Head of Finance in Bristol

Bristol Bears Rugby Club is part of Stephen Lansdown's sporting group of companies which includes Bristol Sport Limited, Bristol City Football Club, Bristol Flyers Basketball Club and their respective community charities. Our ambition is 'to inspire our community through rugby success'. Our supporters regularly attend Ashton Gate Stadium to watch the team perform in Premiership and European Cup Competitions as well as our Women's team who play at the highest level of the domestic competition.

ROLE SUMMARY

The Head of Finance is a senior leadership role responsible for the overall financial operations and stewardship of Bristol Bears Men and Women's Rugby Clubs. The successful candidate will lead all aspects of financial management, including budgeting, forecasting, financial reporting, cashflow management and regulatory compliance. They will provide clear, timely insight to support decision making across rugby operations, commercial activity and wider group interests. Working closely with the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Group Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Board and senior stakeholders, the Head of Finance will shape financial strategy, manage risk and ensure robust governance in line with league, regulatory and statutory requirements. The role also involves leading and developing the finance function, embedding strong process controls and driving continuous improvement.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES

• Finance Business Partner for the Club, providing high quality financial advice, challenge and support to internal decision makers, including business case development and cost analysis.
• Overall financial responsibility for the Men's team, Women's team and Academy, ensuring effective financial control and alignment with strategic objectives.
• Lead the annual budgeting, long-term financial planning and reforecasting processes, ensuring accuracy and clarity for senior stakeholders.
• Produce cash-flow forecasts and communicate with Group company on funding requirements.
• Act as the official Salary Cap Officer for Bristol Bears Men, managing all Premiership Rugby salary cap processes and ensuring accurate, timely submissions.
• Play a key role on the Contracts Committee, working closely with the recruitment team to deliver accurate salary cap and budget modelling, including approval of all player contracts.
• Manage the Bristol Bears Finance Manager, with oversight of the Finance Assistant and Payroll Administrator.
• Oversee day-to-day finance operations across all entities, ensuring accuracy and timeliness of month-end reporting, balance sheet reconciliations, inter-company accounting and invoicing.
• Deliver high-quality financial updates to the Board, providing clear insights and informed recommendations.
• Ownership of the partnerships budget and modelling process, supporting the delivery of revenue-growth objectives.
• Manage the payroll process in conjunction with the Payroll Administrator and HR team, ensuring accuracy, compliance and confidentiality.
• Ensure full compliance with Premiership Rugby's Financial Monitoring Panel regulations, including the timely submission of all required documentation.
• Act as a key point of contact with Sport England, satisfying all DCMS requirements.
• Manage the audit process ensuring all statutory deadlines are met.
• Manage VAT and tax compliance.
• Liaise effectively with the wider Group Finance team to ensure alignment and consistency across the group.
• Support the Group CFO with ad-hoc tasks as required.
• Provide financial and operational support to the CEO as required.
• Collaborate with group finance team to agree and maintain Service Level Agreements for shared processes.
• Any other tasks as reasonably requested by Bristol Bears CEO.
• Contribute positively to Bears vision and culture.

KEY RELATIONSHIPS

• Chief Executive Officer
• Group Chief Financial Officer
• Bristol Bears Men's and Women's Board
• Director of Rugby
• Heads of Department
• Bears Operations Department
• Group Finance Team

ESSENTIAL SKILLS

• Qualified Accountant – ACA, ACCA or CIMA qualification with 3+ years post-qualified experience
• Significant leadership experience, ideally within a fast-paced organisation
• Strong financial planning, budgeting, forecasting and cash-flow management expertise
• Proven experience of financial business partnering
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills, with the ability to build effective relationships and influence stakeholders at all levels
• Understanding of financial controls, audit, governance and regulatory compliance
• Ability to work under pressure, manage competing priorities, and meet tight deadlines
• Strong attention to detail, integrity, and the ability to manage sensitive information

DESIRABLE SKILLS

• Previous knowledge and experience of the sports industry

HEALTH AND SAFETY

• Responsible for ensuring all health and safety procedures are followed at all times, with relevant documentation to support
• Report all incidents and accidents as required

EQUAL OPPORTUNITIES

We are committed to the principle of equal opportunity and its policies for recruitment, selection, training, development and promotion are designed to ensure that no employee or potential employee receives less favourable treatment on the grounds of race, colour, nationality, religion or belief, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, age, ethnic and national origin, disability or gender reassignment.

SAFEGUARDING

Bristol Rugby Club Limited is committed to safeguarding and promoting the welfare of children, young people and vulnerable adults and expects all employees to share this commitment. This role would be subject to an enhanced Disclosure Barring Service (DBS) check.

LOCATION

Bristol Bears High Performance Centre, Abbots Leigh, Bristol, BS8 3TF. Where required, the role may include duties at off-site locations.

CONTRACT TYPE

Full time permanent contract – 37.5 hours per 5-day week

SALARY

£60,000 – £70,000 per annum, depending on experience

CLOSING DATE

21 January 2026