Finance Director

The Jockey Club; Cheltenham; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

TeamPass tickets to events

Award-winning pension scheme

Healthcare cashback plan

25 days annual leave

Learning & Development resources

Job summary

The Jockey Club invites a Finance Director to lead financial reporting and planning across Cheltenham, Aintree and Haydock Park, guiding a finance team and partnering with racecourse General Managers and commercial colleagues.

You will drive forecasting, budgeting and investment appraisal, delivering strategic insights to support growth and governance across the group.

Qualifications

• ACA/ACCA/CIMA qualified with post-qualification experience.
• Senior Finance Director experience in multi-site/leisure/hospitality preferred.
• Strong budgeting, forecasting, long-term planning and investment appraisal skills.
• Credible partner to senior stakeholders and boards, with commercial focus.
• Proven ability to lead and develop high-performing finance teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead all financial reporting, forecasting and performance analysis for Cheltenham, Aintree and Haydock Park racecourses.
• Partner with General Managers and commercial teams to drive revenue and monitor trends.
• Own budgeting, forecasting and long-term planning across the venues.
• Develop business cases for investments and oversee capital project evaluation.
• Present financial performance and strategic plans to senior leadership and the Main Board.
• Lead and develop the finance team, fostering accountability and improvement.
• Deliver monthly management accounts, raceday reporting, KPI analysis and statutory submissions.
• Ensure governance, controls and balance sheet integrity across operations.

Skills

Financial leadership

Financial reporting

Forecasting

Budgeting

Stakeholder management

People leadership

Commercial acumen

Education

ACCA/CA/CIMA qualified

Job description

Based at: Cheltenham Racecourse(3 days per week in office with regular travel required to Aintree & Haydock Park)

Contract type: Permanent

Hours: 37.5 hours per week

About the role

We have a fantastic opportunity for a Finance Director to join our Finance Leadership Team and lead finance across Cheltenham, Aintree and Haydock Park racecourses. Responsible for financial reporting, forecasting and analysis across these flagship venues, you will provide commercial insight, strategic challenge and financial leadership to support performance and drive the delivery of the Group's objectives. Leading a talented business partnering and management accounting team, you will be central to decision-making across the business.

About The Jockey Club

The Jockey Club stages thrilling sporting occasions and live events nationwide including The Grand National, The Cheltenham Festival & The Derby. Owning & operating 15 courses, millions of people every year enjoy the special experiences we offer through racing, music, food and entertainment on racedays and beyond.

As the largest commercial group in British racing, we are guided by our mission to act for the long term good of the sport. Every penny we make goes back into racing to promote excellence within Britain’s second biggest spectator sport. Our people are what makes this possible

At The Jockey Club people are at the heart of what we do and drive our success. We are inclusive and actively seek to attract people with unique backgrounds and perspectives. Diverse, collaborative teams are pivotal to our success and support the potential and growth of all our people.

The Finance Directorwill

• Lead all financial reporting, forecasting and performance analysis for Cheltenham, Aintree and Haydock Park racecourses, providing strategic insight to support decision-making and business growth.
• Partner closely with Racecourse General Managers and commercial teams to drive revenue performance, monitor raceday sales trends and present key insights at weekly trading meetings.
• Own the budgeting, forecasting and long-term planning processes, ensuring alignment with racecourse and wider Group objectives.
• Develop robust business cases for investment opportunities and oversee the financial evaluation and tracking of capital projects.
• Prepare and present financial performance, budgets and strategic plans to senior leadership and Main Board stakeholders with confidence and credibility.
• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing finance team, fostering a culture of accountability, continuous improvement and talent development.
• Deliver timely and accurate management information, including monthly management accounts, raceday reporting, commercial analysis, KPI reporting and annual audit and tax submissions.
• Ensure strong financial controls, balance sheet integrity and effective governance across all racecourse operations.
• Build strong relationships across the business and wider Group, contributing to the Finance Leadership Team and driving best practice, consistency and process improvement.

About you

• ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualified with significant post-qualification experience and a strong technical finance foundation.
• An experienced Finance Director with a track record of operating at senior leadership level, ideally within leisure, hospitality, sport or a customer-facing multi-site business.
• Commercially astute, with the ability to turn financial insight into meaningful business outcomes and influence key strategic decisions.
• Experienced in leading budgeting, forecasting, long-term planning and investment appraisal processes within a complex organisation.
• A credible business partner, confident working with senior stakeholders, Boards and operational leaders to drive performance and growth.
• Proven ability to partner with commercial and sales teams to improve revenue performance and deliver against ambitious targets.
• An accomplished people leader with a strong record of developing high-performing teams and nurturing future talent.
• Exceptional stakeholder management and communication skills, with the ability to influence across a diverse business with multiple revenue streams.
• Collaborative, pragmatic and results-focused, bringing a hands-on approach and a commitment to continuous improvement.

What we offer in return

• All colleagues can go along to any of our race day or music events free of charge – along with 3 friends or family with our TeamPass Ticket scheme.
• An award-winning pension scheme provider with a generous employer contribution
• A healthcare cash back plan enabling you to claim money back on health & wellbeing services.
• 25 days annual leave
• Access to a suite of Learning & Development training resources from renowned providers
• A whole host of other benefits including free eyecare vouchers, a ride to work cycle scheme & discounts across varying retailers & services.

our closing date for this vacancy is 2nd November we reserve the right to bring this forward if we have many applications.

This role may be subject to a criminal record check, standard or enhanced DBS check or BHA Suitability Check. By applying you confirm that you are happy for these checks to be carried out.