Production Accountant

Captivate Group; Shoreditch; On-site; GBP 40,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Captivate Group in London is seeking a Production Accountant to oversee project finances across our experiential agency. You will manage WIP, billing schedules, and project cashflows, ensuring compliance with client terms and timely revenue recognition.

You will partner with client services, project management and finance to keep balances accurate, reconcile jobs at closure, control costs, and improve cash collection.

Qualifications

• Experience in agency finance or project-based accounting.
• Proficiency with WIP, billing and cashflow forecasting.
• Strong communication with cross-functional teams.
• Ability to meet month-end deadlines.

Responsibilities

• Manage WIP balances and ensure accurate project status and approvals.
• Prepare client invoices on milestones; align with terms.
• Forecast inflows/outflows and advise on timing to optimise cashflow.
• Process supplier payments and manage agency Pleo expenses.
• Reconcile completed jobs, ensure no unbilled costs.
• Monitor aged debt and escalate issues as needed.
• Handle ad hoc finance requests.

Skills

Attention to detail

Financial analysis

Communication

Month-end close

Tools

Paprika

Pleo

Job description

Captivate Group is a collective of creative agencies spanning influencer marketing, experiential events, retail design and PR. Our agencies - SEEN Connects, Seen Presents, Seen Studios and Stir - work both independently and sometimes collaboratively to deliver impactful, culturally relevant work for our clients.

We are a people-led business, where culture, creativity and performance sit at the core of how we operate.

About the role

The Production Accountant will be responsible for financial oversight and control of project work across our experiential agency. This includes managing work in progress (WIP), billing schedules, project cashflows, and job reconciliation. The role will support accurate revenue recognition, timely billing, and tight control of project finances, supporting client teams with financial insights and ensuring compliance with agreed client terms.

Key Responsibilities

Work in Progress (WIP) & Project Financial Management

• Monitor and manage WIP balances weekly, ensuring timely conversion to billing or accrual.
• Ensure WIP reflects current project status and client approvals are documented for unbilled work.
• Ensure job costs are in line with client policies/contracts.
• Meet with client service / project management teams bi-weekly to review WIP
• Follow up each meeting with notes and actions for all and ensure that these are completed.
• Review open jobs regularly and challenge any stale balances with project owners.

Client Billing & Invoicing

• Ensure all new clients are credit checked and the results documented and approved by the Senior Finance Business Partner / Finance Director.
• Ensure MSA and credit check information is uploaded to client account in Paprika
• Prepare and issue client invoices promptly in accordance with project milestones or agreements.
• Work closely with client service teams to ensure accurate billing information and schedules.
• Ensure all costs are matched with COS accruals and no job is closed with unbilled costs.

Project Cashflow & Forecasting

• Support project teams in forecasting inflows and outflows for major jobs.
• Advise on billing timing to align with client payment terms and optimise cashflow.
• Highlight and escape risks to cash collection or overexposure on projects.
• Feed inflows into weekly cashflows.

Project Accounts Payable / Expenses Facilitation

• Work with project teams to ensure suppliers are set up following agency process.
• Review weekly payment runs ensuring payments required for events are included
• Management of Agency Pleo card account ensuring card holders submit expense with full back-up on time

Job Reconciliation & Closure

• Work with project teams to reconcile jobs on completion, matching cost of sale accrual, paying particular attention to any projects with foreign currency elements.
• Sign off on job reconciliations before they are sent to the client.
• Ensure prompt job closure once complete, with no outstanding balances or unbilled costs.
• Assist with identifying any additional GP or write-offs are forecasted and ensure accurate job-level reporting.

Debtor Management & Payment Terms

• Monitor aged debt and follow up with client teams and clients where appropriate.
• Alert the Senior Finance Business Partner to issues around billing/debtor status and any disputes.
• Maintain and update a database of client payment terms and key contacts.

Other

• Other ad hoc requests

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

6-Month KPIs

• WIP reviewed and updated bi-weekly for 100% of open jobs for 3 consecutive months.
• Client billing issued within 2 working days of project milestones on 95% of projects.
• All jobs closed within 30 days of completion with full reconciliation.
• Aged debt over 60 days maintained at zero or close to zero through follow-up and process improvements.
• Establish and maintain a live tracker of client payment terms across all agencies.
• Project delivery not impacted by late payment of supplier invoices

12-Month KPIs

• Optimise client ways of working ensuring agencies work effectively with client requirements.
• Zero unbilled cost balances on closed jobs for two consecutive quarters.
• Maintain average WIP ageing under 30 days across all active jobs.
• Pleo account is regularly up to date with minimal missing receipts or issues

What We’re Looking For:

• Strong attention to detail and high level of numerical accuracy.
• Excellent organisational and time-management skills.
• Good communicator with ability to collaborate with finance and non-finance colleagues at all levels.
• Comfortable working under pressure to month-end deadlines, billing cycles and project deadlines.

The Interview Process:

• If you are shortlisted, we will invite you to join a 30 minute virtual call for us to get to know you better and for us to tell you more about the role and agency, and answer any initial questions.
• If we think you'd be a great fit, we will then invite you to do a task relevant to the role you've applied for, which we wouldn't expect to take more than one hour.
• A final stage interview, approximately one hour, to understand your experience in more detail.