Finance Manager

We are looking for a positive team player who is professional and can manage confidential information with discretion.

You will be responsible for both the client and corporate finance functions, including oversight of revenue recognition, financial reporting, forecasting, process compliance and decision support surrounding hiring and costs. You are also responsible for partnering with client leads on the financial management of client accounts including upfront contract and pricing negotiations, forecasting and ongoing review of profitability and staff planning.

The ideal candidate demonstrates strong professional knowledge, communications and analytical skills, integrity and enthusiasm with the ability to partner with the business team in a collaborative way.

This is an opportunity for an experienced finance professional to take on a leadership role, partnering with business leaders and internal account teams.

Role and Responsibilities

• Lead the client finance team to perform client finance operation, including project budgeting, margin assessment, project setup, managing billing, work-in-progress, accounts receivables, etc.
• Maintain accountability for proper forecasting, accounting, and recording of client billings and revenue, consistent with agency policies
• Drive client revenue forecast and alignment with Sales Pipeline Tool Data, together with the New Business Operation point of contact.
• Work closely with business team and regional FP&A team to support monthly forecasting and annual budgeting exercise.
• Manage the related issues and taking appropriate actions on WIP and client deposit, accounts receivables and collections.
• Ensure written client agreement is obtained (via contract, letter of agreement, signed scope of work, etc.) for all work and are appropriately archived and classified.
• Assist in monitoring and review of client contributions and over-servicing and work with business team to identify and address issues on specific projects and clients
• Assist team with timely and accurate completion of timesheets and expense reports
• Support business team in review of project pricing and budget as required, perform contribution margin assessment prior to project execution.
• Partner with account teams in pricing client proposals, responding to Requests for Proposals/Information and developing budgets
• Facilitate negotiation of client and vendor contracts between clients/vendors, account staff/senior management and legal department, including full review of all business terms
• Partner with Client Leads and/or Resource Manager to support the use of resource management tool to identify potential instances of over-or-under-utilization, and actively work with client leads to address related issues and promote profitability.
• Ad hoc analysis and reporting for management as required from time to time 
• Review general ledger and prepare journal entries/monthly reconciliations
• Analyze monthly financial statements for accuracy and explain significant variances to budget or forecast.
• Review and analyse monthly dashboard and management performance report to identify potential issue to flag for management attention and actions.
• Complete quarterly financial checklist
• Assist in maintenance of resource and hiring tracker in support of hiring decision making and assessment

Qualifications and Education Requirements

• Written communications in English and Japanese
• Experience with PeopleSoft (Oracle), Workday, or similar ERP system
• Bachelor’s Degree or Diploma in Accounting or Finance
• 5 years of experience in finance or accounting required, Professional services industry/Public relations and/or advertising Agency experience preferred
• Experience with parent company reporting preferred

skills and attributes

• Discretion as there will likely be sensitive information and figures discussed
• Well organized with strong time management skills and attention to detail, take initiative and follows through on multiple projects and juggle conflicting priorities in a fast-paced environment
• Effective communication skills with individuals at all levels of the organization
• Accurate and attentive to detail
• Sound analytical thinking, planning, prioritization, multi-tasking and execution skills
• Proficiency with Microsoft Excel (vlook ups and pivot tables)
• A positive attitude, willingness to be flexible, desire to contribute to team objectives