Appointment of the Finance Director

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Welcome

Thanks for your interest in joining Escape Studios as our new Finance Director.

It’s an exciting time for Escape Studios. Recently ranked number one in the world for production excellence in immersive media by The Rookies and in the top 6% of institutions for graduate employability, we’re poised to enter a new period of expansion as we invite international students for the first time, build capacity in our existing portfolio of world-leading courses, and bring new programmes to market in a range of innovative areas where only Escape Studios can offer the peerless industry links combined with robust higher education quality.

As a key member of our Executive team, you will play a vital role in shaping the financial future of Escape Studios in alignment with our new strategy and ambitious growth plans.

Dynamic, innovative, and collaborative, you will lead our financial vision, ensuring effective financial management and embedding a culture of financial ownership and accountability throughout the organisation. You will provide strategic financial planning and analysis, advising the board and Executive team on opportunities for growth, whilst also overseeing the operational aspects of finance on a day-to-day basis. Even here there will be opportunity to innovate as we transition away from a services model to new, modern in-house systems built from the ground up and able to scale as the organisation grows.

Your leadership will be instrumental as we navigate this pivotal moment following Escape Studios’ acquisition in 2023. The role offers a blend of strategic and operational responsibilities, providing the opportunity to make a tangible impact on Escape Studios’ future success. If you thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment and are passionate about higher education and the creative industries, we invite you to join us on this exciting journey.

Dan Lawson
Chief Operating Officer

About us

Escape Studios is one of the UK’s leading animation, games and VFX schools. We’ve been at the forefront of creative education since 2002, supplying the industry with studio-ready talent. Approved and endorsed internationally as a Rookies and Houdini certified school, we take students with raw talent and shape them into the creative professionals the industry needs. With courses designed and delivered with industry experts, our students learn from the best within a welcoming, close-knit and successful community.

Our world-class industry partners include Industrial Light & Magic, PlayStation London Studio, Framestore, The Mill, DNEG, Milk VFX, Creative Assembly, Cinesite, Blue Zoo and MPC. Through our close partnership with Epic Games, we were the first Unreal Authorised Training Center in the UK and are an Unreal Engine Academic Partner.

With a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses, our focus is on ensuring our students leave studio ready. Our final-year undergraduate students have had their work showcased at festivals, including the BFI London Film Festival, and won numerous awards. Our Escapees have worked on award-winning TV series such as Stranger Things and Obi-Wan Kenobi, along with Oscar and BAFTA nominated films such as Avatar: The Way of Water, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever, The Batman, Elvis, Top Gun: Maverick, The Banshees of Inisherin and bestselling games Assassin’s Creed, Uncharted 2 and Forza Horizon.

We have expanded our course portfolio and have almost 1,000 students studying with us across a range of undergraduate, postgraduate and short courses within two academic schools:

  • School of Animation and Visual Effects
  • School of Interactive and Real Time

The role

Finance Director (AQ2477)

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Position Title: Finance Director
Location: 6 Mitre Passage, North Greenwich SE10 0ER – hybrid working available
Salary: Competitive
Contract Type: Permanent
Position Type: Full Time
Reports to: Chief Operating Officer

JOB DESCRIPTION

A key member of the Executive team, reporting to the Chief Operating Officer and working closely with the COO, Principal, and Board of Directors, the Finance Director will shape and lead Escape Studios’ financial vision, which will align to our new strategy and ambitious growth plans. Dynamic, innovative, and collaborative, you will ensure effective financial management, continuing our journey to embed a culture of financial ownership and accountability, whilst leading financial strategic planning and advising the Board and Executive team on new opportunities for growth.

The role is both strategic and operational, and forms a pivotal component of the new leadership team following Escape Studios’ acquisition in 2023. Taking ownership of new systems, processes and controls and leading their onward development, the post-holder will develop and lead a robust, effective, integrated, and efficient finance service for the organisation, encompassing management information, budgeting, forecasting, cashflow, treasury management and audit.

Main duties and responsibilities

  • Senior leadership and overall management of the finance function for Escape Studios, including but not limited to accounts payable, accounts receivable, payroll, treasury, audit, etc.
  • Ownership of an effective control framework with appropriate risk mitigation.
  • Leading and delivering the annual budget planning cycle.
  • Preparing and maintaining a rolling five-year P&L and cashflow forecast.
  • Providing timely and accurate financial planning and analysis both on business-as-usual and strategic planning matters, to the Executive, Governing Body, and ownership as required – i.e. monthly management accounts, and bespoke reports to Audit Committee, Governing Body and/or ownership from time to time.
  • Attend Audit Committee, Governing Body, and such other meetings as may be required from time to time.
  • Preparation and submission of regulatory reports and statutory accounts to external stakeholders, including the Office for Students, Companies House, HMRC, etc.
  • Work with senior leadership and wider management to embed a culture of financial ownership and accountability.
  • Oversee the schedule and delivery of the annual audit process, liaising with auditors and ensuring prompt issuance of audited accounts with appropriate follow-up on any audit issues raised.
  • Manage and develop Escape Studios’ banking and financing relationships, including treasury management and optimising returns on financial resources.
  • Oversee the preparation of periodic tax returns as required (VAT, Corporation Tax, etc as required), and liaise with external advisors on UK and international tax compliance where required.

PERSON SPECIFICATION

Competencies

  • You will have excellent interpersonal and communication skills and an ability to work with tact and diplomacy in dealing with a range of people. Collaboration and consensus-building will be your default way of working to maximise success.
  • You will be a self-starter, expected to anticipate problems that may arise and use your initiative to deal with issues. You will recognise when it is appropriate and necessary to escalate certain issues.
  • You will have the ability to absorb and explain complex information.
  • You will have excellent planning and organising skills with the ability to formulate and clearly articulate a plan of action.
  • You will be able to make decisions independently based on your knowledge and experience.
  • You will have personal gravitas to inspire confidence in and influence others.
  • You will be methodical with good attention to detail and experienced in meeting deadlines and delivering high quality work.
  • You will embrace diversity and contribute to building an inclusive working environment within your team and across the organisation.

Qualifications and previous experience

  • Qualified accountant (ACCA, ACA, CIMA, CIPFA) with demonstrable senior experience in financial control or financial management.
  • Financial management experience within a higher education context is highly desirable, as is experience of a small specialist provider within the creative industries.
  • Significant experience providing financial planning and analysis as well as the business-as-usual finance service that meets the needs of a range of stakeholders, both external and internal.
  • Experience working with a small team and leveraging technology and innovative solutions to maximise efficiency would be advantageous.
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Terms of appointment

  • Competitive package, dependent on experience and will be negotiated with the preferred candidate.
  • Holiday entitlement is 25 days annual leave, rising to 30 days with continuous service, plus public holidays.
  • Staff work flexibly with a hybrid approach by default as part of our commitment to help employees balance work and personal life.
  • Additional benefits are being continuously reviewed and implemented as we continue to make Escape Studios a modern, flexible and supportive place to work.

How to apply

Anderson Quigley is acting as an advisor to Escape Studios, an executive search process is being carried out by Anderson Quigley in addition to the public advertisement.

The closing date for applications is noon on Friday 1st March 2024.

Applications should consist of:

  • A full CV.
  • A covering letter (maximum of two pages) outlining how you meet the essential experience criteria of the person specification.
  • Please include details of two referees in either your CV or covering letter, though please note that we will not approach your referees without your prior consent and only should you be shortlisted.

Should you wish to discuss the role in strict confidence, please contact:

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