Finance Manager

Organisation

The Junior Premier League

Salary

Competitive, depending on experience

Location

Hybrid

Contract type

Permanent (Full time)

Closing date

7 December 2026

Interview date

14 December 2026

Job Description

THE ROLE
You will take ownership of the JPL's day-to-day finance operation and turn it into a source of insight for leadership. This is a hands-on role, which will require knowledge, expertise, an understanding and appreciation of how automation and AI can help a finance department to operate more efficiently. The initial focus will start with the JPL in England and have the potential to grow towards a global CFO role.

Reports to: Leadership of the JPL

Initial scope: JPL England (operations, venues, member clubs and central office)

Growth path: as the group expands, the role has the potential to grow into global financial responsibility and, for the right person, a Group Finance Director or CFO position. That step will be earned through performance. In the short term, this is a role for someone who is happy to process payment runs and chase entry fees on Monday, then present the cash-flow outlook to the JPL’s Executive Committee.

KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Running the finance operation
-Process supplier and referee payment runs accurately and on time
-Raise invoices and manage collections and credit control, protecting cash flow while keeping good relationships with clubs
-Complete weekly and month-end bank, card and balance-sheet reconciliations, with no backlog
-Act as the main internal contact for our external accountants: you own the day-to-day inputs, coding, expenses and initial VAT and payroll schedules, while they handle statutory filings, tax compliance and year-end submissions
-Keep the books clean, coded correctly and audit-ready at all times

Reporting and insight
-Produce accurate monthly management accounts to an agreed timetable
-Build and run a rolling 13-week cash-flow forecast and the annual budget
-Report performance by region, venue, age group and competition, so leadership can see what is working and where to invest
-Explain the numbers clearly to non-finance leaders, and support ExCo decisions on operations, partnerships and investment
-Support due diligence, investor packs and audit work as required

Systems, automation and AI
-Act as our Xero lead: structure the chart of accounts, tracking categories and integrations (for example Dext, Stripe and payment approval tools)
-Remove manual work from invoicing, payment reminders, bank reconciliations and expense approvals
-Identify and introduce secure, practical AI and automation tools for analysis, reporting, variance checks and forecasting
-Set up simple, scalable controls and approval limits that protect cash without slowing the business down

Growing into the global role
-Build systems, reporting templates and routines that can be repeated across JPL's international entities
-Over time, take on multi-entity, multi-currency reporting, FX and group consolidation as international operations grow

ABOUT YOU
We value proven experience over formal qualifications. A professional qualification (ACCA, CIMA or ACA) is welcome, but what matters most is a track record of running and improving finance in a growing business.

Essential
-Strong, hands-on experience running day-to-day finance in a small or growing business
-Experience of handling high volumes of smaller, recurring payments (such as memberships, subscriptions, entry fees and card payments) while keeping tight credit control
-Expert user of Xero, including setup, reporting and integrations with other apps
-Practical experience of automation tools (such as Zapier, Make or Dext) and of using AI to speed up finance work
-Solid grasp of UK financial controls, VAT, payroll and management accounting best practice
-Able to explain the numbers simply to coaches, league directors and the executive team
-Comfortable doing the detail yourself, with high accuracy

Desirable
-Experience of multi-entity or international finance, including FX
-Background in youth sport, events, education or membership businesses
-Experience of preparing a business for investment, lending or due diligence

You will be
-Ambitious, with the drive to grow with the business
-Commercially minded, seeing finance as a driver of good decisions
-Curious about better ways of working, and quick to adopt new tools
-Pragmatic, and comfortable with the pace and changing priorities of a growing sports organisation
-Trustworthy, organised and calm under deadline pressure

ABOUT JPL
The Junior Premier League (JPL) is one of the world’s biggest youth sport organisations. Having begun in England, it now runs competitions and partnerships across several international markets. We are growing quickly, and that growth needs a finance function that gives leadership a clear, timely and trusted picture of the business.

How to apply

To apply, send your CV and a short cover note to Recruitment@jplsports.com. In this note we want to know what makes you tick as a person and why youth sport appeals to you, what you are proud of having done in your life and your career, and also to talk us through an example of a finance process you have automated or improved, in your current or previous role, and the impact it had. We want to hear your own voice, so use AI if you like, but if you do, please tell us how you used it. Please also include your current salary and your salary expectations. JPL is an equal opportunities employer and welcomes applications from everyone.

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