Client Finance Analyst (Entry Level)

Praytell•Chicago, IL

13h•$55,000 - $65,000

About The Position

Praytell is a creative communications agency seeking a Client Finance Analyst. This role supports the client invoicing process, manages client budgets by tracking fees, expenses, and actuals, and reconciles client budgets with internal financial data. The analyst will partner with account and senior finance teams for day-to-day financial management, ensure client billing aligns with scopes of work, and support accurate timekeeping and project management in Harvest. Responsibilities also include generating reports from financial systems, reviewing financial data for accuracy, resolving discrepancies, supporting client finance inquiries, assisting with monthly financial processes, and preparing summaries of client financial performance. The role also involves partnering with senior finance team members on special projects and process improvements.

Requirements

6-12 months of client finance experience through an internship, co-op program or entry-level role.
A bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or a related discipline, or equivalent relevant experience.
Strong attention to detail and organizational skills, with the ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy.
Comfortable working with numbers and large sets of data, with an eye for spotting discrepancies and digging into the details to understand why something may not add up.
Strong working knowledge of Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, including formulas, pivot tables and basic data analysis.
Strong communication skills and an ability to partner with colleagues across teams to solve problems, ask questions and keep work moving.
Comfortable participating in meetings and communicating directly with both clients and internal teams.
Curious, proactive and eager to learn, with an interest in understanding both the numbers and the business behind them.
An interest in building your career in finance, whether that's financial planning and analysis, accounting or client finance.

Nice To Haves

Experience with financial, accounting or reporting systems is a plus.
Familiarity with platforms like JDE, Cognos, Harvest or Tungsten is even better, but not required.
Exposure to client finance, an agency or professional services environment is a plus.

Responsibilities

Support the client invoicing process by preparing, reviewing and processing invoices accurately and on time.
Help manage client budgets by tracking fees, expenses and actuals against planned spend and identifying discrepancies or potential overages.
Reconcile client budgets with internal financial data to help ensure accurate reporting and financial visibility.
Partner with account teams and senior finance team members to support the day-to-day financial management of client accounts.
Help ensure client billing aligns with scopes of work, billing schedules, purchase orders and other client specific requirements.
Support accurate timekeeping and project management in Harvest, including project setup, job codes and troubleshooting.
Generate and maintain reports from financial systems including Harvest, Cognos and JDE to support client teams and business needs.
Review financial data across systems for accuracy and completeness and help resolve discrepancies when they arise.
Support client finance inquiries, billing questions and invoice follow-up in partnership with senior finance team members.
Assist with monthly financial processes, documentation, reconciliations and audit preparation.
Help prepare clear summaries of client financial performance, budget pacing and other key financial information for internal stakeholders.
Partner with senior finance team members on special projects, process improvements and ad hoc financial analyses.