Production Accountant

Workplace: MediaCity, Manchester OR White City, London + Hybrid

The team..

The Media & Entertainment (M&E) Finance team operates as a trusted advisor to the division within an environment that is both creative and commercially focused. As the UK’s largest commercial broadcaster and streamer, M&E reaches millions of viewers daily through ITVX and our linear channels. Sport sits at the very heart of this output, an unrivalled range of free-to-air coverage through a portfolio that stretches from major international tournaments to emerging sports.

The role..

We’re looking for a Production Accountant (Sport) to join our team on a permanent basis. You will provide critical production finance support to Sport Production Management and the wider M&E Finance team.

In this hands-on, high-impact role, you will work with production teams to deliver accurate, timely financial control and meaningful insight. You will manage actuals and production cost-reporting cycles, oversee purchase order and freelancer payment approvals, mitigate potential overspends, and assist with production setups and wrap-downs. This is an ideal role for a collaborative TV production accountant who thrives under tight broadcast timelines and enjoys working closely with production teams.

Some of your key day-to-day responsibilities will include:

• Support Production Management to manage production finances: task code management, allocation of transactions, coding queries resolution, management of journals and credits, monitoring of VAT
• Manage actuals and the cost reporting cycle for productions, proactively identifying any variances and helping to mitigate for any overspends
• Develop and maintain budgetary control over productions and provide financial reporting to the production team
• Liaise between production teams, finance teams and other stakeholders to ensure an accurate and efficient flow of transactional information, and prompt and accurate payments of staff and suppliers in line with company policy
• Approval of Purchase Orders and expenses up to delegated limits, ensuring accurate coding
• Approve freelancer contracts via Freecon (or equivalent) ensuring correct coding and that correctly forecast in cost manager. Set up and approve talent payments in Talentpay (or equivalent) or, for talent in scope for IR35, process payments via Payroll
• Ensure credit card expenses are submitted by the production team on a timely basis throughout production and at production end
• Critically analyse production budgets and suggest and implement cost control measures where appropriate
• Where applicable/appropriate:
  • Assist with production budgeting, rebaselining and forecasting, ensuring budget lines are assigned to correct task codes to enable accurate data collection and spend analysis
  • Assist with regional spend reporting, overseas production hedging requests and dual reporting, and maximisation of regional incentives.
  • Assist production set up and close down, including attendance at key meetings and close-down activities (final cost reporting, commitment closures, and creditor reconciliations)
  • Assist with year-end and half year audit
• Collaborate with other Finance and Business teams (e.g. Business Affairs, Tax, HR etc) and external auditors during half-year and year-end audits.
• Champion best practice across financial controls and platforms

Skills you’ll need (minimum criteria)

• A finance-based degree and/or professional accounting qualification, or equivalent qualification by experience (QBE).
• Proven, demonstrable track record as a TV Production Accountant.
• Proven experience managing diverse budget sizes and concurrent production projects, ideally with sport-specific
• Demonstrated ability and willingness to establish excellent working relationships across both Finance and Production Management communities
• Strong coordination and planning skills with the capability to deliver high-calibre work against tight production timetables
• High-quality analytical, problem-solving, and cost-control skills
• Proven resilience with the ability to maintain composure, adapt, and deliver under live broadcast time pressure, challenges, and change

Other things we’re looking for (key criteria)

• Practical knowledge of HMRC Film & TV Industry guidelines, including IR35 and freelance engagement rules
• Experience working with overseas productions, currency hedging, and multi-currency transactions
• Working knowledge of regional production spend reporting frameworks
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to present complex financial data clearly to creative and non-financial crews
• A proactive, "get stuck in" mentality with a collaborative and adaptable approach
• Alignment with core ITV behaviours-Digital Mindset, Creativity & Mindset, Be Agile, Clarity & Pace, Collaboration, and Cultivate Resilience.

Potential Challenges

• Specific days in the office may vary flexibly based on production filming schedules and live sport requirements.
• May require travel within the UK depending on project and event broadcast locations.

Please note, on occasion we may receive a very large volume of applications which means applications for a role may close earlier than the referenced closing date. We’d encourage you to apply as soon as possible if interested.