Senior Commercial Finance Manager

M&C Saatchi Group; London; On-site; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job description

Senior Commercial Finance Manager

We have a new opportunity within our Commercial finance team, supporting our M+C Saatchi Consulting entities. This is a role for a commercially driven Senior Commercial Finance Manager with strong senior stakeholder experience and great communication skills, used to building relationships with financial and non-financial stakeholders.

ABOUT THE ROLE:

Reporting to the Commercial Finance Director (Consulting), and with one direct report (Commercial Finance Analyst), this role will help drive profitability across the Consulting Division.

Working very closely with the Managing Directors and client-facing teams in the entities of M+C Saatchi Consulting, this role will drive profitability in the division and regionally. Focus will be maximisation of revenue and management of agency resources via pricing strategy, commercial and contractual negotiation and operational improvement projects.

The exact day-to-day tasks will vary, but may include:

Improvement projects

• Lead a number of commercial improvement projects with Head of Commercial Finance and UK regional finance lead to ensure production of better management information which is consistent across all Consulting entities.
• Revenue tracking.
• Utilisation reporting.
• Client profitability reporting.
• Monthly management reporting pack.
• Better flow of variance commentaries from responsible parties (Finance Hub/Financial Controller/Commercial Analyst).
• Assist with expansion of new product Consulting offerings.
• Commercial understanding/training of client-facing teams.

Profitability management

• Be a business partner to the leaders of M+C Saatchi Consulting assisting in production and review of their P&Ls.
• Develop and review financial plans, budgets and forecasts based on key business drivers.
• Create commercial and pricing proposals for new client engagements and pitches as part of a wider pricing strategy.
• Help Consulting division to optimise costs.
• Review profitability through multiple lenses: projects, clients, location, division and product offering.
• Supervise creation of monthly reporting by Commercial Analyst to identify results, trends and areas for improvement.

Client financial management

• Work with the client-facing team and finance support hub to ensure appropriate financial process is followed (e.g., client and supplier onboarding, invoicing, WIP management).
• Review proposals and scopes and advise on financial or commercial queries.
• Work closely with client-facing team, understand the detail of their client arrangements in order to forecast revenue accurately.
• Oversee Commercial Analyst’s work to ensure revenue is recognised in line with group policy, including obtaining proper supporting documentation.
• Be escalation point for issues or concerns.

Group reporting

• Work with division financial controller to oversee finance support hub in production of month end, quarterly and annual accounts.
• Provide commentary to management on key variances in results versus forecast.

Other

• Support during internal and external audits.
• Undertake M&A assessments.
• Assist with compliance with group tax and cash management policies.

ABOUT YOU:

• At least 5 years’ experience in commercial finance roles preferably in a B2B service company.
• Experience in contractual reviews and working with legal.
• Experience in proposal reviews and fee negotiations.
• Ability to identify financial trends, opportunities and risks via analytics.
• Very good communication skills to articulate insights to management.

YOU'RE GOOD AT:

• Excellent time management for own work and in setting deadlines for other team members (e.g., finance support hub).
• Ability to work with both financial and non-financial stakeholders, building strong relationships.
• Attention to detail.
• Self-motivated and independent to identify further opportunities to add value to the business.

PLEASE NOTE APPLICATIONS CLOSE ON 30th April 2025

WHAT YOU'LL GET:

For the right candidate, we will offer a competitive salary and benefits package which includes 27 days annual holiday, private healthcare, employer contributory pension, life assurance and income protection.

ABOUT M+C SAATCHI GROUP

M+C Saatchi Group has pledged its commitment to create a company that values difference, with an inclusive culture. As part of this, M+C Saatchi Group continues to be an Equal Opportunity Employer which does not and shall not discriminate, celebrates diversity and bases all hiring and promotion decisions solely on merit, without regard for any personal characteristics.

If you require any reasonable adjustments throughout the recruitment and selection process, please make us aware as part of your application.

All employee information is kept confidential according to General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR).