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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