Associate Director, Client Finance

Taylor Strategy•New York, NY

21h•$120,000

About The Position

As an Associate Director, Client Finance, you will serve as a trusted financial partner to both clients and internal teams, owning complex financial workflows while bringing clarity, structure, and confidence to integrated marketing initiatives. This role requires strong judgment, accountability, and the ability to translate financial data into clear, actionable insights that support decision-making across the agency. This is an opportunity for a highly capable, solutions-oriented individual who thrives in fast-moving environments, takes ownership without being asked, and is deeply curious about improving systems, processes, and cross-functional collaboration.

Requirements

4–5 years of experience in client finance, FP&A, or agency finance
Strong understanding of GAAP, accruals, and revenue recognition
Proven ability to manage billing and forecasting accurately under pressure
Advanced Excel skills (lookups, pivots, dashboards, complex formulas)
Experience with QuickBooks Enterprise Online or similar accounting systems
Experience owning or administering time-tracking systems
Strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple deadlines
Clear, confident communicator with both finance and non-finance stakeholders
Ownership mindset with a demonstrated track record of improving workflows and reliability
Strong time management skills, including the ability to prioritize multiple deadlines and effectively manage workload
Excellent verbal and written communication skills and presentation skills
Ability to effectively work and communicate with finance and non-finance stakeholders
Able to streamline tasks to ensure accuracy and take “ownership-mentality” in work/clients/practices

Responsibilities

Client Billing and Financial Operations
Own the end-to-end monthly billing process, ensuring accuracy, timeliness, and strong documentation across all billing cycles
Proactively identify and resolve billing issues before they impact cash flow or client relationships
Serve as a backup and support partner to the Senior Controller, liaising with Account teams and Accounts Receivable to support timely collections and AR issue resolution
Deliver clean, well-supported billing packages that reduce downstream corrections and rework
Financial Analysis, Reporting, and Forecasting
Conduct detailed financial analysis to assess profitability, pacing, and performance of client workstreams
Maintain and deliver month-end reporting, budget trackers, burn reports, WIP analysis, over-servicing reporting, and utilization reporting
Prepare materials and commentary for monthly revenue forecast meetings, including quarter-over-quarter growth insights
Maintain and reconcile monthly fee charts across all revenue streams, partnering closely with Account Leads to ensure accuracy and compliance with Taylor’s revenue recognition policies
Staffing, Capacity, and Revenue Planning
Evaluate staff utilization and capacity using forecasted and actual data, identifying risks and opportunities early
Support staffing vs revenue planning through clear summaries, templates, and structured checkpoints throughout the month
Help teams understand how staffing decisions impact revenue, margins, and delivery commitments
Systems Ownership and Process Improvement
Maintain full accountability for the agency time-tracking system, acting as the subject-matter expert for usage, troubleshooting, training, compliance, and ongoing improvements
Translate client SOWs into accurate allocations within staffing tools and time-tracking systems ensuring alignment between contracts, budgets, and execution
Identify opportunities to improve workflows across financial systems (time tracking, accounting, automation of staff planning, expense management, reporting), with a focus on reducing manual work and improving consistency over time
Client Related Vendor, PO, and Client Contract Oversight
Review all client passthrough vendor contracts and track vendor spend to ensure alignment with client budgets
Reconcile vendor costs and proactively address discrepancies to minimize overspend
Oversee client PO balances to ensure accuracy and maximize pre-billing opportunities
Maintain organized, audit-ready client SOW documentation in partnership with Account Leads
Audit and Compliance Support
Support internal and external audits by preparing required materials, including passthrough analysis and revenue by state
Ensure financial records are accurate, complete, and defensible
Cross-Functional Partnership and Financial Education
Act as a reliable, solutions-oriented financial partner to Account, Creative, Production, and Leadership teams
Translate complex financial concepts into clear, digestible guidance for non-finance partners
Support stronger financial understanding across the agency through thoughtful explanations, responsiveness, and consistency