Company Overview Charcoalblue is widely regarded as the most exciting and innovative theatre, live performance, events, acoustics, AV and technical systems consultancy in the world. We imagine, design, and deliver captivating spaces that entertain, educate. and transform individuals through collective experiences. Guided by listening, collaboration, and a passion for innovation, excellence, emotion, and theatricality, we strive to create extraordinary moments. Since our inception in the UK in 2004, Charcoalblue is now the largest organization of its kind, delivering projects to every corner of the globe. The company is currently made up of five Business Units, plus a global Business Support Team. We operate as a cohesive and collaborative team with studios in London and Bristol in the UK, New York, Chicago, and San Francisco in the US, and Melbourne in Australia. Description of Role Thank you for your interest in Charcoalblue. We are seeking a Finance Coordinator to join our talented team. To apply, please complete the online application form and submit a short CV (1-2 pages max.) and a cover letter. We look forward to receiving your application. We will only accept applications via our online system. Interviews will either be held in person at our London Studio, or remotely (via Microsoft Teams) in January 2025 -time, date and location will be confirmed for shortlisted candidates. As the Finance Coordinator for EMEA & AUS, you will undertake all day to day bookkeeping activity for our companies in the UK and Australia, and work alongside the Finance Manager and Finance Coordinator 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 Finance Manager. You can be based anywhere in the UK and will be associated with one of our UK studios in London or Bristol. The job requires extremely high attention to detail, an excellent communication style and is varied and fast paced. You will require an ability to multi-task and prioritise accordingly. KEY RESPONSIBILITIES • Responsible for bank reconciliation – debit/credit cards, petty cash currency accounts and control account reconciliations. • Responsible for day to day maintenance of company bank accounts and invoice payments. • Support on preparing all regions’ VAT • Returns, file and pay as required. • Responsible for day to day credit control maintenance. • Responsible for monthly journal entry, i.e. depreciation, prepayments and accruals. • Responsible for payment of staff expenses (using our project & resources management software package – currently People HR), in liaison with Studio Administrators. • Preparation of all regions’ company payrolls, and associated tax returns and payments. • Manage employees’ starter checklists in line with UK HMRC, US IRS and Australian ATO compliance. • Purchase Ledger including invoice entry and payment of suppliers. • Sales Ledger including invoice preparation, emailing, and chasing payments. • Financial documentation review relating to checks and balances, general compliance and money laundering checks as required. • Customer risk profiling tasks as required. • Support on financial structuring tasks as required. • Support with month end process, audit preparation, variation analysis and balance sheet management as required. • Support on financial aspects of insurances etc across our three entities to ensure Partnership and regional compliance. • Support on UK Companies House and US/Aus equivalent bodies compliance. • Manage regional studio budgets including reporting & advising on global efficiencies • Deal with ad hoc financial queries and information for senior management and global team members. • Uphold the quality standards of Charcoalblue as detailed within our ISO:9001 standard Quality Management System. • Undertake continual improvement within work practices as detailed through internal audits. • Compliance in all financial procedures in line with BSI ISO:9001 standards. • Ad hoc spreadsheet preparation and breakdown as required. • Ad hoc help with our US company accounting if required • Any other ad hoc finance based tasks as required. This list is not intended to be exhaustive and may be subject to alteration over time as we develop the service. QUALIFICATIONS AND 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 company’s 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 This is a permanent full-time position. Our standard full-time working week is 40 hours (flexible between 8am and 8pm Monday-Friday), 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 company’s global time zones. Charcoalblue does not provide for the payment of overtime. The nature of the job and the Partnership’s business could occasionally entail some work outside normal working hours. Please note we are also open to part time applications. There is a three-month probationary period. We are currently working in a distributed (hybrid) model, meaning you will work from your home (or other place of your choosing) with an expectation to work out of our London or Bristol studio and/or client offices one day a week. Additionally, some site visits and project meetings may be in person, as required. 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 external meetings and our UK studios as required, with notice. Take-What-You-Need (TWYN) Leave Policy: With prior arrangement, there is an opportunity for employees to benefit from additional paid leave days over their statutory holiday/annual leave allowance. You will receive 20 days’ annual leave minimum per annum (prorated in the first year), plus statutory Bank Holidays. We traditionally close our studios between Christmas and New Year’s Day, resulting in an additional average 4-5 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. Please note that this is subject to the Partnership’s 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 and allocation of live event tickets per month. We offer this benefit to encourage you to immerse yourself in the live events 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. START DATE February 2025 SALARY The salary range for this role is £30,000-£35,000 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 recognize 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. 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 Ashleigh Staddon via email [email protected]. Equally, please contact Ashleigh 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.