Vendor Finance Controller

ServiceNow • San Francisco, CA

2d • Remote

About The Position

The Media Vendor & Finance Operations Director will lead the global commercial partnership and financial governance for ServiceNow’s media investment, ensuring contract integrity, P&L accuracy, and maximizing partnership ROI. This role owns the commercial partnership with Media Agency of Record across their global hub structure (Americas, EMEA, APAC), ensuring contract compliance, financial accuracy, operational efficiency, and strategic value extraction from the agency relationship. You'll serve as the bridge between media strategy, finance, procurement, and agency leadership - ensuring our investment delivers maximum value while maintaining rigorous financial governance. This role reports directly to the VP of Marketing, Media and Sponsorships.

Requirements

• 10+ years in marketing operations, vendor management, finance operations, or agency account leadership roles
• Deep experience managing large-scale agency relationships ($50M+ annual spend) with global holding companies (Dentsu, WPP, Omnicom, Publicis, IPG)
• Proven track record managing multi-market agency structures with regional hubs and matrix reporting
• Proven expertise in operational oversight and delivery validation within global agency networks. Track record of managing commercial performance within multi-market matrixed agency relationships
• Strong financial acumen: budget management, invoice reconciliation, contract negotiations, cost optimization
• Experience with media agency fee structures: retainers, commissions, project fees, pass-through costs
• Contract management expertise: MSAs, SOWs, SLAs, scope management, vendor performance terms
• Cross-functional leadership: ability to work with Procurement, Finance, Legal, Marketing Operations without direct authority
• Excellent relationship management skills: balance partnership building with commercial rigor and accountability
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities: diagnose operational issues and design scalable solutions
• Executive presence: comfortable presenting to senior leadership and agency C-suite

Nice To Haves

• Experience in B2B tech/SaaS marketing operations or finance
• Background working within a major media agency (client service, account management, finance)
• Familiarity with media platforms and how agency billing integrates with platform costs
• Understanding of media planning, buying, and operations workflows
• International business experience managing vendors across multiple currencies and regulatory environmen
• Bachelor's degree in Business, Finance, Marketing, or related field; MBA

Responsibilities

• Agency Relationship Management - Commercial & Operational
• Direct the global commercial relationship and performance of the Agency of Record (AOR), ensuring global adherence to Master Service Agreements (MSAs)
• Serve as primary point of contact for contract performance, scope management, and operational escalations
• Manage agency performance reviews: evaluate delivery quality, adherence to SLAs, value delivery against contracted terms
• Facilitate quarterly business reviews (QBRs) with agency leadership to address performance, opportunities, and relationship health
• Coordinate across Media Agency of Record’s hub structure to ensure consistency in service delivery while respecting regional nuances
• Contract & Scope Management
• Manage master service agreement (MSA) and statements of work (SOWs) with Dentsu globally and by region
• Ensure agency scope is clearly defined and adhered to - manage scope creep and change requests
• Lead annual contract renewals and negotiations in partnership with Procurement
• Track contracted deliverables (media plans, reports, QBRs, strategy sessions) and hold agency accountable to commitments
• Evaluate and optimize the agency’s global resource model; ensuring the agency deploys the correct mix of technical and strategic talent across regional markets.
• Document and enforce service level agreements (SLAs) for response times, deliverable timelines, and quality standards
• Financial Operations & Budget Management
• Own financial relationship with Media Agency of Record : invoice processing, payment terms, fee structures, billing accuracy
• Collaborate with media/campaign teams to manage annual media budget tracking and reconciliation
• Reconcile agency fees (retainers, project fees, media commissions) against contracted rates and actual work delivered
• Steward the monthly financial close process in conjunction with Media team leads to validate spend, resolve billing discrepancies, ensure accurate accruals in a timely manner
• Manage the process with Media team leads to track budget vs. actual by campaign, market, and quarter - provide visibility to media leadership and Finance
• Manage agency cost structure: negotiate billing rates, volume discounts, value-adds, and partnership incentives
• Coordinate with Finance team on POs, invoice approvals, payment processing, and financial reporting
• Vendor Performance & Value Optimization
• Establish and track KPIs for agency performance: delivery quality, responsiveness, strategic value, cost efficiency
• Identify opportunities to optimize agency costs while maintaining quality (process improvements, scope adjustments, efficiency gains)
• Negotiate value-adds from Media Agency of Record : proprietary research, beta platform access, training, strategic consulting
• Lead savings tracking and value add tracking in partnership with media team and agency.
• Benchmark Media Agency of Record’s pricing and performance against industry standards and alternative vendors
• Lead make-vs-buy decisions: determine when to expand/reduce agency scope based on cost-benefit analysis
• Cross-Functional Stakeholder Management
• Partner with Procurement on vendor management: contract compliance, risk management, vendor evaluations
• Collaborate with Finance on budget planning, forecasting, accruals, and financial reporting
• Coordinate with Legal on contract terms, data privacy agreements, IP ownership, and liability
• Work with media strategy teams to translate strategic needs into agency SOW and resource requirements
• Support Marketing Operations on agency integration with internal tools, processes, and workflows
• Operational Excellence & Governance
• Establish and maintain vendor management processes: onboarding, performance tracking, issue escalation, offboarding
• Create transparency in agency costs: what we're paying for, what value we're receiving, where efficiencies exist
• Maintain organized documentation: contracts, SOWs, invoices, performance reviews, meeting notes
• Lead process improvement initiatives to reduce friction between internal team, agency, and Finance
• Ensure compliance with company vendor management policies, financial controls, and audit requirements
• Strategic Partnership Development
• Elevate the Media Agency of Record relationship from transactional vendor to strategic partner
• Identify opportunities for deeper collaboration: joint planning, innovation pilots, market insights, capability building
• Facilitate knowledge sharing between Media Agency of Record’s global network and ServiceNow's regional teams
• Advocate for ServiceNow within Media Agency of Record’s organization to ensure priority treatment and best talent allocation
• Participate in Media Agency of Record’s strategic planning sessions and agency-wide initiatives relevant to ServiceNow

Benefits

• health plans, including flexible spending accounts, a 401(k) Plan with company match, ESPP, matching donations, a flexible time away plan and family leave programs

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Director