Sr Manager, Finance - Global Publishing

Paramount•New York, NY

8d•$139,200 - $175,000•Hybrid

About The Position

Products, Publishing & Experiences is the commercialization unit of Paramount Skydance, bringing our company's stories and characters to life through innovative and engaging products and experiences across more than 50 categories, including toys, apparel, books, theme parks, and hotels. The organization is home to world-class teams of licensing and retail experts, artists, storytellers, and technologists who inspire imaginations around the world. The Senior Manager, Finance will lead financial management, planning, and strategic support for the Global Publishing business, with a specific focus on Vertical and Licensed Publishing. This role is an important finance partner for the Publishing Imprint and Licensing teams. You will be fully tasked with profit and loss (P&L). This means managing sales performance and overseeing development costs for titles, including advances, royalties, production costs, and distribution arrangements. This role helps make sound financial decisions. It achieves this through effective forecasting, planning, and analytics. At the same time, it focuses on improving deal structures, pricing strategies, and return on investment. It will also play a critical role in strengthening the finance function's partnership and contribution across the PP&E organization globally. The Senior Manager, Finance will report directly to the VP, Global PP&E Finance and collaborate closely with the Publishing executive team, Sales, Strategy, Legal, CP & Experiences, and central Finance teams.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, or a related field required; MBA or other Master’s degree preferred
8+ years of progressive finance experience (commercial finance and/or strategic finance strongly preferred)
Publishing industry experience preferred; licensing experience a plus
Proficient in P&L management and forecasting
Awareness of performance management is required
Knowledge of revenue recognition concepts and variable consideration is also important
Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; proficiency in PowerPoint
Experience with ERP/finance systems and BI/reporting tools strongly preferred
Strategic, commercially oriented finance leader with a robust business partnership mindset
Self-motivated and focused
Driven to achieve results
Comfortable working in uncertain situations
Able to manage multiple priorities and perform under tight deadlines
Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to influence stakeholders at all levels
Advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint; robust financial modeling capabilities
Flexibility to collaborate with global teams across time zones

Responsibilities

Own and manage the Global Publishing P&L, ensuring accuracy, completeness, and transparency across forecasts and projections
Partner with Business Development, Sales, Operations, and central Finance teams to support revenue recognition and maximize financial performance
Evaluate the results based on our strategic and financial goals
Identify the factors that impact performance
Maintain a dotted-line relationship with the PP&E Consolidation team to deliver precision, timeliness, and alignment of Global Publishing consolidation across multiple lines of business
Be the main contact for Publishing finance. Oversee consolidated forecasts, budgets, and actuals. Explain variance drivers and provide performance commentary. Ensure intercompany alignment
Proactively identify, quantify, and track key risks and opportunities
Lead ad hoc financial analyses to support business decisions
Serve as a primary finance partner to Business, Strategy, Legal, and Finance stakeholders
Develop and maintain financial models covering: Title-level ROI and profitability, Advance and royalty recoupment, Channel and format profitability, Pricing consideration and print-run optimization, Distribution and production cost economics
Lead revenue and margin optimization initiatives across the Publishing portfolio
Prepare annual budgets and quarterly forecasts in close partnership with internal and external partners
Deliver monthly outlooks, quarterly estimates, and rolling forecasts
Prepare and present long-range strategic and financial plans, including annual budgets
Partner with the Publishing executive team to deliver actionable P&L, revenue, and deal-level reporting for the vertical and licensed publishing businesses
Perform and present variance analysis, including budget-to-actual, ROI, and benchmarking
Create and continuously enhance senior management reporting, dashboards, and analytical presentations
Act as a strategic finance partner, leveraging insights to improve deal terms and commercial outcomes
Support Publishing and PP&E leads with title-specific and licensee deal analysis on an ad hoc basis
Collaborate with systems and operations teams to improve financial tools, data integrity, and analytical processes
Build robust, trust-based relationships across Finance, Sales, and business teams to enable effective decision-making
Support negotiation and structuring of publishing and licensing agreements by modeling deal economics, recoupment, and ROI scenarios
Partner with Royalty/Accounting teams to ensure precise setup, accruals, and timely reporting for advances, royalties, reserves, chargebacks, and returns
Work with Legal, Sales, and Operations to assess contract terms that impact revenue recognition, variable consideration, and distribution economics
Improve processes and internal controls for forecasting inputs, approvals, and performance reporting. Document the main assumptions and methods used