Production Accountant

JOB DETAILS

JOB BAND: D
CONTRACT TYPE: 6 Month Fixed-term Contract, Full-time 
DEPARTMENT: BBC Studios Finance
LOCATION: MediaCityUK - Salford
PROPOSED SALARY RANGE: Up to £46,000 depending on relevant skills, knowledge and experience. The expected salary range for this role reflects internal benchmarking and external market insights.

WE ARE BBC STUDIOS

PURPOSE OF THE ROLE

Join our Production Accounting team and partner with programme makers across a range of genres. As a Production Accountant, you’ll provide financial expertise, guidance, and robust cost control to support effective decision‑making. You’ll ensure productions operate within financial frameworks, balancing creative ambition with financial responsibility to help deliver high‑quality content on budget.

WHY JOIN THE TEAM

You’ll work at the centre of production, collaborating closely with creative and operational teams while shaping the financial success of each project. This role offers variety, autonomy, and the chance to influence outcomes through clear financial insight. You’ll contribute to continuous improvement across Finance, develop others, and grow your own skills within a supportive, experienced community.

YOUR KEY RESPONSIBILITIES AND IMPACT:

• Provide strong financial control and management of production budgets, including staff costs and income.


• Deliver accurate forecasts and cost reports, advising stakeholders on budget performance and potential overspends or underspends.


• Monitor, control, and report expenditure using BBC accounting systems, ensuring timely and accurate information.


• Prepare final accounts, settle outstanding claims, produce month‑end reports, and close production accounts in line with procedures.


• Support progress towards financial targets and quotas aligned to strategic priorities.


• Prepare and revise phased final cost forecasts to support decision‑making and central cash‑flow planning.


• Maintain audit trails, liaise with auditors, and ensure compliance with BBC policies and HMRC regulations.


• Manage production bank accounts and payment card facilities in accordance with relevant policies.


• Provide ad hoc financial analysis to support production management and embedded finance teams.


• Manage and develop Assistant Production Accountants during the production lifecycle.

YOUR SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

ESSENTIAL CRITERIA:

• Experience working in production finance within a media organisation.


• Strong understanding of production financial conventions, cost drivers, and the importance of accurate cost control and forecasting.


• Ability to assess the financial impact of editorial decisions and advise on options.


• Excellent organisational and planning skills, with the ability to manage competing demands and maintain attention to detail.


• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to influence and collaborate effectively.


• Confident explaining financial information, systems, and processes to non‑finance colleagues.

DESIRED BUT NOT REQUIRED:

• Experience working across multiple production genres or large‑scale projects.


• Familiarity with BBC accounting systems or similar production finance tools.


• Experience contributing to process improvements or continuous‑improvement initiatives.


• Understanding of audit processes and external regulatory requirements.


• Experience mentoring or supporting junior finance team members.

If you can bring some of these skills and experience, along with transferable strengths, we’d love to hear from you and encourage you to apply.

We appreciate your interest in this position and understand how important this opportunity is to you. Due to the high volume of interest, we may need to close the application period earlier than anticipated. This step is necessary to ensure we can provide a high level of attention and service to all applicants. Thank you for your understanding.

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