Head of Production Finance

Wonder Project•Santa Monica, CA

148d

About The Position

The Head of Production Finance will lead all aspects of production-related financial operations across film and television projects. This individual will be responsible for establishing financial controls, overseeing cost reporting and compliance, and partnering with key stakeholders to manage budgets from development through delivery. As a key member of the leadership team in a growing organization, the Head of Production Finance will be both a strategic thought partner and a hands-on operator, setting up and managing workflows that scale with the business. This role includes oversight of payroll, accounts payable, cash flow forecasting, budget creation, and audit readiness, while supporting the larger corporate finance and planning needs of the company. The Head of Production Finance will also interface regularly with production teams, accounting staff, production service partners, and internal executives.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
5–12 years of experience in production finance or accounting, ideally with at least 3 years in a senior or leadership capacity.
Deep understanding of union agreements and entertainment industry norms.
Exceptional Excel and financial modeling skills; familiarity with EP, PSL, Movie Magic Budgeting, and ideally NetSuite.
Proven ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously, prioritize effectively, and communicate clearly with senior leadership and production teams.
High ethical standards, attention to detail, and a proactive problem-solving approach.

Nice To Haves

Experience working in both studio and independent production environments preferred.
Experience with tax credit tracking and multi-currency accounting is a plus.

Responsibilities

Serve as the primary point of contact for all production finance matters across development and physical production.
Partner with creative, business affairs, and corporate finance leads to ensure financial goals and strategies are aligned across the company.
Develop and implement production finance policies, systems, and best practices tailored to the company's scale and growth objectives.
Lead financial planning for production activity, including preparation of long-range forecasts, scenario planning, and project-specific investment analysis.
Oversee budgeting, cost tracking, and financial reporting for all projects.
Build and maintain financial models, cash flow forecasts, and budget-to-actual reports.
Review and approve funding requests and monitor cash movement across production accounts.
Manage onboarding and oversight of production accountants and payroll vendors.
Ensure proper setup of bank accounts, accounting systems, and union payroll processing (SAG, DGA, WGA, IATSE).
Supervise reconciliation of funding sources, tax incentives, and studio billbacks.
Track and report development spend, including writers' rooms, pilot production, and early-stage prep.
Manage start paperwork, vendor onboarding, and cost reporting for development projects.
Coordinate with Business Affairs and Legal to ensure deal terms are reflected accurately in the accounting systems.
Develop and maintain internal financial trackers and dashboards.
Align production budgets with company chart of accounts.
Support preparation of rate cards for internal resources and monitor consistent margin achievement.
Lead or support annual and project-specific audits, both internal and third-party.