Finance Manager - Gyms

JD Sports Fashion; Bury; Hybrid; GBP 40,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Join a leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry as a Finance Manager. This pivotal role involves managing key transformation projects, ensuring accurate financial reporting, and collaborating with stakeholders to drive operational excellence. You will be instrumental in the migration to updated systems, enhancing financial processes, and supporting the growth of the JD Gyms Finance team. This dynamic and innovative company values its employees and offers opportunities for personal development and a vibrant workplace culture. If you're passionate about finance and looking to make a significant impact, this role is for you.

Benefits

Staff Discount

Discounted Gym membership

Personal development opportunities

Access to Apprenticeships

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with experience in management accounting and stakeholder engagement.
• Strong analytical and communication skills required for financial reporting.

Responsibilities

• Lead projects for migrating to a new fixed asset management system.
• Prepare monthly management accounts and assist with journal approvals.

Skills

CIMA/ACA/ACCA qualification

Management accounting

Stakeholder management

Project management

Analytical skills

Communication skills

Microsoft Office proficiency

Attention to detail

Oracle Financials

TM1 experience

Education

CIMA/ACA/ACCA qualification

Tools

Microsoft Excel

Microsoft Word

Microsoft PowerPoint

Oracle Financials

TM1

Job description

JD Sports- Head Office, Warwick House, Bury, Bury, United Kingdom Req #141

27 March 2025

Established in 1981 with a single store in the Northwest of England, the JD Group is a leading omni-channel retailer of Sports Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms with our colleagues working in stores across several retail fascias in many markets around the world.

JD Sports Fashion Plc was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1996 and has been a FTSE100 publicly quoted company since 2019 and continues to grow in the UK and internationally.

We want to be the leading global omnichannel retailer in the sports and outdoor industry. To be a part of this successful company and help us to achieve this you will have the desire to ingrain our strategic goals of being a people-led, innovative and customer-focused organisation which provides operational excellence whilst identifying new areas of growth as part of our day to day objectives.

Finance Manager - JD Gyms

Responsible To:

Department: Finance

Location: JD Sports Fashion PLC, Edinburgh House, Hollinsbrook Way, Pilsworth, Bury, BL9 8RR.

*Role will involve a maximum of 2 days per week at the Wigan Head Office (Anjou Boulevard, Robin Park, Wigan, WN5 0UJ).

This position is a key role within the JD Gyms Finance team. The initial role will be heavily focused on key transformation projects as the company migrates to updated systems and control processes. The role will mature into a more typical Finance Manager role, where you will be responsible for aiding in the production and review of the monthly management accounts, budgets, and forecasts.

Within the role you will build strong relationships with key stakeholders and other departments within JD Gyms and the wider JD Sports Fashion Group to ensure you are up to date with the latest business developments and contributing to the continued company success.

Key Duties/Responsibilities:

Initial Role - Projects

• Be the main point of contact for the Group teams as the company migrates to a new fixed asset management system. This will include user acceptance testing as well as championing the new system for the Gyms team to enable support and training to colleagues.
• Support the JD Gyms accounts team with the implementation of local IFRS16 workings; calculation will be predominantly system led, but this role will lead the user acceptance testing and manage the reconciliation and the monthly process. The successful candidate will communicate directly with all relevant JD Gyms stakeholders such that they understand the P&L impact of the new standard.

Maturing Role

• Assist with the journal approval process, reviewing and reconciling the teams' monthly/weekly workings to ensure the accounts are as accurate as possible and compliant with JD Group standards.
• Assist with the preparation of the JD Gyms monthly management accounts.
• Responsible for timely and accurate submission to the JD Group team.
• Help manage the balance sheet review process, supporting the JD Gyms accounts team to follow up on queries and assess accuracy of accruals/prepayments and challenging assumptions with relevant stakeholders.
• Complete detailed variance analysis, with supporting commentary and evidence for any adverse/favourable variances to budget and last year.
• Aid with the production of the monthly reporting pack for JD Gyms and preparation of any additional management information required.
• Responsible for producing monthly, half-year and year-end Group reporting packs.
• Review monthly balance sheet reconciliations, identifying risks and opportunities and communicating these to the Financial Controller.
• Responsible for analysing key cost areas and providing challenge to the operational teams.
• Host regular meetings with key operational heads to gain an understanding of expected costs, highlight issues as they arise and challenge costs where necessary.
• Provide support with the preparation of annual budgets and monthly reforecasts.
• Ensure all internal and external reporting deadlines are met.
• Continual review and improvement of all finance related processes in-line with ongoing transformation projects.
• Implementation of controls in line with the Group’s Financial controls programme.
• Assist with audit queries.
• Ad hoc project work as required.

Skills/Experience/Knowledge needed:

• Qualified CIMA/ ACA/ ACCA accountant.
• Experience of management accounting essential.
• Experience with working alongside and influencing senior stakeholders; both financial and non-financial.
• Experience of managing projects preferable.
• Strong analytical skills required to identify and remediate risks.
• Ability to investigate, understand and explain variances and overall business performance.
• Strong communication skills both written and verbal required.
• Ability to prioritise workloads to meet tight deadlines.
• Ability to work under your own initiative.
• Proficient in Microsoft Office – Excel, Word and Powerpoint.
• Attention to detail and accuracy.
• Experience of Oracle Financials and TM1 useful (though training will be provided).
• A positive, flexible, enthusiastic, and driven attitude.

The Company:

The JD Group is a leading omnichannel retailer of Sports Fashion, Street & Premium Fashion, Outdoors and Gyms with over 90,000 colleagues over 4,500 stores across several retail fascias in over 36 countries around the world.

We are an equal opportunities employer who embraces and values differences. We recognise the importance of an inclusive workplace culture in which everyone can thrive irrespective of their background or identity.

To be a part of this successful and continuously growing company, you will have the desire to ingrain our strategic goals of being a people first, a digital leader and customer focused organisation which provides operational excellence and is continuous with identifying new areas of growth into our day-to-day.

We know our employees work tirelessly to make JD Sports the success it is today and in turn, we offer them some amazing benefits:

• Staff Discount on qualifying purchases across Group retail stores and online
• Discounted Gym membership
• Personal development opportunities to learn and develop at work
• Access to Apprenticeships and accredited qualifications

Interested?

If you are interested in this position, then press the Apply Now button.

Due to the high volumes of applications our opportunities attract, it takes time to review them all. If you don't hear back within two weeks of your application, please consider your application to have been unsuccessful on this occasion.

Applications that meet the skills criteria will be contacted for a 1st stage meeting with the talent team. Shortlisted candidates will then be invited to interview with the hiring manager.