Financial Controller

Nottingham Forest; Nottingham; On-site; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Tickets to events

Employee Assistance Programme

Discounts - high street and gym

Club shop discount

Free on-site parking

Job summary

Nottingham Forest is seeking a Financial Controller to take charge of the club’s core finance function at The City Ground, Nottingham.

You will run the finance team day to day, oversee month-end close, cash forecasting and regulatory submissions, and develop internal management and KPI reporting for the CFO, Executive team and Board.

The role requires ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent, strong UK GAAP/IFRS knowledge, and proven leadership with a track record of meeting deadlines.

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant with UK GAAP/IFRS and UK tax knowledge.
• Proven record of close, controls, cash forecasting, and statutory reporting.
• Experience leading and developing a finance team.
• Experience developing management and KPI reporting for senior stakeholders.
• Advanced Excel and ERP familiarity.
• Clear communicator under pressure and deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Establish and maintain finance reporting timetable with closes and forecasts.
• Run month-end and year-end close, including group consolidation.
• Design and maintain financial controls and procedures manual.
• Oversee accounts payable/receivable, payroll and expenses.

Skills

Leadership

Financial reporting

UK GAAP/IFRS

Excel proficiency

ERP systems

Education

ACA/ACCA/CIMA

Professional accounting qualification

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Salary: Please state your expectations within your application

Contract: Full Time, 37.5 hours a week

Location: The City Ground, Nottingham, NG2 5FJ

Department: Finance, Procurement and Estates

Reporting to: Cheif Financial Officer

Closing Date For Applications: 30th October 2026

About the Role

Nottingham Forest is looking for a Financial Controller to take charge of the club’s core finance function. You will run the finance team day to day and be responsible for the accuracy and integrity of the club’s numbers, from the ledgers and month-end close through to the statutory accounts, cash forecasting and the financial content of regulatory submissions.

The club is investing in its finance function. Alongside the core controller remit, this role will play a key part in developing the club’s internal management and KPI reporting.

The Perks of the Job

• Opportunity to access tickets for events at The City Ground.
• Employee Assistance Programme.
• Access to high street and gym discounts.
• Discount within our Club shop.
• Free on-site parking.

Key Tasks and Responsibilities

1. Financial control and the balance sheet

• Establish and maintain a finance reporting timetable, ensuring management accounts, reconciliations and cash forecasts are completed accurately and within agreed deadlines.
• Run the month-end and year-end close, including group consolidation, with accountability for every balance sheet account and the reconciliations behind it, including intercompany and related-party balances across the ownership group.
• Design, document and maintain the club’s financial controls, including segregation of duties and delegated authorities, and produce a formal finance procedures manual.
• Oversee transactional finance, covering purchase and sales ledgers, credit control, payment runs, payroll and staff expenses.

2. Cash, treasury and tax

• Prepare and maintain the club’s cash flow forecasts, including the timing of transfer instalments, to give the CFO a clear view of liquidity and headroom.
• Manage day-to-day banking, payments and foreign currency transactions, and support the CFO on wider treasury and financing matters.
• Manage tax compliance, including VAT, employment taxes and corporation tax, working with the club’s external advisers to meet all HMRC obligations.

3. Management reporting and planning

• Prepare the monthly management accounts, with clear commentary on performance against budget and forecast.
• Develop the club’s internal reporting, building a consistent suite of KPI and performance reports for the CFO, Executive team and Board.
• Lead the annual budget and reforecast process, supporting department heads in preparing their numbers.
• Work with budget holders to understand variances, agree corrective actions and monitor delivery, and support the CFO with financial analysis for key decisions.

4. Statutory and regulatory reporting

• Prepare the statutory financial statements and manage the annual audit through to sign-off, as day-to-day contact for the external auditors.
• Prepare the financial content of football regulatory submissions for CFO review, covering the Premier League’s Squad Cost Ratio (SCR) and Sustainability and Systemic Resilience (SSR) rules, the UEFA Club Licensing and Financial Sustainability Regulations, and the Independent Football Regulator’s licensing requirements.
• Build and maintain the models, reconciliations and workings that support each submission, so that every filing is accurate, fully evidenced and delivered on time.
• Manage relationships with tax advisers, insurers, banks and other providers, and support due diligence and other projects as required.

5. Systems and improvement

• Own the finance systems, protecting data integrity and supporting system implementations and automation.
• Keep improving how the function works so that reporting becomes faster, more reliable and more useful to the people who rely on it.

6. Leading the team

• Lead, coach and develop the finance team, setting clear objectives, standards and development plans for each direct report.
• Build a culture of ownership, mutual support and open communication, particularly when deadlines are tight.

What are we looking for

Essential

• Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) with strong technical knowledge of UK GAAP, IFRS and UK tax compliance.
• A proven record of running the close, controls, cash forecasting and statutory reporting in a complex organisation, with direct ownership of the balance sheet.
• Experience leading and developing a finance team.
• Experience developing management and KPI reporting for senior stakeholders.
• Advanced Excel skills and confidence with ERP and accounting systems.
• A clear communicator who stays calm and organised under pressure, with a track record of hitting hard deadlines.

Desirable

• Audit training in professional practice.
• Experience in football, wider sport or entertainment, particularly with Premier League, UEFA or other football financial regulation.
• Involvement in a finance system implementation or process automation project.
• Experience of foreign currency transactions and multi‑entity group reporting.

Forest For Everyone

We aim to create a culture which embraces and celebrates our differences, enables individuals to feel comfortable, maximise their potential and eliminate discrimination.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from all suitably qualified persons, regardless of age, disability, gender, gender reassignment, marital / civil partnership status, pregnancy / maternity leave, race, religion/belief, sexual orientation, or any other legally protected characteristic.

Nottingham Forest Football Club is a signatory of the FA’s Football Leadership Diversity Code. We are committed to developing policies to promote equal opportunities and diversity within our workforce. To monitor our progress against these commitments, we Invite all applicants to provide diversity data during the application process.

Disability Confident Committed Employer

We are a Disability Confident Committed employer. We encourage applications from people with disabilities and long-term health conditions. If you need disability-related adjustments to the recruitment process, please indicate this in your application.

If you are likely to meet the definition of being a "disabled person" according to the Equality Act 2010, you may be eligible to apply for an interview via the Disability Confident Scheme - please indicate this in your application form below. The information you share with us about your health or disability will not be used in recruitment selections.

Our Commitment to Safeguarding

As part of the Club’s commitment to safeguarding, the successful applicant may be required to undergo a Disclosure Barring Service(“DBS”) check. The level of check required will depend on the requirements of the role. Individuals will be asked to declare any convictions, cautions, reprimands, warnings or bind-overs that they are required to disclose for the level of check applicable to the role, in accordance with the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (as amended) and the DBS filtering rules. The results of any check will be considered on an individual basis, and the Club will act proportionately in deciding whether to proceed with the appointment. The Club reserves the right to carry out risk assessments where content has been disclosed if it feels that it is relevant to the job requirements of the role. Failure to satisfy the Club, FA’s and the PL's safeguarding requirements may lead to the job offer being withdrawn or, if they have already started employment, summary termination of the employment, in accordance with the Club's disciplinary procedures.

Health and Safety

Nottingham Forest is committed to maintaining a safe and healthy working environment for all employees, contractors, visitors, and guests. All employees are expected to comply with company health and safety policies, procedures and risk assessments, use equipment and PPE correctly and report any hazards, accidents and near misses. Appropriate training will be provided to ensure everyone understands their health and safety responsibilities.