Finance Manager

Studio London Part-time

We’re looking for a Finance Manager to join Paradise and take ownership of the agency’s day-to-day finances.

The role has two sides. You’ll work with our CFO and external accountants to keep the books in good shape, stay ahead of our commitments and give leadership a clear view of the agency’s financial health. You’ll also work with Client Services and speak directly with clients’ finance teams to make sure the work we deliver is billed on time and payments come in when expected.

You’ll be hands-on with the detail and comfortable talking it through with people across the agency. On any given day, you might reconcile the bank, work through the quarter’s figures with our CFO or help an account lead resolve a billing query before it holds up payment.

Salary: £40,000 – £45,000
Reports to: CFO

What you'll do

Run the agency’s day-to-day finances, from bookkeeping and bank reconciliations to expenses, supplier invoices and payment runs.
Own the rolling cash flow forecast, keeping track of what’s due in and out and giving the CFO and leadership an early heads-up when cash looks tight.
Run month-end, support management accounts and quarterly reviews with the CFO, and work with our external accountants on VAT, payroll and year-end.
Keep payment approvals, banking requirements and recurring finance processes clear and on track.
Partner with Client Services from project kick-off to agree billing schedules, get purchase orders in place and make sure changes in scope and billable costs make it onto the invoice.
Be a trusted contact for clients’ finance teams. Get invoices out on time, resolve queries, chase payments and keep account leads informed when payment dates slip.

What you'll bring

Hands-on finance experience in an agency, small business or project-based team.
Confidence with bookkeeping, month-end, accounting software and spreadsheets, and the ability to build and maintain a cash flow forecast.
Practical experience coordinating VAT and payroll and working with external accountants.
The confidence to talk through the numbers with our CFO, work through a billing query with an account lead and call a client about an overdue invoice.
A calm, organised approach and good judgement about what to handle, when to escalate and where a process could be simpler.

Role

We’re looking for a Finance Manager to join Paradise and take ownership of the agency’s day-to-day finances. The role has two sides. You’ll work with our CFO and external accountants to keep the books in good shape, stay ahead of our commitments and give leadership a clear view of the agency’s financial health. You’ll also work with Client Services and speak directly with clients’ finance teams to make sure the work we deliver is billed on time and payments come in when expected.
You’ll be hands-on with the detail and comfortable talking it through with people across the agency. On any given day, you might reconcile the bank, work through the quarter’s figures with our CFO or help an account lead resolve a billing query before it holds up payment.

Paradise

We’re Paradise, the agency for entertaining brands. We’re a hands-on creative partner to ambitious brands across FMCG, lifestyle, music and television. We create bold, considered work across brand, design and social, helping our clients connect with audiences through culture.
Based in Covent Garden, we’re a team of 30 with a collaborative studio culture and a portfolio that spans brand identities, campaigns and social content.

Things you’ll love

Internal finance and agency health

Owning the day-to-day bookkeeping, bank reconciliations, expenses and company card spend, keeping our records accurate and up to date.
Managing supplier invoices and due dates, preparing payment runs for approval and keep suppliers informed about when they’ll be paid.
Maintaining a rolling cash flow forecast that brings together bank balances, expected client receipts and upcoming commitments, including supplier payments, payroll and VAT. Keep it current as timings change and flag pressure points early to the CFO and leadership.
Leading the day-to-day month-end close, reconciling balances and preparing the schedules and figures that support our management accounts. Working with the CFO to review quarterly performance, explain movements and follow up on outstanding items from previous quarters.
Working with our external accountants on VAT, payroll and year-end accounts. Making sure they have accurate information on time, track deadlines and coordinate reviews and approvals.
Keeping debtor and creditor reporting current and support the administration of our banking facilities, including reporting, collections and drawdowns where needed.
Making finance processes easy to follow, with clear approvals, regular checks and straightforward instructions for recurring tasks.

Client finance and account team partnership
Partnering with Client Services from project kick-off to agree what we’ll invoice, when we’ll invoice it and what we need from the client to get paid. That includes deposits, staged payments, purchase orders and billing instructions.
Keeping billing schedules aligned with project timelines and agreed terms. Working with account leads to track project costs and make sure scope changes, additional fees and billable expenses are reflected in what we invoice.
Raising accurate client invoices on time and be a reliable point of contact for clients’ finance teams. Resolving invoice queries, confirm payment dates and follow up on overdue balances firmly and tactfully.
Giving account leads a clear view of what’s due, what’s overdue and what’s holding up payment. Flagging missing POs, disputed invoices or slipping payment dates early and agree who will take the next step.
Feeding changes in client payment timing into the cash flow forecast and work with the CFO and leadership when a delay, or a gap between supplier costs and client receipts, needs a decision.
Hands-on experience running day-to-day finance in a small business, agency or other project-based environment.
Confidence with bookkeeping, month-end reconciliations, accounting software and spreadsheets, plus experience building and maintaining a cash flow forecast.
Practical experience coordinating VAT and payroll and working with external accountants.
The confidence to talk through the numbers with a CFO, explain a billing issue to an account lead and pick up the phone to a client about an overdue invoice.
Good judgement about what to handle directly, when to bring others in and how to keep things moving when priorities change.
A calm, organised approach and the initiative to make everyday processes clearer for everyone who uses them.

Culture and Lifestyle

#ParadiseChristmas – our yearly Christmas trip
#ParadiseSummerAwayDay – our annual H2 kick-off and Summer Away Day
#ParadiseBar – our in-house bar, restocked weekly
#Walk&Talks – open-door chats and ongoing development
Commission – 10% commission available to all staff on new business they bring in
Industry tickets – festivals, gigs, events, client invitations and opportunities to build your network
A small team, a real say in how we work and room to shape the finance function as we grow

Details

Location - Covent Garden, Central London. This is an office-based role.
Working pattern - Four days per week, with all working days based in the studio.
Salary - £40,000-£45,000, depending on experience.

Please email your CV to careers@paradise.london with Finance Manager in the subject line. Due to the volume of applications, we’ll only be able to respond to candidates invited to interview.