Finance Manager

Overview

Edelman is a leading global communications marketing firm helping business and organisations evolve, promote, and protect their brands and reputations. We are independent and family owned, which allows us the freedom to deliver original thinking and invest in our clients.

In the UK, there are more than 500 employees based in our offices in Victoria. We create award-winning creative communication programmes for our clients who include DP World, Microsoft, Haribo, Nissan, PayPal, GSK, Disney, Heinken, Starbucks, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, and many others.

We have deep expertise and advise on consumer trends, research, analytics and insights, corporate reputation, health, technology, capital markets, crisis, energy, and government affairs.

The UK-based Finance team team is one of the largest in Edelman’s global network and includes Business Management (Client Management, Practice Management), Management Accounting, Shared Operations and Centres of Excellence (FP&A, Data Management, Corporate Development).

Edelman’s UK Finance team is currently seeking a highly motivated Client Finance Manager to work alongside a fast-paced consumer team.

Responsibilities include:

• Managing Client Financials

• Review and approve client budgets and scopes, partnering with account team in pricing client proposal, responding to RFP/I’s and developing budgets.

• Develop and nurture strong, collaborative relationships with client teams to deeply understand their business needs, provide strategic financial insights, and support decision-making processes, ensuring alignment with overall company objectives.

• Facilitate negotiation of client and vendor contracts between clients/vendors, account staff/senior management and legal department, including full review of all business terms (working in conjunction with Legal and Business Affair’s teams).

• Assist account teams with monthly project budget to actual tracking and other required client reporting. Drive client profitability by working with client’s management and account teams.

• Facilitate client billing and work with client leads to minimize risk exposure surrounding AR and clients credit requirements.

• Coordinate Data Collection for Clients audits.

• Review time and expense write-offs and unbilled WIP.

• Financial Management and Planning

• Review monthly client fee phasing and expense detail with Client Leads or relevant Senior Finance.

• Analyse monthly client budgets for accuracy and explain significant variances to budget or forecast.

• Assist with developing annual revenue and staffing budgets and maintain accurate monthly projections.

• Provide Head of Commercial Finance, Finance SVP and Client Leads with monthly financial package describing results to date, forward projections compared to budget and commentary around noticeable trends.

• Analyse client finance reports and identify and communicate areas of concern and suggested improvements to account staff and management (e.g., client profitability, realisation, utilization, over/under service, missing time, revenue risk and staffing plans).

• Assisting with the preparation, maintaining and managing of staffing and revenue plans with the Client Leads.

• Accountable for accuracy of client financials including client billing, pricing, receivables, WIP and monthly projections.

• Revenue Recognition

• Review monthly fees for accuracy and compliance with Edelman Revenue Recognition policy.

• Billing/Cash Flow Management

• Facilitate monthly billing – liaison between account staff and billing department and review billing reports.

• Review time and expense write-offs and unbilled WIP

• Ensure processing of service orders timely

• Work with local leadership to minimize risk exposure surrounding accounts receivables and credit requirements of clients

• Accountable for timely and valuable AR collection status commentary and liaison with Accounts Receivable

• Project & Resource Management

• Facilitate monthly billing – liaison between account staff and billing department and review billing reports.

• Review time and expense write-offs and unbilled WIP

• Ensure processing of service orders timely

• Work with local leadership to minimize risk exposure surrounding accounts receivables and credit requirements of clients

• Accountable for timely and valuable AR collection status commentary and liaison with Accounts Receivable

• General Management

• Ensure department compliance with company financial policies (e.g., revenue recognition, job requisitions, time entry, travel and expense, credit, billing, capex, accounts payable, new business)

• Ad hoc requests and projects

• People Development

• Contribute to performance appraisal process for peers and managers

• Engage in team building activities

• Supervise and train Finance personnel and be accountable for their work

• Provide ongoing constructive feedback and consistently hold staff accountable for performance, compliance and ethical business conduct

• Train account staff on internal finance systems, procedures and financial project management

• Ensure performance expectations, career development plan and SMART goals are set and reviewed annually during the formal performance review process for all direct reports

• Work with senior staff and HR, when needed, to address under-performance in a timely manner

• Help mentor, coach and support team members and ensure you and your staff are constantly developing abilities through ELI and other training, including on-the-job training and mentoring

• Set achievable goals and tasks, delegate opportunities and provide resources for staff to meet their goals; consistently measure and reward goal achievement

• Leadership

• Demonstrate behaviours consistent with Edelman’s values, Code of Ethics and Business Conduct

• Set and pursue challenging goals for yourself and your staff

• Lead by example, demonstrate proven strong work ethic

• Commit to continuous learning and building your technical and leadership skills through training

• Help motivate and coach teams to produce quality work and meet client objectives

• Share best practices, good ideas, and mistakes freely to establish trust, transparency and teamw

Experience Required:

• Bachelor’s degree in FIN or ACC and 3+ years of experience in a Commercial Finance role.
• Proven experience in using financial systems (e.g., PeopleSoft, Tableau, SAP or any other ERP system) and strong Microsoft Excel skills.
• Strong organization and time management skills, with demonstrated experience in following through multiple projects and juggling conflicting priorities in a fast-paced environment.
• Must have strong financial analysis and management skills and demonstrated business acumen and knowledge of financial models.
• Strong communication skills, with the ability to articulate financial concepts and data to a variety of audiences.
• Professional services industry experience preferred.