Finance Business Partner (Creative)
About The Position
Keywords Studios is seeking a Finance Business Partner (Creative) to join their Engage Divisional Finance team. This role will act as the analytical engine for the finance department, focusing on future strategy and financial logic to support creative ambitions in a marketing services or production environment. Reporting to the VP Finance Business Partnering (Social & Creative), the Finance Business Partner will serve as an advisor to the Creative Marketing Pillar's executive team, using data-driven insights to influence strategy. This position sits at the intersection of Finance, Operations, and Business Development, providing the financial architecture for profitable studio scaling. The role is part of the Finance Excellence vision to be trusted business partners who champion growth, create value, and manage risk.
Requirements
- Fully qualified accountant (e.g., CPA, CA, ACA, ACCA).
- 5–8 years of progressive experience in high-growth Finance roles (FP&A, Strategic Finance) within a Global Finance function.
- Exceptional Finance business partnering and influencing skills.
- Strong commercial acumen and organizational savvy.
- A bias for action, advanced problem-solving capabilities, and proven success in influencing strategic decisions and managing change.
- Experience in organizations with high levels of contract-driven revenue and a need for careful attention to revenue forecasting and managing contract margins (e.g., Agency/Media space, professional services, business and technology consulting).
- Expert-level Google Sheets skills (sheet linking, complex formulas, and data structure).
- Proficiency with ERPs (e.g., NetSuite, Quickbooks, Workday).
- Ability to simplify complex financial concepts for creative leaders without losing technical nuance.
- Strong results orientation with the ability to challenge existing mindsets and drive process improvement.
- Advanced financial analysis and scenario modeling skills.
- Collaborative and inclusive approach to working with team members and colleagues.
- Availability to work within the Pacific Time (PT) zone.
Responsibilities
- Deliver advanced financial modeling and forecasting, including dynamic modeling for long-term studio health and scenario planning for 'What-If' analyses.
- Act as an operational partner and advisor ('Co-Pilot') to Creative, Production, and Account Directors, translating operational KPIs into financial outcomes.
- Analyze 'Build vs. Buy' trade-offs for production resources, optimizing hiring decisions based on pipeline velocity.
- Serve as the financial gatekeeper and liaison between Creative/Operational teams and the Finance Manager, ensuring financial compliance.
- Own monthly and quarterly variance analysis, investigating deviations and working with department heads on corrective actions.
- Perform deep-dive 'Post-Mortem' analyses on major campaigns to identify scope creep and margin erosion, recommending pricing adjustments.
- Monitor and optimize non-billable spend and agency 'burn' to align with revenue growth.
- Lead financial due diligence for major capital expenditures, such as equipment upgrades or tool investments.
- Lead the annual budgeting process, ensuring alignment with the company's long-term strategic plan.
- Design and manage automated Google Sheets dashboards for real-time executive visibility into key metrics.
- Provide clear, concise monthly narrative reports explaining financial performance to non-finance stakeholders.
- Identify and drive opportunities for automating non-value-add financial processes to improve efficiency and free up operational capacity.
Benefits
- Base salary from CAD$120,000 to CAD$155,000 per year, depending on experience.
- Equal Opportunities Policy.
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What This Job Offers
Job Type
Full-time
Career Level
Senior
