Senior Director, Finance and Accounting

$156,200 - $260,400/Yr

AJL Atlanta Journal Constitution, LLC - Atlanta, GA

Full-time - Senior

Atlanta, GA

About the position

The Senior Director, Finance and Accounting at Cox Enterprises is a key leadership role responsible for overseeing the financial planning and analysis (FP&A) and accounting functions within the Atlanta Journal-Constitution (AJC). This position plays a critical role in driving the organization's budget and strategic planning processes, ensuring alignment with financial goals while managing a team of financial professionals. The Senior Director will partner with various leaders to provide insights and guidance on financial performance, support strategic initiatives, and lead the accounting operations to ensure accurate financial reporting and compliance.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of financial analysts, managers, and/or senior managers, currently consisting of three members.
• Manage the annual budgeting process by partnering with the Publisher, CFO, and department leadership to develop a 3-year budget that reflects the strategic plan.
• Lead the process to revise the official forecast each quarter based on results, initiatives, new information, risks, and opportunities, in partnership with AJC leadership.
• Communicate results and updated forecasts, including risks & opportunities, to the CFO and AJC leadership team, preparing corresponding presentation materials.
• Analyze monthly, quarterly, and annual results by comparing actuals to budget and forecast to assess performance and identify risks and opportunities.
• Provide oversight and guidance for financial business cases and ad hoc analysis in support of strategy changes and new initiatives.
• Actively participate in internal AJC leadership forums and organization-wide strategic planning meetings to help establish long-term strategic goals that tie to financial goals.
• Lead the entire accounting operations of the AJC and manage a team that runs the day-to-day operations.
• Engage with leaders to develop and articulate strategies that capitalize on emerging market and customer needs.
• Lead the team who handles daily and monthly accounting activities such as accruals, invoice processing, billing, forecasting, analysis, and month-end close.
• Sign off on monthly financial close process to ensure consistency, accuracy, and timely completion of financial reporting packages.
• Serve as a key stakeholder to the resolution of complex problems with cross-functional impact, including the assessment and integration of new systems and process improvements.

Requirements

• Bachelor's or higher degree in Accounting or Finance with 12+ years experience across finance and accounting, with at least 3 dedicated years in financial planning and analysis and at least 3 years in accounting.
• 7+ years in a finance leadership role.
• Proven track record of managing teams, with strong leadership and organizational skills.
• Ability to run business planning processes, financial modeling and analysis, and resolve complex financial challenges.
• Strong analytical skills; ability to reduce extensive data sets into relevant actionable insights.
• Excellent communication skills both verbal and written, including presenting complex financial information to decision makers and non-financial audiences.
• Strong interpersonal skills, with an ability to work cooperatively and collaboratively with all levels of employees and management.
• Proficiency in financial systems such as Oracle, OneStream, Concur, Excel, PowerPoint, and other ERP platforms.
• Demonstrated commitment to accuracy and meeting deadlines under tight schedules.

Nice-to-haves

• Strong preference for multiple years of experience within media/publishing.
• Strong preference for a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Benefits

• Flexible vacation policy allowing employees to take as much paid vacation as they deem consistent with their duties.
• Seven paid holidays throughout the calendar year.
• Up to 160 hours of paid wellness annually for personal or family wellness.
• Additional paid time off for bereavement leave, time off to vote, jury duty leave, volunteer time off, military leave, parental leave, and COVID-19 vaccination leave.