Senior Commercial Accountant

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Senior Commercial Accountant

Department: Commercial Finance

Location: London

Contract type: Fixed-Term (12 months)

Full Time/Part time: Full Time

Reporting into: Commercial Controller

About Ogilvy:

Ogilvy UK has been creating iconic ideas that deliver impact at scale for clients ever since David Ogilvy founded the company in 1948. Ogilvy UK specialises in bringing together brand advertising, customer experience marketing, PR, influence and consulting, all fuelled by Behavioural Science. Our world-class award-winning creative campaigns deliver solutions for clients including Sainsbury's, Argos, , Mondelēz International, Unilever, TK Maxx and Pernod Ricard.

In 2023, Ogilvy UK celebrated their 75th anniversary and was the most awarded agency in Europe. Ogilvy is home to the largest influencer marketing practice globally, and hosts the world's biggest festival of behavioural science and creativity, Nudgestock - now in its 12th year.

The Role:

We are looking for a highly skilled and experienced Senior Commercial Accountant to join our world-leading advertising and marketing agency. This is a key role within the Commercial Finance team, reporting to the Commercial Controller. As a Senior Commercial Accountant, you will play a vital role in driving the agency's commercial acumen, working closely with the Commercial Controller to ensure best practices are implemented across the team and wider agency.

To be successful in this role, you will need to have exceptional commercial skills and be able to work closely with your client leads and other Commercial Accountants to identify revenue growth opportunities and cross-selling possibilities across the business. You will be responsible for driving client margin improvement and leading change and best practices within your client teams, as well as training and assisting others to do the same. You will work as part of a dynamic team that strives to ensure best commercial practice is at the heart of all agency business transactions.

As a Senior Commercial Accountant, you will be responsible for a range of key duties, including providing thought leadership and propagating best practice, ensuring timely reporting in adherence with internal timetables, and overseeing all margin plans and advising on progress. You will also be responsible for leading client negotiations, preparing accurate and timely client reconciliations, and leading any client audits on your accounts. You will be expected to manage and mentor a Commercial Accountant, set objectives and targets for yourself and your team, and participate in annual appraisals and regular catch-ups.

To be successful in this role, you will need to be a qualified and experienced accountant with excellent commercial acumen, outstanding communication skills, and the ability to build strong relationships with clients and colleagues. You should have experience working in a fast-paced commercial environment, and be able to work well under pressure to deliver results. You should be a team player with a can-do attitude, and be passionate about championing diversity and inclusion in the workplace.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide thought leadership and guidance on pricing to agency and commercial finance teams
• Identify and suggest alternative pricing mechanisms to improve revenue growth opportunities
• Review and provide feedback on contracts and NDA's, and prepare commercial submissions for pitches
• Represent the commercial team in meetings as required
• Help lead the internal roll-out and management of bespoke finance training to the business
• Ensure management information is understood and used by finance and client teams, including the management and monitoring of all margin improvement plans
• Provide ad-hoc support to Commercial Controller on special targeted projects across key functions
• Work with client leads on resource reforecasting and ensuring this is recorded in the capacity planning tool
• Build a margin improvement plan for specific accounts and monitor progress against it
• Regular catch-up with the client project managers to understand the latest scopes, staffing, capacity planning and job progress on clients
• Lead client negotiations on your portfolio of clients and be the key contact for the client procurement departments
• Manage and mentor a Commercial Accountant and set objectives and targets for yourself and the Commercial Accountant
• Ensure compliance with ICFR regulations in relevant areas, particularly in relation to revenue recognition, and assist in any ICFR or other audits (external/internal)

Requirements:

• Certified Public Accountant (CPA), Chartered Accountant (CA), or Certified Management Accountant (CMA) designation.
• Extensive experience in financial management and accounting
• Strong knowledge of financial accounting principles and practices, including the ability to prepare financial statements and other reports in accordance with regulatory requirements.
• Experience with financial analysis and modelling software, as well as familiarity with ERP systems and other financial software, including advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel.
• Proven ability to lead and manage teams to achieve results in a fast-paced environment.
• Ability to develop and implement financial strategies and initiatives that support the organization's goals.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to make data-driven decisions.
• Excellent organizational and project management skills with the ability to handle multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, including the ability to collaborate with cross-functional teams and communicate financial information effectively to non-financial stakeholders.
• Strong conflict resolution and negotiation skills with the ability to handle sensitive and confidential information.
• Familiarity with tax regulations and compliance requirements.
• Master's degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.

How we help you Thrive:

• 25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day
• Bupa Healthcare
• Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave
• We have a Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am - 4pm
• A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure
• Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests and development budgets and Wellbeing incentives and activities throughout the year
• Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme
• Life Assurance

Our ambition is to attract the very best diverse talent to Ogilvy, and to be the employer of choice in the UK. We want everyone to feel welcome when they join us, and once they're here, for them to want to stay with us, grow their career, and to feel they belong with us.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we're committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for anyone who wants to work at Ogilvy . We believe that for creativity to flourish, everything about how we work must have diversity at its core. Your race, colour, ancestry, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, or veteran status have no bearing on our hiring decisions. If you have a disability or special need that requires accommodation, please let us know and we will do everything we can to accommodate.

At Ogilvy, our people are at the heart of what we do: a creative agency that sparks game-changing ideas across culture and business through collaboration, integrity, and a celebration of self-expression.

We believe in building powerful teams with purpose. This means hiring and nurturing talent across all races, ethnicities, religions, abilities, sexual orientation, and gender identities - and we relentlessly curate transformative initiatives that make our commitment to fairness, and equity a reality.

Our ultimate mission is to leave a positive impact on the world, creating a better future for all, while supporting and uplifting the global communities we serve. This is central to our mantra of Borderless Creativity.

All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, or status as a protected veteran.