Assistant Finance Manager- NEC

Compass Group UK; Park Central; On-site; GBP 38,000 - 52,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Meals on duty included

Healthcare & wellbeing

Pension scheme

Job summary

Compass Group UK is seeking an Assistant Finance Manager for NEC, Birmingham, a full-time role to partner with the onsite operations team. You will drive financial analysis, manage budgeting, and support commercial initiatives in a high-profile venue environment.

The role requires a qualified accountant or finalist with strong analytical skills and experience in management accounting, SAP and E15/Power BI usage, and an emphasis on working capital and cost efficiency.

Qualifications

• Qualified Accountant or finalist (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) with a minimum of two years in a financial role.
• Experience of management accounting including adjustments and reporting to support commercial decisions.
• Analytical and detail-oriented with strong influencing and partnering skills.

Responsibilities

• Partner with onsite operations to support budgeting, forecasting, and decision making for budgeted sales, PBIT and margin.
• Deliver proactive financial analysis and KPI reporting using dashboards (E15 Insights) for sales and costs.
• Oversee financial controls, weekly flash, capex appraisals, and working capital optimisation.

Skills

Business partnering

Commercial acumen

Analytical

Attention to detail

Education

CIMA/ACCA/ACA finalist

Qualified Accountant

Tools

SAP

E15

Power BI

Job description

Assistant Finance Manager - NEC, Birmingham | Full-Time / Permanent

£45000 + excellent benefits including healthcare, wellbeing support, 23 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, life assurance, meals on duty, and more.

Purpose of the Role

The candidate will business partner the General Manager and their Heads of Department. You will perform a high-profile ownership role, developing skills in working collaboratively with client side, and internally across functions and other stakeholders. Through effective business partnering, the role will continually improve service levels, cost effectiveness and add value to commercial activities undertaken whilst also taking the contract through a period of mobilisation.

We are Levy

We are a visionary venue partner. We design and deliver bespoke guest experiences that prioritise people and the planet.

Trusted by some of the worlds most iconic stadiums, entertainment venues, and major events from Wimbledon and Twickenham to Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, Edgbaston, the SEC and Excel London we bring experiences to life with passion and precision.

Our mission is to succeed the right way. From pioneering tech and seamless operations to show-stopping menus and exceptional service, we use insight and innovation to understand guests, improve the customer journey, reduce environmental impact, and support local communities.

We are a passionate, diverse team of venue specialists dedicated to making the planet better for future generations.

Assistant Finance Manager - The Role

PURPOSE: Commercial Support

• Effective business partnering with the onsite operations team, ensuring strong commercial and operational decision making, managing financial risks and opportunities. The aim will be to support ops in delivering budgeted sales, PBIT and margin as well as delivering agreed returns for clients.
• Delivering pro-active financial analysis with summarised findings and recommendations to support decision making. This will involve making full use of the latest dashboards from E15 Insights covering sales, costs and managing relevant KPI’s.
• Take ownership for the financial controls and processes for the operation which in includes weekly flash process, budget process, review of commercial initiatives, support of capex appraisals and emphasis on optimising working capital.

PERFORMANCE

• Deliver analysis of key business reporting such as dashboards, month end reports, business reviews, client reports, budgets, flash forecasts, client requests and other ad-hoc analysis to be discussed at monthly/weekly reviews.
• Monitoring initiative delivery plans, challenging operational teams and where there is a risk to achievement, highlighting to senior stakeholders.
• Key metrics include GP%, Labour to Sales ratio and unit margin %.
• we have developed dashboards with E15 insights to help standardise and simplify reporting. You must use these and champion them within the business
• one of the key areas currently is labour % as we roll out new tech to make our venues more efficient.
• pricing is also vital – with inflation still an ongoing risk, we need to monitor our pricing to consumers (and SPH)
• Assist in training of finance/operational teams in the use of business reporting and KPIs to understand and improve their financial performance
• Populating monthly balance sheet document for review, escalating key risks and opportunities.
• Be responsible along with the Venue GM for the overseeing of the budgeting and forecasting process for the venue. Ensuring there is joined up and signed off process with the operational team
• Be a part of future planning and strategic decision-making process

PEOPLE: Relationship Management

• Working effectively as part of a team – both within finance and as part of the operational team
• Building relationships with key finance stakeholders
• Support the learning of finance personnel within the team and share knowledge/best practice

What we're looking for

• Experience of partnering non-finance professionals to support the delivery of financial information
• Qualified Accountant or finalist (CIMA/ACCA/ACA) and a minimum of two years within a financial role.
• Experience of management accounting inclusive of accounting adjustments, producing reports/analysis to support commercial decision making
• Analytical and with a high level of attention to detail
• Experience of SAP and E15 / Power BI as analysis and reporting tools
• Strong commercial acumen

Accountability & resilience

• There are a lot of competing requirements – need to be able to balance time and achieve tight deadlines
• Commercially astute and quick to work through the many deadlines required back-to-back through the year
• Attention to detail - ensuring the results and analysis presented is accurate and meaningful
• Ability to adapt to changing environments & circumstances

Leadership Behaviours

• Able to build relationships with stakeholders (in Compass and with clients, Ops and Finance) in the right way - to be able to engage, interact and challenge in a way that gets the right outcome for the business
• An effective communicator with the ability to communicate oral and written information concisely and logically at all levels – to both finance and non-finance people
• Challenges constructively
• Works collaboratively and ethically

What you'll get in return

• Competitive salary with bonus and full company benefits
• 23 days' annual leave plus bank holidays, your birthday off, and a holiday purchase scheme
• Healthcare & wellbeing: Aviva Digicare, Medicash (dental, optical, therapy treatments)
• Mental health support: 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme
• Family benefits: Enhanced maternity, paternity, and adoption leave. 2 days additional leave after returning from maternity leave, day off for your baby's first birthday, enhanced family leave
• Perks & discounts: Shopping, entertainment, and travel discounts, 20% off Nuffield Health and 10% off PureGym memberships
• Financial wellbeing: Pension scheme, Life Assurance, preferred rates on salary finance products
• Development opportunities: Professional subscriptions, ongoing training and structured career pathways
• Meals on duty included

Why Join Us?

Levy UK & Ireland is part of Compass Group, the worlds largest catering company, and a vibrant leader in hospitality.

We believe in celebrating individuality and building inclusive teams where everyone feels they belong. Our diverse team fuels creativity, innovation, and excellence.

We are proud to be an equal opportunities employer and welcome candidates from all backgrounds to join us in creating a supportive, empowering workplace where everyone can thrive.

Together, we create unforgettable experiences and shape the future of hospitality.

As part of Compass you'll help to feed people, fuel progress and forge connections in around 6,000 venues. Join us to grow your career with the industry leader, and get competitive pay, great perks and unrivalled opportunities for learning and development, at one of the UK's biggest businesses.

Job Reference: com/1908/43350001/52828579/SU #Levy UK

Compass Group UK&I is committed to fostering an environment where every individual can truly be themselves at work and has equal opportunities to advance in their careers. We strive to build a culture that respects and celebrates the unique talents, beliefs, backgrounds, and abilities of all our team members. We want our colleagues to feel valued, empowered to reach their full potential, and to thrive - because diversity is our strength!