Senior Analyst, Audit

Job Description

We currently have a fantastic opportunity to join the Inquiries & Claims Team in our innovative and highly sought-after Legal Department at WMG's Center of Excellence for Shared Services.

A little bit about our team:

The U.S. Legal Shared Services organization is based in WMG's Center of Excellence for Shared Services in Nashville, Tennessee (the ''Center''). The Center is currently home to team members affiliated with four different business service organizations: The U.S. Legal Shared Services organization (or ''LSS''), the U.S. Finance Shared Services organization (or ''FSS''), the Global Data Organization, and WEA Corp. (WMG's distribution company). LSS consists of three departments: Audit, Legal, and Publishing. Employees of the Center provide services to all of WMG's U.S. record labels, Warner Chappell Music Publishing, WEA Corp. and Alternative Distribution Alliance (WMG's distribution companies), and WMG's other U.S. business units.

The Audit Department is responsible for managing all incoming audits arising from the artist recording agreements, joint venture and participation agreements, publishing license agreements, and union collective bargaining agreements to which WMG's U.S. record labels are a party.

Members of the Department work closely with employees in the Business Affairs, Finance, Production, Operations, New Media, and Marketing departments of each label client to fulfill the above-referenced responsibilities for the recordings and record those labels release.

Why this could be your next big break:

The candidate hired to fill this position will include manage all aspects of the audit process, including, without limitation, tracking audit notifications, reviewing and analyzing the claims contained in the audit reports we receive, making recommendations to the relevant WMG internal label clients regarding how to respond to those claims, facilitating settlement negotiations between the party auditing and WMG's internal label clients, and ensuring that any internal accounting entries related to the audit process are made accurately and in a timely manner.

Here you'll get to:
• Oversee the tracking of audit notice letters received by the Group's label clients; upon receipt of a given notice, you will determine (and then advise such label clients of) the maximum duration of the period the party in question is contractually permitted to audit, and then facilitate the negotiation of the actual period WMG will permit the party concerned to audit;
• Oversee the audit fieldwork process, including, without limitation, by collecting all relevant data and other information contained in the books and records of the WMG label concerned that is relevant to (and falls within the contractually-defined scope) of the audit concerned;
• Review and analyze the audit claims submitted by the auditor in question, as well as the relevant provisions of the underlying artist, publisher and union contracts that govern WMG's exploitation of the assets that is at issue in the audit;
• Develop recommendations for the WMG label client(s) concerned regarding how to respond to the audit claims in a given audit;
• Facilitate the settlement of each audit, on behalf of the WMG label client concerned; in close coordination with that label's Business & Legal Affairs and Finance Departments;
• Administer any and all payments made in connection with the settlement of each audit, ensuring that each is properly recorded in the books and records of the applicable WMG label client(s);.
• Manage the activities of the junior members of the Group in connection with each of the above-listed activities;
• Manage the input and tracking of all data related to the Group's pending audits in the Group's consolidated audit tracking spreadsheet; and
• Perform such other duties as you may be asked to perform by the senior management of the Group and the division.

Rockstar candidates will have the following:
• Candidates for this position must be able to work well independently and as part of a team;
• Candidates must have strong computer skills, including strong data entry and data analysis skills (with an emphasis on accuracy and problem-solving) and strong proficiency using Microsoft Office's Excel, Word and PowerPoint applications; familiarity with Microsoft Office's Access application is preferred, but not required.
• Candidate must possess excellent verbal and written communication skills;
• Candidate must possess excellent analytical, mathematical and organizational skills;
• Candidate must be able to meet deadlines consistently and effectively while working under pressure; candidate must be able to manage multiple assignments at any given time and prioritize them effectively and appropriately; and
• Candidate must possess comprehensive working knowledge of WMG's EROS artist royalty system;
• Candidate must possess working knowledge of one or more of the legacy royalty systems previously used by WMG's major U.S. labels (e.g., Atlantic Records, Warner Bros. Records, Rhino Entertainment).

It would be music to our ears if you also had:
• Bachelor's degree or equivalent experience required; major in accounting, finance or business is preferred.
• Candidate should possess a minimum of 3 years' experience working in a position or positions involving participation in, and management of, the external audit process for a record label.

Jobcode: Reference SBJ-r16z0d-3-144-16-254-42 in your application.