Job Description

Job Description:

The Commercial Finance Analyst is a key member of the EMEA Commercial Finance team to work with the regional business & functional executives to provide actionable financial insights in their areas. The role will review and challenge financial performance of countries, brands & client contracts, identify and drive key opportunities and forecasting improvements & standardization across the region. This position will report to the Commercial Finance Director EMEA and will work together with the team of commercial finance business partners. Important indirect colleagues are the country and global commercial finance teams. It requires an individual who will bring strong analytical skills, commercial acumen and a drive for continuous improvement to this dynamic, diverse, and highly ambitious company.

The role will support:

• Delivery of strategic objectives through financial insights & analysis
• Support and challenge of Line of Business owners in optimizing the financial performance of brands / entities in their remit
• Profit optimisation at a Line of Business, client, capability, and brand level
• High forecast accuracy / accountability and ability to steer the organisation through KPIs
• Good financial rigour by challenging & influencing a variety of stakeholders across the business
• Best practice application of commercial finance, forecasting & reporting across the region
• An active network of commercial finance business partners across the region

Budgeting & forecasting

• Plan and execute budgeting & forecasting with EMEA business lead to set challenging but achievable targets
• Track and govern common KPI definitions to allow for effective benchmarking & performance evaluation
• Work with local finance teams to ensure quality of forecasts and consistency in the forecasting process across countries
• Evaluate new business pipeline and key client plans
• Review and analyse actuals to discuss and action with the business leads
• Liaise with Global counterparts to ensure common practices and analysis

Financial analysis

• Partner with relevant Line of Business and functional leads to drive profitability by advising and challenging on financial performance and investment appraisals
• Develop multiyear financial outlook and strategy in collaboration with business leads, EMEA team and global teams
• Optimize margins through benchmarking best practice application
• Identification and realization of opportunities in financial performance
• Review and challenge profitability and commercial plans of key EMEA clients
• M&A related analysis and financial integration
• Any other financial analysis as required

Key decision making

• Collect and review key financial decisions proposed by countries and prepare for EMEA / Global Executive sign off, examples are premise lease approvals and key people decisions like hiring decisions, annual salary increase & bonus budgets
• Build, evaluate & track business cases as applicable
• Support M&A analysis with commercial due diligence
• Any other analysis to support decision making as required

Commercial Finance excellence

• Promote and share commercial finance best practices across the region and with global teams
• Participate in projects as required to ensure efficient and effective reporting on key data points together with the Operations and HR teams at EMEA level
• Work effectively together with the management reporting team and the offshore reporting Center of Excellence

Personal Specification

• Qualified accountant or equivalent commercial finance accreditation, preferably in the media & performance industry or a comparable industry
• Experienced user of Finance (consolidation) systems, preferably BPC
• Aptitude to business partnering showing commercial acumen with proven capability to discuss financial performance with business stakeholders
• At least 2 years of experience in financial business analysis in a comparable role
• Strong communication, influencing, collaboration and relationship building skills
• Clear record of being curious, robust and shrewd, driving improved financial performance within a business
• A desire to work in a value driven environment, embracing a culture of energy and the DAN values

What you’ll get from us

Dentsu Aegis Network is a fantastic place to work with many great benefits on offer including 25 days’ annual holiday, Pension, Cycle to Work Scheme, and get your Birthday day off!

Not only is it an incredibly fun place to work but as part of a multinational organisation there are many opportunities to advance your career within the wider business once you have proven yourself.

Required Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities

• Qualified accountant or equivalent commercial finance accreditation, preferably in the media & performance industry or a comparable industry • Experienced user of Finance (consolidation) systems, preferably BPC • Aptitude to business partnering showing commercial acumen with proven capability to discuss financial performance with business stakeholders • At least 2 years of experience in financial business analysis in a comparable role • Strong communication, influencing, collaboration and relationship building skills • Clear record of being curious, robust and shrewd, driving improved financial performance within a business • A desire to work in a value driven environment, embracing a culture of energy and the DAN values