Operations & Finance Manager

Spark Foundry is part of a thriving global media network and the Publicis Groupe, one of the world's leading communications groups. We are globally connected with over 8,000 employees in 110 offices across 70 countries.

We help brands to identify, learn and respond to opportunities faster than the competition. Every client has an area of their business they need to accelerate, from short-term goals to long-term transformation.

How we accelerate:

• Planning: An approach that works in practice rather than theory, arming planners with the ability to create cutting-edge campaigns.
• Intelligence: A suite of tools that give definitive answers to big questions and uncovers actionable insights about real people.
• Trading: A model built on flexibility and trusted relationships, underpinned with bold guarantees.
• Relationships: A culture of asking challenging questions to better understand the brief - we are not a 'yes' agency.
• People: A strong history of recruiting talent from diverse backgrounds and accelerating their careers.

Our Commitment:

We celebrate diversity through our experience, people, and the clients we look after. Our people hold us accountable to our beliefs and via regular surveys and our grass roots D&I team, The Collective, and internal next generation board, Firestarters, we hold regular events and work continually towards generating ideas, initiatives, and educating our people to ensure we are a diverse and inclusive agency.

As part of our dedication to create an inclusive and diverse workforce, Spark Foundry is committed to equal access to opportunity for people without regard to race, age, sex, disability, neurodiversity, sexual orientation, gender identity or religion.

Overview:

The Clients:

UBS is one of the world's largest financial services companies, focusing on Wealth Management, Investment Banking & Asset Management. We undertake strategic development and global media planning and buying and execution of UBS campaigns.

Brown-Format is the 5th largest global spirits company and maker of Jack Daniels and a portfolio of brands across whiskey, tequila, rum, and gin. London acts as the regional management hub for Europe.

Responsibilities:

• Lead financial operations coordination and oversee financial efforts across our local and global teams.
• Provide day-to-day client-approved budget management including monthly/quarterly accruals.
• Oversee and reconcile monthly vendor spends and update spend trackers.
• Collate and review monthly Client Billing reports with multi-markets and vertical teams.
• Track client invoicing and payment of monthly agency fees.
• Liaise with finance team on any queries on invoices.
• Manage and deliver market-specific financial training based on market knowledge gaps.
• Contribute to developing operational best practices and automation to improve team efficiencies.
• Own and manage the workstream project management to provide visibility and clarity on deliverables and timelines.

Qualifications:

• Understanding of the media landscape across traditional and digital media.
• Strong multi-market or global operations, coordination, project management, and financial oversight experience.
• Stakeholder management skills and a positive, proactive attitude.
• Great communication (both written and verbal) and interpersonal skills.
• Keen eye for detail and demand high standards across all teams.
• Confident managing teams.

Additional information:

Spark Foundry offers fantastic benefits including:

• Opportunity to work anywhere in the world for up to 6 weeks a year.
• Two additional days of paid leave for well-being and self-care.
• 24/7 helpline for personal and professional support.
• Access to remote GPs, mental health support, and lifestyle coaching.
• Family-friendly policies including 26 weeks of full pay for family milestones.
• Flexible working, bank holiday swap, and birthday day off.
• Local discounts with restaurants and retailers.

Publicis Groupe operates a hybrid working pattern with full-time employees being office-based three days during the working week. We are supportive of all candidates and are committed to providing a fair assessment process.