Head Of Finance

Job Description

Warner Bros. International Television Production Australia is one of Australia's largest and most exciting production companies, producing award-winning television for audiences both here in Australia and around the world. Warner Bros Production Australia has secured a reputation as a trusted production partner and a passionate producer of outstanding Australian television. It remains committed to telling great stories, developing exciting formats and creating and producing content that will engage audiences worldwide.

Primary Purpose of Position:

The Head of Finance is a key member of the WBITVP Australian senior management team and will have overall responsibility for all financial matters. The position will be integral to ensuring the successful management and group reporting for the operations of the Australia TV production business, optimising production margins and, overseeing business and financial matters

Position Responsibilities:
• As a member of the senior management team, provide strategic input to the organisation and lead process for preparing annual plan.
• Advise on all significant strategic and commercial decisions for productions (such as maximizing funding, favourable cashflows, recharge opportunities) and ensuring that production accounting and management remains aligned to overall business objectives.
• Prepare and execute business plans and financial forecasts ensuring that budgets are met, and commercial activities are maximised. Present financial models to senior ITVP leadership in UK.
• Advising on all significant strategic and commercial decisions and ensuring that the company remains aligned to overall business objectives, including the management of cost base, discretionary spend and overheads.
• Approve and sign off invoices and investment proposals.
• Ultimate ownership of US GAAP P&L & Balance Sheet, incl. judgmental areas (e.g., provisions, accruals, etc).
• Quarterly balance sheet reviews with local F&A team, including commercial ownership on assumptions behind balance sheet positions.
• Principal contact for WB HR, IT & Real Estate.
• Responsible for Capex business cases.
• Model, support and ensure appropriate controls exist for negotiations with clients/partners on all media funding, other finance, contractual matters and other business and commercial affairs issues .
• Ensure Production and Finance are fully aligned and communicating effectively in order to optimise the financial performance of the business overall
• Oversee and support the Supervising Production Accountant to ensure that :
• productions are executed in a manner consistent with budgets and core strategies; and
• any production accounting liabilities and contingencies are communicated and where relevant, recorded in the financial statements.
• Manage the process for accessing production incentives (PDV, Producer offset and state subsidies), ensuring applications are made on a timely basis and the underlying qualifying production expenditures (QUAPE) are tracked and the associated documentation, meets the necessary audit standards and is recorded in accordance with group accounting policy.
• Act as principle sponsor for JustProduce (company production accounting solution) ensuring that relevant production teams and production accounts have adequate training on the use of the system and that JustProduce is used consistently and in accordance with group guidelines.
• Provide an independent challenge to the production teams on the management of production spend.
• Have budgetary oversight for ITVP and allocations of head office recharges and costs into production budgets.
• Ownership of margin allocations required of each production.
• Develop and build the new financial infrastructure and procedures to support the growth of scripted business.
• Work with the Executive Team to optimise slate margins and manage reporting of slate along with overall business model
• Oversee process for preparing and reporting on monthly and quarterly reporting pack, including slate, reporting pack, cashflow, development budget and management reports. Prepare and present variance analysis to regional Business Partner.
• Work with the WBD Corporate Finance Accounting teams (including GBS) to ensure the necessary inputs to the statutory accounting, audit and tax reporting processes occur and the company meets relevant statutory deadlines.
• In conjunction with the ANZ Hub Controller, responsible for ensuring adequate processes and controls exist for operational and production systems and that the business operates in accordance with WBITVP divisional and WB Group policies.
• Oversee HR reporting and work directly with WB Local HR management to ensure company follows appropriate policy on all payroll and employment matters as well as ensuring staffing models and overhead costs remain flexible. Ensure that headcount is closely monitored and that the Company can respond in a timely manner which reflects the size of the commissioned production slate.
• Ensure any significant changes to the commercial, Taxation or regulatory environment are escalated to the management team and group.
• Continually seek ways to improve and streamline budgeting process.
• Track all program deliveries to the network in accordance with contractual, creative, and financial requirements of the business.
• Oversight and responsibility of P&L to hit target and departmental budgets.
• Experience of working in a local Territory of a large, multinational organisation.
• Determine and approve cashflow timing for all production agreements.

People Management Responsibilities:
• Ensure that all finance staff members (permanent, fixed term and crew) are motivated, trained and developed to their full potential to ensure that each project achieves its creative and operational and objectives to maximum effect.
• Coach and mentor finance team to translate strategies into specific priorities, objectives, and action plans.
• Work closely with ANZ Hub controller to manager Financial Accountant (as a dotted line manager).
• Provide regular, timely and clear feedback to all production finance team members.
• Foster a positive and high achieving culture that embraces continual change.
• Create a workplace environment that encourages problem solving, process improvement and stretch goals.
• Work closely with Director of Commercial, Production and Operations and People & Culture to proactively recruit, retain and develop team engagement to achieve the business goals.
Other responsibilities:
• Work closely and effectively with key stakeholders across the UK and New Zealand.
• General financial reporting, modeling and projects as required.

Knowledge/Skills:
• Must be a Chartered Accountant or Certified Public Accountant
• A minimum of 5 + years experience in a similar leadership role.
• Considerable experience in media/Production industry is essential.
• Good understanding of the TV market is essential, including programme making, the production process, finance models and deal making.
• Experience of having worked in a multinational organisation with ability to manage teams through change and lead the local business process initiatives would be an advantage.
• Strong financial competency required and will have presented strategic, financial, and commercial information to senior executives.
• Proven track record working successfully with senior business leaders, cre

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Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r78ny6-3-17-184-90-42 in your application.