Wunderman - Director - Finance

Finance Director, Wunderman India

Reporting to : CFO, Asia Pacific.

Position Objective : To provide financial leadership and commercial support to the local businesses. Partner with the senior management teams to ensure delivery of financial performance and act as a trusted advisor to the local market CEOs.

Responsible for all financial reporting within Wunderman Network in India, including Wunderman Agency and Wunderman Production. Ensure adherence to company policy and procedures and to strive for best practice in all areas of Financial Management and Control.

Location: New Delhi

What you will be responsible for :

General :

- Responsible for managing the financial performance of the business by helping senior managers to reach the right solutions to commercial issues and identifying and dealing with key risks ahead of time.

- The Finance Director will be ultimately responsible for the local finance teams. This will include recruitment, restructuring, on-boarding, training and welfare.

Operations :

- Partner with the local MD/GM in Wunderman Agency and Production and assist them in the commercial growth of their businesses.

- Help senior management improve resource allocation and tracking to facilitate the most effective and cost efficient allocation of resourcing against clients and, in turn, also understand resource requirements to facilitate prompt hiring when needed.

- Review monthly and quarterly KPIs such as Net working capital, ageing reports, flash management reports to ensure compliance with targets

- Work with local MD/GMs and regional team to ensure that any business/ revenue opportunities are identified, maximised and accurate business plans/costing models to support this are submitted

- Ensure that all material local contracts are reviewed

- Work with local finance teams and office leaders to resolve day-to-day issues

Budgets and Forecasts :

- Responsible for reviewing and managing local market budgets and forecasts

- Responsible for working with the management team to ensure that revenue targets and profit margins are met

Reporting :

- Responsible for ensuring timely accurate management financial reporting for India

- Responsible for the local finance teams reporting of statutory financial reporting including audit and local legislative requirements on a timely and accurate basis.

- Responsible for ad-hoc financial requests as required by global and regional finance

Financial Control :

- Ensuring adherence to company policies and procedures

- Ensuring financial controls are sufficient, in place and maintained in line with Sarbanes Oxley & company Policies and Procedures

- Ensuring finance teams are advised of any changes in financial controls and group policies

- Assisting them with any audit enquiries (both SOX and external) where required

- Authorising local market expenses

Client Remuneration and Contractual Requirements :

- As required, review potential new client contracts and ensure that they are compliant with WPP guidelines

- Regular Review of pricing and revenue formulas for existing and new clients

- Provide the Operations Team with the finance data they need when developing pricing and cost estimates for clients.

- Ensure local markets are compliant with the terms of client contracts

- Ensure that local markets are following regional guidance on client reporting

Skills and Experience we are looking for :

- Excellent general business acumen with proven ability to contribute sound financial insights to the strategic planning process. Experience of working within WPP an advantage.

- Able to think clearly and act promptly in a time pressured environment that requires rapid and accurate decision making

- Strong time management skills to ensure that day to day operational matters run regularly while remaining responsive to peers and senior management when dealing with queries/requests.

- Good people skills at a senior level, able to influence decision making and carry the respect of peers, good negotiation skills and experience of working in a matrix management structure

- Excellent communication skills and ability to work in a matrix environment. Customer orientated attitude in providing a best in class finance service to other parts of the business.

- Experience of working in and managing teams in different locations

- Problem solving and multi-tasking are pre-requisite

- Industry experience preferred, including both agency experience and production experience

- Willingness to travel as required

- Minimum ten years work experience

- Professional accounting qualification (CPA or equivalent)