We are Dentsu. We innovate in the way brands are built. That means we do things differently to make them better than they were before. In this way, we ensure that our clients' most important marketing assets - their brands - win in a changing world. Dentsu innovates the way brands are built for its clients through its world-class expertise and capabilities in media, customer relationship management and creative communications services. Headquartered in London, Dentsu operates in 145 countries around the world with more than 50,000 dedicated specialists. 

The purpose of this role is to manage financial reporting, control and analytical activities for dentsu brands at the Canadian market level with focus to drive appropriate control and compliance environment in line with Group policy and IFRS. This role is expected to collaborate with operations team, commercial finance and FP&A team and other business partners to offer expert technical accounting knowledge and advice while providing insightful high-quality financial reports to key stakeholders for strategic decision-making. This role will lead a team of 4 senior financial accountants across the Media Service Line which encompasses 4 media brands and Canada HQ.  

Responsibilities:  

Accounting, Reporting and Analysis:  

Accounting & Compliance 

• Manage the timely delivery of the Canadian market financial results during month-end, quarter-end and year-end with high level of accuracy. Ensure the submission of results to our Business Performance Consolidations system by Business Day 2 

• Manage all month-end related tasks including but not limited to the detailed review of monthly revenue & expense accruals, intercompany transactions and approval of journal entries prepared by the team 

• Manage the outsourced Finance team (Genpact) on an ongoing basis to ensure that the deliverables are met by the scheduled deadlines with high level of accuracy 

• Participate the monthly Operational Review calls with Genpact management and Regional Delivery Team to provide input/feedback on the overall team performance as well as resolution of any errors/mistakes identified. Assist the controller in assessing Genpact performance against the KPI’s, including the performance of the CoE’s 

• Continuously review and improve the month-end processes and create standardization to reduce manual efforts 

• Uphold and strengthen the Canada control environment including drafting internal control procedures, implementing global policies, reviewing insurance coverages and business continuity plan, and enforcing T&E policies  

• Participate in internal and external financial audit inquiries and discussions, act as the point of contact for all brand-related audit matters 

• Participate and lead discussions with operations teams to develop action plans to resolve outstanding and unreconciling items impacting all financial reporting aspects 

• Review all brand level tax returns (sales, provincial, federal) in conjunction with the tax team prior to submission. Support all government tax audits 

• Assist other adhoc Canada-wide project implementations as it may arise  

Reporting 

• Act as the point of contact for all routine and adhoc regional/global statutory reporting requirements during month-end, quarter-end, and year-end including but not limited to AR aging and analysis, IFRS 15/9/16 reporting, key Balance Sheet account reporting, intercompany balances, and restructuring plan 

• Participate in monthly meetings with commercial finance directors, FP&A team, and relevant business units to understand the changes in business processes as well as key business initiatives, and develop effective reporting templates and metrics to supplement the business decision-making process 

• Continuously assess the reporting needs within Canada and coordinate with the Global ERP systems team to implement and test new reporting functionalities rolled out within Microsoft Dynamics 365  

Analysis 

• Review monthly Balance Sheet and Income Statement across the brands and investigate major MTD/YTD variances and fluctuations against prior period actuals and budget/forecasts.  

• Review and sign off on Balance Sheet reconciliations and ensure that all key balances are appropriately supported by sufficient source documents with clear documentations/referencing 

• Act as the owner of Blackline to maintain the health of the Balance Sheet reconciliation system   

• Review Blackline dashboards to investigate delinquencies in task and reconciliation completions by the team. Ensure all delinquencies are rectified and resolved for future periods 

• Identify and monitor the aging of the outstanding unreconciled items in the Balance Sheet accounts. Present the list of risks and opportunities with a timely action plan for resolution to the controller and CFO 

• Act as a key point of contact for all Balance Sheet related inquiries from the Regional FA&R team  

Client & Internal Relationships: 

• Collaborate in preparing and delivering work to colleagues & clients 

• Manage the requests for information quickly and accurately 

• Engage with all work-related contacts in a professional and respectful manner 

• Establish strong internal relationships with agency personnel 

• Liaise with various functional pillars (Finance, HR, IT, Legal) to optimize internal service delivery 

• Attend and participate as a Canadian representative in the Regional and Global Controllership network and Global RTR process network 

Strategic Thinking & Leadership: 

• Assess problems and concerns in a systematic, logical and rational manner 

• Provide proper onboarding process for new hires including coaching, training materials and workshops to ensure smooth work transition 

• Proactively resolve issues, know when to and to whom to escalate issues or concerns from accountants or other counterparts 

• Manage team members, nurture/promote team environment 

• Assist in constructing and delivering accurate, high-quality and timely documents 

• Capable of managing multiple deliverables and ability to transition among them seamlessly 

• Work on setting performance goals for their team members 

• Fosters a “culture drives behaviors, behaviors drive results” mentality 

Communications Skills: 

• Expresses oneself clearly and concisely in oral communications 

• Writes in a clear, compelling and concise manner 

• Organizes ideas and information logically and sequentially 

• Develop reports that are clear, compelling and persuasive 

Qualifications:  

• University Degree in business administration, finance or accounting 

• 5 - 7 years’ experience in a similar role, media experience is considered a strong asset  

• Big 4 Accounting Firm experience is a plus 

• CPA certification is a must 

• Thorough understanding of the financial process 

• Knowledge of accepted accounting practices and principles driven by IFRS 

• Thrive in a fast pace, constantly changing environment 

• Advanced Microsoft Office skills 

• Previous experience using D365, Concur, and Workday preferred. Exposure to Adtraq and EAS media systems would be a strong asset but not required. 

We know through experience that different ideas, perspectives and backgrounds foster a stronger and more creative work environment that delivers better business results. We strive to create workplaces that reflect the clients we serve and where everyone feels empowered to bring their full, authentic selves to work.

We are committed to working with our candidates from all ability levels throughout the recruitment process to ensure that they have what they need to be at their best. If you need accommodation during the application or interview process, please contact [email protected] or to begin a conversation about your individual accessibility needs throughout the hiring process.

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