Manager, Business Finance

About The Position | Major goals and objectives and location requirements

The Manager, Business Finance will play a key role in Dotdash Meredith’s Finance Planning & Analysis team to forecast and support headcount and payroll costs across various business functions. The Manager, Business Finance will prepare payroll flash, forecasts, budgets and strategic plans, analytical studies, and financial reports to present payroll and related cost trends and insights to management as applicable. This position will manage the payroll, headcount additions, incentive accruals and benefits analysis across various departments in both the Digital and Corporate segments of the company. This position will have access to extremely sensitive information and will need to be able to hold this information confidentially. 

In-office Expectations: This position is hybrid in-office in our Des Moines location, with the ability to work remotely for up to 2 days per week.

Specific responsibilities of the role include but are not limited to the following:

• Manages workforce planning and payroll forecasting for DDM Digital and Corporate segment departments including, but not limited to Dotdash Meredith IT, Digital Content & Growth teams, Digital Performance Marketing & Licensing teams. 
• Meets weekly/monthly with various human resource teams to keep up to date on hires, terms, and other changes.
• Consistently coordinates with internal business partners regarding monthly spending & forecasting as well as annual budget preparation.
• Advises management of financial impact of departmental staffing plans and works closely with HR partners and operational management to obtain necessary approvals for implementation of staffing plans.
• Prepares monthly profit flash, forecasts, budgets, variance analysis, and other financial reports in accordance with financial and accounting principles, practices and procedures as established by the company and GAAP.
• Performs assigned tasks required to close monthly books for assigned payroll accounts accurately while meeting deadlines. Partners with Controllership team to ensure the accuracy of monthly results.
• Prepares financial analyses, models, and reports using large data sets to provide meaningful and insightful information for leadership to easily interpret the financial impacts of the staffing levels across supported departments.
• Resolves finance and accounting related issues and answers questions in a high-paced environment in a timely manner.
• Conducts accounting functions such as journal entries, project accounting, account analysis, and balance sheet reconciliations as assigned.
• Utilize software including, but not limited to Oracle, Hyperion, Microstrategy, Excel, Power Point, and G Suite.
• The scope of responsibilities may adjust over time to adapt to business needs, as directed by management.
• Exhibit strong verbal and written communication skills, with the ability to effectively interact with all levels of management.

About The Positions Contributions:

Weight % Accountabilities, Actions and Expected Measurable

• 50% Manages workforce planning and payroll forecasting for DDM Digital and Corporate departments including, but not limited to Dotdash Meredith IT, Digital Content & Growth teams, Digital Performance Marketing & Licensing teams. 
• 15% Meets with HR partners to coordinate and stay informed of recent changes to compensation and review hires and terminations.
• 15% Prepares flash, forecast, financial models, operating budgets, and strategic plans by partnering with business leads on their respective department headcount plans. Exhibits excellent analytical and problem-solving skills required for regular and ad hoc FP&A responsibilities.
• 10% Communicates financial results to management verbally and through analytical reporting. Provide Finance, operational management, and HR with impactful and accurate financial reporting to inform of financial results and forecasts, predictive modeling, and scenario analysis.
• 10% Other: Ad Hoc analysis on category, business and cost performance; Actual versus Budget and Prior Year analysis; liaise with financial and operational management on matters pertaining to past, current, and future financial analyses, workforce planning, budgeting, and forecasting.

The Role’s Minimum Qualifications and Job Requirements:

Education:

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field, or equivalent work experience.

Experience:

3 to 5 years of experience in a related field.

Specific Knowledge, Skills and Abilities:

● Excellent critical thinking and analytical skills.

● Strong MS Excel skills with the capability to organize and analyze large sets of data, including Pivot Tables and VLookups.

● Familiarity with Gmail, Word, PowerPoint, including the ability to develop compelling presentations for senior leadership review.

● Effective verbal and written skills.

● Proactive thinker with the ability to spot opportunities for improvement and implement strategies to address.

● Must be highly collaborative with the ability to interact effectively with team members towards common values, goals, and objectives.

● Ability to prioritize multiple priorities and the flexibility to changing needs of the business.

● Must exemplify DDM’s core values.