Head of Business Performance

For over 80 years, Pinewood Studios have made dreams a reality, enabling storytellers to bring their creations to life on the big and small screen. From superspies to superheroes and galaxies far, far, away, there are no limits to the worlds that can be created on a Pinewood stage

Role summary

The Head of Business Performance is a key member of the Finance leadership team, reporting directly into the Chief Financial Officer. The role is fully responsible for several critical areas for the Group, which includes:

- Internal & external performance reporting: reporting to the Management Committee/ Board each month and creation of presentations and announcements to support the quarterly performance reporting to our debt investors - debt is listed and trades on The International Stock Exchange (TISE).
- Financial planning: driving the budget and financial planning process for the Group, supporting the business with financial modelling and/ or discussion where necessary. The role will review and challenge submissions and support the Planning Committee reviews with summary reports and analysis, before presenting the final budget for Board approval.
- Treasury: maintaining updated forecasts and managing the Group’s cash balances in line with Pinewood’s treasury policy
- Business partnering: with data-backed insight, supporting the business in creating value
- Insurance: Using knowledge of the Group’s current and future operations, partner with the Group’s insurance brokers to lead the annual insurance renewal
The role is an advocate for change; supporting the business in the creation of value and enhancing reporting capability by further developing systems and automation.

There are no direct reports to this role, although the role is supported by the Financial Controller and the Accounting & Reporting team. As a result, the role-holder will have exceptional stakeholder management and influencing skills. The Head of Business Performance interfaces frequently with the Financial Controller, senior finance/ IT/ business colleagues, management committee members and external contacts.

Principle accountabilities
- Review, analyse and summarise the drivers of financial performance each month. Present summary report to inform the Management Committee and the Board by WD7
- Prepare Investor Relations analysis, presentations and announcements for the quarterly earnings calls with external debt investors. Support the CEO and CFO in the preparation of the Q&A materials for external announcements. Create first draft responses to ad hoc queries from external debt investors. Annually, prepare and finalise the front-half narrative of the Group’s consolidated financial statements, ensuring that changes to laws and the business are appropriately reflected in line with the standards required.
- Drive the Group’s annual planning process, from the creation and execution of the process, supporting the business with financial models, ensuring data is reported correctly in Microsoft Dynamics 365, through to reviewing and challenging the plan information and final reporting to the Board
- Create and drive the forecasting process for the Group, providing updates to the Management Committee
- Working with the Group’s property department, frequently update forecasts to accurately reflect the latest forward view of the +£0.5bn studio expansion spend.
- Manage the Group’s cash balances in line with Pinewood’s treasury policy, to minimise credit risk and optimise financial return
- Prepare presentations of plan and actual information to support the ratings agency process and to update members of the Group’s banking syndicate. Draft Q&A for the ratings agency meetings. Support the CFO in discussing performance information at meetings with external parties.
- A business partner to the Post-production and Operations teams, with targeted support for the Commercial team.
- Using knowledge of the Group’s current and future operations, work with the Group’s insurance brokers to deliver the annual insurance renewal.
- Develop the Microsoft Dynamics 365 reporting tool, in support of automated insightful and relevant reporting.
- Ad hoc activities such as reporting to productions as required, supporting restructuring activities linked with M&A and funding, bonus scheme reporting.
Nature and scope

The main aspects of the role are to analyse/ understand the results of the business, the strength of the balance sheet and the cash flow, and present actual and plan data, drawing out key themes and messages. Recipients of this information includes the Management Committee, the Board, ratings agencies and our external debt investors. An understanding of, and the ability to communicate, the drivers of value and cash creation are critical to this role.

The role will also lead the planning process and reporting of plans. The role will have the vision to transform both these aspects, and to shorten delivery timescales.

The Head of Busin