Associate Director – Commercial Finance, UK

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At EssenceMediacom we want to eradicate inequity. We don't tolerate it and when we see it, we act. We attract, support and develop our talent without bias and strive to foster the empathy, creativity and diversity of thought needed to drive meaningful change for our people, our clients, our industry and our society. WPP and GroupM have already made strong commitments to combat racial injustice. While we are part of this group, we know we have an individual responsibility as an employer and an industry leader to fight against racism.

Even if you don’t meet all the requirements, that’s okay, and we encourage you to apply anyway to find out more about whether this is the right match for you.

Did you know that marginalised groups including women, people of colour and people with a disability are more likely to discount themself for a role if they don't feel they meet every requirement or understand the reasonable adjustment that can be made? This is why we encourage connection and conversation to ensure that everyone has the opportunity and information needed to find the right role, for them. If this role isn’t quite right, you may be the perfect fit for another – so go ahead, apply and find out!

About the role

EssenceMediacom is seeking a Commercial Associate Director to work for the growing EssenceMediacom commercial team supporting our UK clients.

Reporting to the Commercial Director, the role sits within the UK commercial team and is a key role helping the Commerical Director in managing global, regional, and local stakeholders in EssenceMediacom, GroupM and other group agencies. You will be the commercial lead and point of contact for UK and global clients and will work closely with the Commercial Director, supported by Commercial Managers, to help build profitable long-term client relationships and ensuring EssenceMediacom meets all its contractual obligations to clients.

This role requires someone who has a strong sense of ownership, motivation and initiative. The role requires excellent verbal and written communication skills and the ability to be a trusted business partner to build strong relationships with our finance and client services teams at all levels.  This role has daily interaction with leaders within EssenceMediaCom.

Reporting of the role

This role reports to the UK Commercial Director, and will provide day to day support and management to the commercial managers and commercial analysts.

Responsibilities of the role

New Business

• Lead on UK pitches and collaborate with Global Commercial on Global Pitches
• Collection, consolidation and review of remuneration and other commercial elements for major global, regional and UK commercial pitch proposals
• Support commercial managers with new client transition management ensuring new clients are effectively onboarded in accordance with the agreed commercial terms
• Support Legal & Business Affairs Director with new client contract negotiation
• Work with and support the commercial managers with discussions with key stakeholders throughout the UK agency to prepare commercial proposals for new business and out of scope fee proposals
• Collaborate with heads of Social, Search, Biddable and all specialist units in pricing one-off projects

Day to day Commercial Support

• Work closely with Client Presidents and client leads to help improve margin and profitability at both client and business unit level
• Utilise client profitability to identify potential areas of improvement, supporting client growth plan process
• Review the UK Commercial Terms ensuring it is updated on regular basis and distributed to Exco/key stakeholders
• Support Commercial Director in (Re)negotiation of contracts and terms of business which reflect scope of work and ensure profitability
• Collaborate with Resource Management in understanding resource need and ensuring new requests for hire have a justifiable business case for role review meetings
• Review the risk and opportunity register that informs the forecast for potential client wins, increased/ decreased scopes and clients at risk

Compliance Support:

Working with compliance team responsible for:

• Collaborate with the compliance team to ensure compliance with client contracts, the relevant opt-ins are obtained, and that clients are notified as per contract via correct disclosure on the media plans / briefings etc
• Supporting the compliance team in management of contract compliance audits with third party auditors
• Support Commercial Director in dealing with contract compliance / legal disputes and liaising with internal / external advisors
• Review the Red/Green Schedule quarterly to ensure compliance of contracts and relevant opt-ins

What we need from you

• Bachelor's degree in accounting or finance
• Significant and relevant experience in similar role, with most experience in Advertising and Media
• Strong knowledge of accounting principles and their practical application.
• Strong analytical orientation. Skills in financial analysis, including review of financial statements and analysis of key business metrics
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills including the ability to interact professionally with all levels of the organisation
• Ability to work independently and simultaneously balance multiple projects and processes
• Ability to help design clear process delivery and to help facilitate effective change
• Functions well under pressure; consistently pay attention to accuracy and quality of work.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office Suite; demonstrated skill with Microsoft Excel performing complex data analysis including Pivot Tables and Macros.
• Experience working within a matrix environment supporting multiple business partners.
• Demonstrated ability to build strong working relationships and be inclusive of ideas.
• Takes initiative to add value beyond initial requests by anticipating future questions/follow-up requests and proactively resolving them.

What we can offer you

-          Company pension scheme

-          Private medical insurance

-          25 days holiday (increases with length of service)

-          Life assurance

-          Permanent health insurance

-          WPP share options scheme

-          Discretionary bonus scheme

-          Free eyecare vouchers and money off glasses

-          Extensive training and development

-          Corporate gym memberships

-          Cycle to work scheme

-          Interest free travel loan

-          Free breakfast (cereal and fruit)

-          Smart shopper (online discount on a variety of products)

Sounds good? We’d love to hear from you!

About EssenceMediacom

We are a global communications agency leading with breakthrough thinking, building explosive growth for brands, and helping our clients see the bigger picture. Our daring global network of 10,000 influencers help our clients breach traditional boundaries in media, uncover novel ideas, and unleash exponential growth. EssenceMediacom challenges conventional thinking to build, propel, and supercharge our clients’ businesses at scale and lead our industry in critical areas such as diversity, equity, inclusion, and sustainability.  

EssenceMediacom understands that our people are tasked with big goals: building breakthrough growth for brands and leading with breakthrough thinking in our industry. Our people are at the heart of this work because their ideas will enable us to decode the intersections of people, content, and technology to bring our aspirations to life. Our success is down to our eclectic, diverse, and talented people. EssenceMediacom is a place for us to grow our careers and expand our horizons. EssenceMediacom is committed to building an agency culture that supports our people, puts diversity at the forefront of our operations, and creates opportunity for all. This collective culture will be our “new power” where ideas are freely exchanged, and collaboration is actively encouraged in a place where you can innovate in our hyperconnected world.