Company Description

Publicis Groupe UK is a marketing and digital transformation business made up of 5,000 talented and versatile people with expertise in media, creative, influence, technology and data, working across 21 agencies.

Publicis Groupe UK creative agencies include Saatchi & Saatchi, BBH, Digitas, Leo Burnett and Publicis London. Also, within the stable are PR agencies MSL and Kekst CNC and sustainability consultancy, Salterbaxter. Publicis Media is home to Zenith, Starcom and Spark Foundry as well as specialist practices PMX, Performics, Publicis Sport & Entertainment and Publicis Content, providing expertise across media strategy, investment, data and technology.

Langland, Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness and Digitas Health serve clients across health and wellness, science and medicine. They combine expertise across advertising and branding, clinical trial experience, data and analytics, technology, medical strategy and education and public relations and policy. 

Publicis Groupe UK clients include BT, McDonald’s, ASDA, Tesco, L’Oreal, Lego, Procter & Gamble, Kellogg’s, Volkswagen UK, Samsung and Disney among others, encompassing six of the UK’s top 10 advertisers.

Employees share a common purpose, consistent ways of working and a financial structure that encourages collaboration.

In 2015 Publicis Groupe introduced the Power of One. Simplifying the traditional agency structure, the model removes silos between agencies and disciplines to put clients’ needs at the heart of the structure.

Publicis Groupe UK has offices in Chancery Lane, Television Centre in White City, Baker Street, Turnmills in Farringdon, Windsor, Teddington and Dublin, and people based in Edinburgh.  Publicis Groupe has a presence in more than 100 countries and employs nearly 84,000 people worldwide.

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

Job Description

The purpose of this role is to support the business leaders to deliver sustainable profitable growth. You will develop strong, effective, and credible relationships with the business leaders, supporting their operational and strategic decision making by providing insightful financial and commercial analysis and analytical opinion.

You will contribute to key decision making, using business partnering skills to both challenge and drive, ensuring the business is optimised and delivering against all key KPIs.

As a Senior Finance Business Partner, you will be part of our established team in the health division and will be commercially responsible for the Advertising Centre of Excellence as well as having P&L ownership for the Saatchi & Saatchi Wellness brand. You will partner with one of Publicis Health’s Group Managing Directors.

Duties and Responsibilities: 

Financial Planning & Analysis – Anticipate risks and opportunities and initiate actions to achieve financial objectives

• Responsible for financial planning and analysis (budgeting/forecasting) for both relevant pillar and brand
• Track progress towards budgets and reforecasts and actively contribute to achievement or over-delivery of targets
• Provide management with information regarding financial and operational performance against internal KPIs

Commercial Financial Operations – Work to maximise profitability and optimise operational performance

• Provide financial and commercial insight, challenge and support pillar and brand leadership, and PHUK Executive leadership.
• Develop and enhance key relationships with leadership both within PHUK and with the wider Groupe, including PGUK and the GCL/GCFL network.
• Work with other commercial leads to ensure consistency in output and to leverage opportunities and mitigate risks wherever they manifest
• Interpret financial and commercial output (including management accounts and commercial reporting) and identify, understand, and effectively communicate underlying trends to provide insights that enable sound business decision-making.
• Point of contact for portfolio of PHUK clients – ensure contractual compliance, lead on contract renewals and negotiations and assist the wider agency and Groupe with client specific matters
• Review of client contracts; control over receipt of client documentation (SOW’s, project estimates and purchase orders) for initiation of services
• Build relationships with procurement, client finance teams and work closely with them when needed
• Assist management and account teams with development of commercial pricing and interaction/negotiations with client procurement on all matters required
• Liaise with the SSC for key operational areas for your commercial role (i.e., Supplier Procurement, Legal, etc)

Financial Reporting – Ensure that monthly reporting is performed accurately, completely and timely

• Perform all subjective areas of financial reporting, particularly revenue recognition and provisions for risks & charges
• Ensure that all financial reporting is performed in accordance with Publicis Groupe Corporate Policies and Procedures (“Janus”)
• Ensure performance of, and compliance with, Financial Monitoring Controls
• Perform monthly analysis and support with Groupe reporting
• Assist controllership with all audit queries – FMC, internal, external, CSR and client – as relevant to remit
• Jointly responsible for balance sheet reviews and maintenance – ensure all risks are mitigated and balances are appropriately scrutinised and managed. Accounts of particular focus include accrued and deferred revenue, WIP, intercompany, accounts receivables, trade payables and accrued trade payables
• Jointly responsible for the management of trade working capital – ensure balances are optimised and KPIs are achieved in accordance with Groupe guidance. Focus areas include overdues, aged accrued revenue balances and working with the WIP team to ensure billing schedules are delivering cash positive/neutral outcomes
• Cost control for relevant pillar and brand, particularly areas of high variability such as freelance spend and non-client travel
• Provide ad hoc analysis or reporting as required by the wider agency or Groupe

Internal Operations

• Assume a lead role within the Finance team, work closely with other leads and colleagues to proactively drive improvement and efficiencies, and identify opportunities to streamline and automate process/reporting
• Work with PHUK Finance Director on ad hoc priorities either as sponsor or as support
• Be a role model within the team, assume an active role in the development of junior staff
• Lead by example and promote high employee morale and engagement
• Collaborate effectively cross-pillar and brand, promote and demonstrate transparency and lean-in to ensure the team is performing to the highest possible standard in support of the team and the wider agency

Qualifications

• Fully qualified finance leader with 5+ years post qual experience - ACCA/ACA/CIMA
• Be able to hit the ground running, ideal start date is October - November 
• Creative agency/ PR background is ideal, experience of working in health agency is highly favoured

Delivery

• Support & challenge decision makers and stakeholders in driving operational performance by providing accurate and timely insight, opinion and analysis of historical, current and future performance.
• Be effective in managing expectations.
• Be solution-focussed, critically evaluate existing processes; ensuring they are efficient yet accurate.

Perception

• Build strong working relationships and be positively perceived by peers, the wider Finance function and business stakeholders.
• Be recognised as a reliable reference point in your field both internally and externally.

Influence

• Promote collaboration, challenge silo mentality.
• Help to resolve conflicts, demonstrate skill and judgment in aligning differing viewpoints.

Team

• Contribute to the direction, development & culture of the team, act as a cultural ambassador.
• Be proactive in team matters; actively seek opportunities outside of core responsibilities that will help increase the value the team offers.
• Champion the core values and standards expected of the team; challenge behaviours not consistent with these.
• Collaborate with others including colleagues outside of the team; positively influence the actions and outlook of others.
• Be proactive in supporting other colleagues’ professional development; help to nurture and retain talent. 

Personal Effectiveness

• Assume responsibility for your professional development.
• Prioritise own and (where appropriate) the team’s workload effectively.
• Take responsibility for achieving deadlines or resolving problems.
• Use appropriate communication styles and methodologies.

Additional Information

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. If you have any circumstances (such as neurodiversity, physical or mental impairments or a medical condition) that may affect your assessment, please inform your Talent Acquisition Partner. We will discuss possible adjustments to ensure fairness. Rest assured, disclosing this information will not impact your treatment in our process.

Please make sure you check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).
#LI-Hybrid