to join our Private Health Insurance plan, in line with our company policy.

SALARY

The salary range for this role is £25,000 - £30,000 per annum.

Please state your salary expectations in your covering letter in line with your experience.

Charcoalblue intends to offer the selected candidate base pay within this range, dependent on job-related, non-discriminatory factors such as experience. Base pay is one part of the total rewards that Charcoalblue provides to compensate and recognise employees for their work. Charcoalblue provides a robust benefits package to help support you physically, financially, and emotionally through the big milestones and in your everyday life. Please visit our careers page for more details.

START DATE

ASAP - ideally by 1st August 2023.

EQUITY, DIVERSITY & INCLUSION OVERVIEW

Charcoalblue is an equal opportunities employer, actively working towards becoming an inclusive organization. We work consistently to ensure elimination of unfair and discriminatory practices within the company and encourage full contribution from its diverse community.

Our mission is to manifest an inclusive ethos by creating a diverse and inclusive working environment across our practice. Recruitment opportunities are open to all, but we are particularly keen to hear from ethnically diverse and disabled candidates, as these groups are currently underrepresented within our teams.

If you require this application in a different format or need support during the application process, please contact Euna Pae via email on [email protected]. Equally, please contact Euna if you have any questions in relation to access, or how the role might need to respond to your personal circumstances.

Charcoalblue aims to provide a service that does not discriminate against its clients and customers and works to ensure all can access the services and goods supplied by the company. We believe that all employees and clients are entitled to be treated with respect and dignity.