The Revel Puck Circus

Arts Council England; Greater London; Hybrid; GBP 50,000 - 70,000; Full time

Job summary

Revel Puck Circus seeks a hands-on Finance Manager to own the books, cash, payroll and compliance. The role is remote or office-based in London, three days a week, working directly with the CEO. You’ll hand the year-end pack to our external accountants and support Theatre Tax Relief claims.

You’ll keep Xero reconciled, run payroll end-to-end (including pensions), manage rolling cashflow, VAT returns, and handle international freelancer payments with clear, plain-English guidance.

Qualifications

• At least 3 years running finance for a small organisation.
• Prepared year-end packs and ran monthly payroll including pensions.
• Confident Xero user with forecasting and spreadsheet skills.
• Experience paying freelancers, including internationally.
• Clear, patient communicator with non-native English speakers.
• Arts/touring/festival experience and knowledge of Theatre Tax Relief are a bonus.

Responsibilities

• Keep Xero reconciled, coded and current; produce monthly management accounts.
• Own payroll end to end, including RTI and pension submissions.
• Manage rolling cashflow forecast and budgets; model new deals.
• Be the friendly contact for artists and crew on invoices and expenses.
• Handle international payments, per diems and freelancer checks.
• Prepare VAT returns, year-end pack and TTR working papers; liaise with HMRC.
• Prepare grant budgets and reports for Arts Council England and others.

Skills

Xero

Forecasting

Spreadsheets

Payroll

Communication

Education

AAT/ACCA/CIMA/ACA

Tools

Xero

Payroll systems

Job description

Job Summary

We're looking for a hands‑on Finance Manager to run the money side of a touring big top circus, three days a week, fully remote, or office based if you’d like and are based in London.

Job Description

Revel Puck Circus is one of the UK's most exciting contemporary circus companies. We pitch our own big top in unexpected places, parks and town centres and fill it with world‑class acrobatics, clowning and live music. Over 250,000 people have seen us live, our 2026 South East tour played 211 shows, and The Wing‑Scuffle Spectacular sold out 5 houses at the Edinburgh Fringe 2026.

We're bringing our finance function back inside the team, and we need a hands‑on Finance Manager to own the books, cash, payroll and compliance day to day, working directly with our CEO. Our external accountants file the statutory accounts and Theatre Tax Relief claim; you'll hand them a clean year‑end pack.

Job Requirements

At least 3 years running finance for a small organisation, ideally as the main or only finance person.
You've personally prepared year‑end packs and run monthly payroll, including pensions.
Confident, day‑to‑day Xero user, with strong forecasting and spreadsheet skills.
Experience paying freelancers, including internationally.
A clear, patient communicator, including with people who don't speak English as a first language.
Reliable and visible: you flag problems early and do what you say you'll do.
Arts, touring or festival experience, Theatre Tax Relief knowledge, a finance qualification (AAT, ACCA, CIMA or ACA) and a second language are all a bonus.

Job Responsibilities

Keep Xero reconciled, correctly coded and current, and produce monthly management accounts with show‑by‑show profitability.
Own payroll end to end, including RTI and pension submissions, and run weekly payment runs.
Own the rolling cashflow forecast and budgets, and model new stands and deals before we sign them.
Be the friendly first point of contact for artists and crew on invoices, fees and expenses, with a simple invoice template and plain‑English guidance.
Handle international payments, per diems and advances, freelancer status checks and Foreign Entertainers Unit withholding tax.
Prepare VAT returns, the year‑end pack and TTR working papers, and keep HMRC, Companies House and pensions admin in order.
Prepare grant budgets and reports for Arts Council England, other funders and lenders.

Job Overview

• Job Title: Finance Manager - Revel Puck Circus
• Artform: Combined arts
• Role: Finance
• Contract: Permanent
• Location: Remote

We welcome applications from everyone, and particularly from people who are under‑represented in the arts. If you need any adjustments to apply or interview, just let us know.