Manager - Commercial Finance

The Manager, Commercial Finance will be responsible for overseeing commercial finance objectives across the agency's portfolio while supporting the Finance Vice President in delivering key departmental financial priorities. This role serves as a critical business partner, maintaining strong client relationships and ensuring that financial expectations, commitments, and performance metrics are effectively communicated, monitored, and managed.

The role requires close collaboration with Account Management, Operations, Media Activation, FP&A, Controllers, and Commercial Finance teams to drive business performance, ensure compliance with contractual requirements, strengthen client relationships, and achieve organizational financial targets.

In addition to managing a designated portfolio of practice-level commercial finance responsibilities, the Manager will lead and oversee an extended team of 7+ commercial finance professionals supporting multiple brands and practices. The individual will be accountable not only for the timely and accurate delivery of their own work but also for ensuring the quality, accuracy, efficiency, and consistency of deliverables across the broader team. The role demands strong people leadership, coaching, stakeholder management, and operational oversight capabilities.

Key areas of responsibility include, but are not limited to:

Leading commercial finance activities across assigned practices, including pricing, revenue and profitability management, contract reviews, commercial governance, accounts receivable (AR) oversight, client margin management, and intercompany recharge processes.
Managing, mentoring, and developing a team of commercial finance professionals across multiple brands and practices.
Ensuring accuracy, compliance, and timely delivery of all commercial finance activities performed by the team.
Providing guidance and support in resolving complex business issues, managing escalations, and driving effective decision-making.
Building and maintaining strong partnerships with onshore stakeholders and cross-functional teams to support business objectives.
Driving process improvements, operational excellence, and adherence to financial controls and governance standards.

This position is part of the Americas Planning & Reporting Centre of Excellence (PRCoE) based in Bangalore, India, and reports directly to the Associate Director, Americas Planning & Reporting Centre of Excellence. The successful candidate will collaborate extensively with commercial finance teams, clients, controllers, FP&A teams, and onshore counterparts to provide comprehensive commercial finance support across their allocated practice areas.

Working Hours

This role requires alignment with partial UK and US business hours, with standard working hours of 3:00 PM IST to 12:00 AM IST. Flexibility to adjust working hours based on business requirements and stakeholder needs is essential.

Job Description:

Key responsibilities:

• Reviews and provides advice on strategic financial plans in partnership with business leaders
• Partners to provide insight and challenge through financial analysis to enable business partners to make key decisions and achieve targets
• Supports client and vendor negotiations by providing analytical insight and ensuring optimal balance of pricing, early payment discounts, rebates and volume commitments (where applicable)
• Analyses consolidated budgets and forecasts, and provides interpretation, insight and guidance
• Identifies and drives operational improvement through analysis of financial plans, management information and performance
• Works with business leaders to understand short, medium and long-term resource requirements and impact on forecasts and budgets
• Supports analysis of client profitability and identifies and supports initiatives to improve profitability/margin
• Supports the Operational Finance Director, Financial Controller and / or Market FD, as necessary with high quality and insightful analysis as requested from time to time and works with them to deliver impact with the business
• Supports the implementation of best practice financial planning techniques in line with business needs and supports initiatives to improve the quality and consistency of business and finance data
• Create strong stakeholder relationships across with commercial & various other connected teams across the practices.
• Manage this entire commercial team working for multiple US practices ensuring delivery, accuracy and overall team management.
• Revenue & cost forecasting, variance analysis and tracking.
• Setting margin and profitability targets and analyzing performance, identifying and monitoring underlying drivers of cost and revenue variances between actual vs. forecast/budget, highlighting issues and margin impact where necessary
• Pricing and staff plan optimization, including time reporting and staffing reconciliations
• Contract review in partnership with Legal department and contract compliance management
• Working capital management – WIP/AR/Media Liability reporting
• Oversee intercompany agreements and manage cross charges
• This position is responsible for handling highly confidential information, requiring an ability to maintain and display high ethical standards including confidentiality, discretion, and exemplary judgment with respect to such information
• Support executive business reporting including monthly financial package
• Supply ad-hoc financial information and analysis as and when required
• Work with client teams to ensure revenue tracking systems are up to date
• Develop, maintain and distribute ad-hoc reports and financial models as needed - Assist Commercial Finance Business Partners with special projects.
• Assist with providing advice on strategic financial plans in partnership with business leaders to make key decisions and achieve targets
• Provide support identifying and driving operational improvement through analysis of financial plans
• Support analysis of client profitability and identify and support initiatives to improve profitability/margin
• Facilitate management of revenue forecast in MSFT D365 and pipeline within Salesforce
• This position is responsible for handling highly confidential information, requiring an ability to maintain and display high ethical standards including confidentiality, discretion, and exemplary judgment with respect to such information.
• Demonstrated ability to work independently as well as collaboratively across a broad range of business finance activities, including pricing, accounts receivable (AR) management, commercial code creation and maintenance, contract reviews, AR governance, client margin management, and intercompany recharge processes.
•  Proven capability to navigate complex business situations, effectively manage escalations, and provide comprehensive business support across the team.        
• Client Audit Co-Ordination
• Support with the RFI/RFP
• Support with overall AR and write off management process.

Candidate Qualifications

Academics/Work Experience:

• Qualified CA / ACCA or CPA with 7+ years of progressive experience in commercial finance, financial analysis, budgeting, forecasting, and reporting.

Technical Competencies:

• Advanced proficiency in Excel (pivot tables, advanced formulas, modeling, etc.).Familiarity with financial systems and tools such as D365, SAP BPC, Workday, Tableau, and Concur. Understanding around commercial aspects and good knowledge around forecasting, and reporting.

Key Attributes:

• Strong analytical skills with attention to detail and the ability to manage complex data.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to engage and influence stakeholders at all levels.
• Strategic thinker with a proactive and solutions-oriented approach to problem-solving.
• Adaptability to manage multiple priorities in a dynamic environment.
• Demonstrated ability to drive process improvements and lead teams through change.
• Superior organizational skills, outstanding attention to detail, and strong project management/customer service skills
• Strong analytical, solution-oriented thinking with the ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions
• Self-motivated, independent thinker, with a proactive approach to problem solving
• Ability to manage multiple projects as well as strong follow through skills
• Proven capability to navigate complex business situations, effectively manage escalations, and provide comprehensive business support across the team.

Location:

Bangalore

Brand:

Bcoe

Time Type:

Full time

Contract Type:

Permanent