Manager, Financial Planning & Analysis

Sony Pictures Releasing is responsible to market, and distribute Sony Pictures Network channels and to sell advertising for those channels.

This role has overall responsibility for business forecasts and evaluation of current & future business activities/opportunities.

The Financial Planning and Reporting Manager works closely with:

• With territory marketing, production, research and ad sales teams as the point of contact for business forecasting, channel and product financial performance analysis, commercial profit reporting;

• Financial Controllers as an interface between the actual and forecast results as well as support with monthly close/reporting activity

Management Reporting:

• Co-ordinates and manages in-territory annual and monthly management review process vs budget & forecast for P & L and balance-sheet items.
• Assess the organizational performance against budget and strategy and provide challenge and insight into financial performance to enable appropriate decisions to be made on future performance and growth
• Provides commentaries, analysis and insight on key trends , initiatives and risks and opportunities at Territory level for input to the Management pack. 
• Provides title P&L analysis and participants reporting

Planning, Budgeting and Forecasting:

• Manage the forecast and plan review and approval process with hub and corporate
• Coordinate and prepare the draft annual budget (revenue, cost and overhead), and additionally for the quarterly forecast
• Co-ordinate timely input of financial and business drivers into the global 3 year plan
• Identify and agree KPIs which track performance against Business Plans.
• Translates market conditions into the financial forecast
• Tests alternative high level business scenarios and run sensitivity analysis and assess risks and opportunities with the territories and hub management team
• Partner with the Sales/Mktg/Operations teams to provide financial insight
• Prepare and review the cash forecast
• Prepare the supporting analysis of the flash reporting and monthly forecasts
• Liaise with Sales to develop customer level budgets and forecasts
• Support managers to develop tactical, operational and capital plans and initiatives to deliver targets

Projects, Analysis and Continuous Improvement:

• Optimize tools and systems to provide critical financial and operational information and make actionable recommendations on strategy and operations
• Identify and ensure implementation of process improvements to continually improve performance
• Analyses commercial proposals to support decision-making, including discount structures, promotions analysis, customer profitability analysis
• Actively participate as part of ad-hoc global teams to develop enhanced tools & processes followed by tactical implementation locally

Global Finance team:

• Works with, supports, and is supported by FP&A Managers, Financial Controllers, Business Analysts, Finance Directors and Home Office members of the global team
• Builds an environment based on trust, respect, teamwork, initiative and innovation

Strong knowledge of: 

• US GAAP and how to apply it, and when applicable to business results and forecasts.
• Tools, approaches, roles, techniques, processes and/or procedures needed to:
  • Establish and monitor budgets.
  • Explore and evaluate alternative financial scenarios and results.
  • Analyze a product, customer, process, or project in terms of cost and benefits.
  • Create and maintain accurate and thorough financial reports.
  • Recognize, anticipate, and resolve organization, operations or process problems.

Strong ability to:

• Effectively communicate across the Business and Finance organization with  strong English oral and written skills
• Co-ordinate and own a complex process through clear communication and organization of disparate participants to deliver a timely and effective output
• Analysis of underlying financial and non financial data to provide an insight into the performance to enable the appropriate decisions to be made
• Provide clear, understandable and meaningful insights in to the business to support the management to making informed business decisions
• Work in a fast moving and changing environment, and manage multiple priorities.
• Establish collaborative and productive relationships with clients, vendors and peers to facilitate excellent business support.
• Read, interpret and draw accurate conclusions from financial and numerical material.
• Work with and manipulate multiple data sources to generate useful and insightful data.
• Create, implement, evaluate and enhance internal control processes.

Requirements:

• Must have experience of working in an international organization and in the entertainment or advertising sector
• Continually seeks to exceed expectations through self and team development.
• Ability to forge strong, international relationships with diverse teams.
• Be comfortable with ambiguity in a dynamic, changing, commercial environment
• Demonstrate true learning agility
• Build effective teams, understanding the importance of team culture & values.
• Act collaboratively at all times, and build successful partner relationships.

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