Description
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC) has a long-standing legacy as the most trusted source of news and information in Atlanta, Georgia, and the South. As we transform from a traditional print newspaper to a leading digital media organization, our focus remains on informing, inspiring, and empowering the community. We are committed to serving future generations with high-quality essential and engaging journalism that adapts to the rapidly changing media landscape.
The Senior Director, Finance and Accounting is a senior leader of the AJC Finance group and is responsible for managing both the financial, planning and analysis (FP&A) function as well as the accounting function. This person will influence organizational direction driving both budget and mid to long term strategic planning as well as execution and management against these plans so that the organization can effectively hit strategic goals while hitting financial goals.
FP&A:
This position will be responsible for managing the entire budgeting and forecasting processes, as well as regular and ad hoc reporting and analysis for the AJC. This person will actively partner with functional leaders to help them make smart investment decisions, produce financial forecasts, and apply key insights for their departments in service of fueling the overall strategic plan for the AJC.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Lead a team of financial analysts, managers, and/or senior managers, currently consisting of three members.
- Manage the annual budgeting process by partnering with the Publisher, CFO, and department leadership to develop a 3-year budget that reflects the strategic plan, impacts of ongoing business lines and key initiatives and current industry trends.
- Lead process to revise the official forecast each quarter based on results, initiatives, new information, risks and opportunities, in partnership with AJC leadership
- Communicate results and updated forecasts, including risks & opportunities, to the CFO and AJC leadership team as well as relevant CEI teams. Prepare all corresponding presentation materials in spreadsheet and slide formats
- Analyze monthly, quarterly and annual results by comparing actuals to budget and forecast to assess performance and identify risks and opportunities
- Provide oversight and guidance for financial business cases and ad hoc analysis in support of strategy changes and new initiatives. This will include analysis at both the company and departmental level
- Actively participate in internal AJC leadership forums and organization-wide strategic planning meetings to help establish long term strategic goals that tie to financial goals and guide the organization to operate effectively to hit those goals
ACCOUNTING:
This individual will lead the entire accounting operations of the AJC and manage a team that runs the day to day operations. This role will engage with leaders to develop and articulate strategies that capitalize on emerging market and customer needs, which will shape how the accounting organization operates.
Duties and Responsibilities:
- Lead the team who handles daily and monthly accounting activities such as accruals, invoice processing, billing, forecasting, analysis, and month end close. They will also be responsible for delivering timely, accurate financial statements and presenting monthly results to management.
- Oversee the Accounting team by providing leadership and direction. Reviewing the day to day functions of the team including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, General Ledger, and Fixed Assets.
- Sign off on monthly financial close process to ensure consistency, accuracy, and timely completion and as well monthly and annual financial reporting packages for both AJC and Cox Enterprise teams .
- Serves as a key stakeholder to the resolution of complex problems with cross-functional impact including the assessment and integration of new systems and process improvements within current systems including Oracle EBS General Ledger, Oracle WebCenter, Naviga Receivable Systems, Concur, OneStream, Piano, and Workday middleware
- Engage with other senior leaders to define, recommend and approve programs and solutions as well as workforce planning to drive process improvement and ensure availability of resources to properly support planned business results
Other
- This position will have access to payroll data, and will be responsible for updating forecasts, budgets, and running scenarios using the Cox payroll system, OneStream. Also responsible for projecting annual target bonuses, verifying quarterly bonuses, and working with accounting to ensure accruals are appropriate.
- This role will be represent the AJC as it pertains to engaging with CEI finance teams, including Corporate Accounting, Corporate FP&A, Treasury, Internal Audit, Tax, and Risk Management.
QUALIFICATIONS:
- Bachelor’s or higher degree in Accounting or Finance with 12+ years experience across finance and accounting, with at least 3 dedicated years of experience in financial, planning and analysis and at least 3 years in accounting. A candidate may also have a Master's Degree with 10+ years of experience.
- 7+ years in a finance leadership role
- Proven track record of managing teams, with strong leadership and organizational skills
- Ability to run business planning processes, financial modeling and analysis and be able to identify, analyze, and resolve complex financial challenges
- Strong analytical skills; ability to reduce extensive data sets into relevant actionable insights
- Excellent communication skills both verbal and written including being able to effectively present complex financial information to decision makers and non-financial audiences
- Strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with all levels of employees and management to maximize performance, and serve as a thought partner to the CFO and AJC leaders
- Proficiency in financial systems such as Oracle, OneStream, Concur, Excel, PowerPoint, and other ERP platforms
- Must be comfortable in both delegating responsibilities and performing analysis individually as well as manage multiple projects simultaneously
- Demonstrated commitment to accuracy and meeting deadlines under tight schedules.
- Strong preference for multiple years of experience within media / publishing
- Strong preference for a Certified Public Accountant (CPA)
Compensation:
Compensation includes a base salary of $156,200.00 - $260,400.00. The base salary may vary within the anticipated base pay range based on factors such as the ultimate location of the position and the selected candidate’s knowledge, skills, and abilities. Position may be eligible for additional compensation that may include an incentive program.
