Sr. Manager, Project Finance

Position Overview: The Sr. Project Financial Manager will play a critical role in supporting the financial aspects of client events, collaborating closely with the Project Team, Lead Producer, and Account Director. This position ensures seamless budget planning, billing, reconciliation, and financial compliance across multiple programs throughout the year. The role requires a detail-oriented professional who can manage financial documentation, metrics, and reporting, while also maintaining a strong relationship with both internal teams and external clients. This person will be required to go on-site for major programs as requested to manage the billing as it is happening to ensure financial compliance and assist with on-site change orders. Responsibilities: * Budget Planning & Financial Management for Large-Scale Programs: Lead the budget development process for large-scale, multi-agency client events, working closely with the Project Team, Lead Producer, and Account Director. Oversee the creation and management of portfolio financial documents for multiple, high-budget programs annually. * Program Billing & Reconciliation: Manage program billing and reconciliation processes for large, multi-agency events. Collaborate with operations teams to prepare final reconciliations, ensuring all invoicing and collections are completed in alignment with complex client and project timelines. * Financial Document Management Across Agencies: Manage, distribute, and maintain all financial planning documents across multiple agencies, including master budgets, forecast matrices, KPIs, and meeting action items. Provide oversight to ensure alignment across teams and agencies. * Client Program Metrics: Lead the tracking and management of financial metrics for large-scale programs, reporting post-reconciliation results to finance and senior management. Ensure data accuracy and provide insights to guide decision-making across multiple stakeholders. * SOPs & Best Practices for Agency Events: Update and maintain Finance SOPs specific to large-scale, multi-agency programs. Train staff on financial procedures, billing policies, and best practices to ensure consistent processes across agencies and programs. * On-Site Financial Management for Major Programs: Travel on-site for key client events as necessary, overseeing real-time financial reconciliation and compliance during the event to ensure accurate and up-to-date billing. * Financial Reporting & Action Item Management: Capture detailed financial notes during client and internal meetings, ensuring follow-up with actionable financial recaps and clear responsibilities for multi-agency coordination. * Multi-Agency Database & File Management: Oversee the management of financial databases across agencies, including vendor, venue, and contractor information. Maintain organized and secure client files, contracts, agreements, work orders, budgets, and schedules in platforms such as Google Drive, Egnyte, or other client-specified systems. * Budget Development for Multi-Agency Collaborations: Master all budgeting tools and processes. Lead budget development efforts across agencies, ensuring alignment on financial goals and deliverables for each program. * Stakeholder & Relationship Management: Serve as the key financial liaison between internal teams, clients, and external agencies. Build and maintain positive relationships while providing guidance on financial matters to ensure successful outcomes for large-scale, multi-agency programs. Qualifications: * Bachelor's Degree in Business, Accounting or Finance * MBA Degree, CPA, or CMA is preferred, but not required * Experience in the live events industry is preferred * Minimum (7) seven years of experience as a Budget Manager or Budget Analyst * Advanced skillset in MS Excel (specifically advanced formulas, pivot tables and charts) * Familiarity with forecasting methods and data analysis * Experience in managing program budgets and financial metrics * Excellent numeracy skills with an attention to detail * Strong analytical skills is required * Ability to explain budgeting and financial information in plain terms * Must have strong aptitude in Microsoft Office products (MS Teams, MS Excel, MS Word, MS Outlook, and MS PowerPoint), as well as Zoom; working knowledge of SAP and Salesforce is preferred * Proficient in Google Drive * Strong attention to detail, a positive attitude, and a team player * Ability to operate within a fast-paced environment * Excellent written, verbal and interpersonal communication skills * Must be willing to travel domestically up to 20% * Hours typically Monday - Friday 9-5 with some evening and weekend hours may be required. Company Overview: Sparks is a live + digital brand experience agency. We specialize in creating connection--real human connection--onsite, online or anywhere. Through a mix of sound strategy, breakthrough creative and flawless execution, we create memorable trade show exhibits, live and virtual events, brand activations, retail stores, corporate environments and other immersive experiences that deepen relationships, inspire action, and build trust--and we do it all over the world. We operate an open and inclusive culture where all recognize, respect, appreciate and encourage individuality regardless of race, gender, age, religion, culture, ideology, economic status, disability or sexual orientation. We believe that everyone at all levels of our organization is accountable for building this culture and we are challenging ourselves daily to seek and build diversity and equality in any way that we can-and we welcome your ideas to do so. Think you've got what it takes to hang with us? We've built our reputation on creating awesome experiences for our clients, but equally important is the experience we create for our people. Yes, we work hard. But we also make it a point to have fun. And we find our people work that much harder when work doesn't feel so much like, well, work. If you share our mindset, we should chat. We've always got our eyes peeled for smart, hungry people who think that what we do isn't so much a job as it is a way of life. And while any company can supply stuff like benefits (and, of course we do too!) our greatest benefit comes from the amazing people you'll interact with daily, who will challenge and push you to think harder, be more creative and love what you do. Sparks, a Freeman company, provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation and training.

Created: 2024-10-29