CG Animation Production Accountant

CG ANIMATION PRODUCTION ACCOUNTANT

Contract:Fixed Term (minimum term of one year)

Salary: £2000-£2850 per week depending on experience

Location:London

Closing date: August 31^st 2018

Formed in 2014, our client is the UK’s only dedicated high-end CG feature animation studio. The Company aims to bring together experienced, world class creative leads, Europe’s animation and design talent and London’s premiere digital production facilities, Double Negative, to produce competitive quality family films for global commercial release every 12-18 months through their distribution partners 21st Century Fox.

Our client is currently looking for a Production Accountant to report directly to the CFO and to work closely with the Co-CEOs, Producers, and the Production Team.

The Production Accountant will be responsible for managing the finances and maintaining financial records for all stages of the production of animated feature films, ensuring any overages and changes are reported as soon as they occur and providing recommendations on rebalancing the budget.

Duties and Responsibilities:

Production Finance

• Prepare the film production budget in collaboration with the Producers, Co-CEOs, CFO, Production Team, and Digital Partner;
• Be responsible for regular monthly financial reporting both internally to the film Producers and Exec Producers and externally to the Distributors;
• Manage film budget cashflow and regularly invoice Distributor accordingly;
• Work closely with Producers and other relevant stakeholders to update film budget cashflow on a regular (quarterly) basis to reflect latest forecast assumptions;
• Monitor the mix of GBP v. USD native currency required for production funding and the impact of any forecasted changes on overall budget, potential FX gains & losses, and Distributor hedging;
• Oversee digital partner’s financial reporting processes to ensure full understanding and transparency of their production activity as it relates to the overall film budget;
• Support Producers and other key stakeholders with ad-hoc analysis capturing the financial impact of various operational scenarios (based on changes in production milestones, staffing profile, production deliverables, productivity targets/quotas, etc.);
• Prepare, process(in coordination with the payroll vendor (currently Sargent-Disc) and review the production Payroll;
• Review the production bank accounts as part of the regular monthly reporting cycle including timely bank reconciliations
• Prepare the materials for the auditors and annual reports as requested, supporting Year End procedures for the production
• Finalise all film financial records and oversee/assist audits
• Ensure all film financial records are compliant with relevant legislation particularly in relation to HMRC;
• Maintain a full understanding of the UK animation tax credit and ensure all requirements are met to maximise the rebate.

Company Finance

• Prepare and review the Studio Overhead Recoveries in production budgets
• Assist with any financial reporting including analysis for investors and co-financiers
• Support CFO in preparing management accounts, annual budget, 5-year plan, Board papers Directors papers in relation to production as requested.  Attend meetings as required
• Establish and implement best practices in accounting processes and continually optimise all finance reporting. Participate in the Company finance team as needed
• Help maintain the internal controls to safeguard Locksmith’s and the Production SPV’s financial assets and liaise with banks and external advisors when necessary.

Position Requirements:

• Must have prior experience working with or reporting to a US film studio
• Must have been a Production accountant on two or more CGI feature animation projects;
• Must be IT literate with excellent Excel skills (macros, pivot tables, v-lookups, etc.) and relevant accounting software skills (ideally PSL and/or Sage)
• Commercially astute, highly numerate and analytical
• Highly proactive, outgoing personality, and flexible working style
• Ability to communicate clearly with non-finance stakeholders
• Strong organisational skills,ability to work efficiently and effectively under pressure,
• Works well with ambiguity and changing circumstances,with a strong drive to deliver
• Qualified accountants (ACCA, CIMA, US CPA or other equivalent) looked on favourably

Start:Immediately

If you have the relevant skills and experience and are seeking a new career, then send your CV to cv@talent-finder.co.uk, with the subject line referring to the position and where you found it. Alternatively, call 01772 886799.

Keywords: Accountant/Accountancy/Production Accounts/Production Accountant/Media Accountant/Budgeting/Production Budget