Sr Finance/ Finance Analyst (Arabic Speaker)

Edelman is a voice synonymous with trust, reimagining a future where the currency of communication is action. Our culture thrives on three promises: boldness is possibility, empathy is progress, and curiosity is momentum. 

At Edelman, we understand diversity, equity, inclusion and belonging (DEIB) transform our colleagues, our company, our clients, and our communities. We are in relentless pursuit of an equitable and inspiring workplace that is respectful of all, reflects and represents the world in which we live, and fosters trust, collaboration and belonging.

ABOUT US

Edelman is a new kind of agency, at the intersection of PR, Advertising, Social, Digital, Earned Media and Experiential. We blur the lines between each medium to create smart, innovative, and powerful work that gets people talking and engaging with brands in new ways. You will be challenged to push convention and your creativity to find modern ways to drive consumer behaviour in today’s socially charged, digital environment. 

We are passionate, unconventional, and driven by a desire to do the best work possible. We get results for our clients and have the trophies to prove it. We are tough on work. We are kind to each other. We also laugh a lot ....

THE ROLE

As a business manager/finance manager, you will be responsible for handling the financial transactions, analysing financial reports, and monitor investment activities. You will strategize effective techniques to boost the company’s financial performance and identify business opportunities to increase revenues. You will be able to drive performance in a fast-paced environment, operating across a complex structure to provide financial insights to support decision-making.

KEY ROLES AND RESPONSIBILITIES

• Pricing Contracts
• You will be responsible in reviewing and approving client budgets and upload properly into financial system.
• Facilitate negotiation of client and vendor contracts between clients/vendors, account staff/senior management and legal department, including full review of all business terms (with oversight)
• Ensure that projects are managed in accordance with contracts; create summary sheets (contract cheat sheets) for account teams.




Client Reporting & Audits

• You will account teams with monthly project budget to actual tracking and other required client reporting.
• Coordinate data collection for client audits.




Financial Management Analysis and Planning

• You will be responsible in reviewing monthly client fee phasing and expense detail with Client Leads or relevant Senior Finance
• Analyse monthly client budgets for accuracy and explain significant variances to budget or forecast.
• Assist with developing annual revenue and staffing budgets and maintain accurate monthly projections.
• Provide Client Finance Director, Finance VP and Client Leads with monthly financial package describing results to date, forward projections compared to budget and commentary around noticeable trends.
• Analyse client finance reports and identify and communicate areas of concern and suggested improvements to account staff and management (e.g., client profitability, utilization, over/under service, missing time, revenue risk and staffing plans)
• Accountable for accuracy of client financials including client billing, pricing, receivables, WIP and monthly projections.




Revenue Recognition

• Review monthly fees for accuracy and compliance with Edelman Revenue Recognition policy.
• Post month end journals, including bank postings for general ledger items.




Billing/Cash Flow Management

• Facilitate monthly client billing (e-billing per ZATCA standards) – liaison between account staff and billing department and review billing reports.
• Review time and expense write-offs and unbilled WIP
• Ensure processing of service orders timely
• Work with client leads to minimize risk exposure surrounding accounts receivables and credit requirements of clients.
• Accountable for timely and valuable AR collection status commentary and liaison with Accounts Receivable




Project & Resource Management

• Supervise client project set up process for department and perform Finance Manager role for larger or more complex projects.
• Drive profitability by working with department’s management and account teams to improve client and resource management.
• Review client staffing utilization, realization, and capacity and proactively communicate meaningful observations to GM’s.
• Work closely with HR and Business leads to identify the needs on resources and align on budgets of new hires.

KNOWLEDGE & SKILLS

• 6+ years of finance and accounting experience
• Bachelor’s degree in finance or accounting and CPA, MBA, or public accounting experience is a plus.
• Native Arabic Speaker is a MUST.
• Knowledge in financial systems (e.g., PeopleSoft, SAP or any other ERP system) and strong Microsoft Excel skills is a plus.
• Team player with proven ability to work cross-functionally and across multiple stakeholders to achieve goals and objectives.
• Capacity to manage a busy workload and tight deadlines.

Guiding Principles for our Team:

Fearless: We take big swings. If we don’t fail every now and then, we aren’t trying.

Curious: We are a team that embraces challenges - curious people are often unafraid of change

Inclusive: We are open minded to ideas wherever they come. We build through diverse thinkers and backgrounds.

Integrity: We do what we say. We are honest and respectful in how we make.

If you apply, we will review your fit against the position criteria and feedback to you. If your profile does not meet the criteria, we will retain your profile as an active applicant for future consideration.

Visit www.edelman.com for more information and take a peek behind the scenes of our Global operation in the Middle East.

We are dedicated to building a diverse, inclusive, and authentic workplace, so if you’re excited about this role but your experience doesn’t perfectly align with every qualification, we encourage you to apply anyway. You may be just the right candidate for this or other roles.