Commercial Finance Manager

Commercial Finance Manager

Location: London, UK (Hybrid -3 to 4 days in Office)

Reports to: VP, Finance (London)

We’re VaynerMedia! We are a contemporary global creative and media agency built for the now. Born in social, our work is now full service, simply loving big ideas that connect and create real change for our clients business. We are independently owned, founded in 2009 with offices in London, Amsterdam, New York, Los Angeles, Singapore, Tokyo, Sydney, Bangkok, Kuala Lumpur and Mexico City. We are recognized for our work in Cannes Lions, the Clios, D&AD and The Webbies to name a few. 

Culture is our key and Empathy is how we build it. VaynerMedia EMEA is strong with a world-class combination of diverse backgrounds collaborating to put forward innovative, creative and strategic solutions to the one advantage that stands the test of time – PEOPLE. Day in and day out, we propel some of the biggest brands in the world to the intersection of attention and culture. In EMEA, we are proudly 250+, servicing multi-brands across the region.

The PITCH.

VaynerMedia is looking for a Commercial Finance Manager to join the Finance department as a strategic commercial partner. This isn't a traditional corporate reporting role; we are looking for a business-facing gatekeeper who thrives at the intersection of finance, data, and agency culture. The ideal candidate is a proactive communicator and AI-forward thinker who wants to own the commercial narrative of our client portfolios.

Role Overview

The Commercial Finance Manager serves as the primary commercial authority and financial co-pilot for the agency’s UK operations. Acting as a strategic advisor to Client Partnerships (CP) and Project Management (PM), you will function as the final financial gatekeeper for the end-to-end commercial lifecycle—from the formal review and approval of all client and vendor contracts to the delivery of high-accuracy performance reporting.

You are not just a reporter of data; you are a change agent. You will leverage advanced AI tools (Gemini, CoPilot, Claude) to transform manual workflows into predictive analytics, ensuring margin protection and root-cause transparency across our high-value client portfolios. By mastering NetSuite, NSPB, and the transition to Mediaocean, you will drive operational excellence and act as the "Single Source of Truth" for our commercial stakeholders.

Portfolio Scale & Scope

• Revenue Management: Direct commercial oversight of a high-value portfolio of annual billings.
• Client Base: Management of major client accounts and their associated vendor ecosystems.

Key Responsibilities

A. Contractual Control, Procurement & AP Lifecycle

• Contract Governance: Act as the final finance gatekeeper for all Client and Vendor contracts. Review and provide formal financial approval for Statements of Work (SOWs), Master Service Agreements (MSAs), and Vendor Service Agreements.
• AP Lifecycle Oversight: In partnership with Accounting and the Shared Service Team (SST), oversee the Media/Vendor AP lifecycle to ensure end-to-end efficiency.
• PO & Cost Approval: Review and approve Purchase Orders (POs) against signed vendor contracts. Audit and approve billable costs within NetSuite to ensure margin integrity and financial accuracy.
• Commercial Terms: Ensure all contracts adhere to agency margin targets, payment terms, and liability requirements.
• Procurement Liaison: Lead technical procurement negotiations with client-side procurement teams to defend pricing models and resource plans.
• Legal Alignment: Support Legal teams by translating financial risks into contractual safeguards during negotiation.

B. Commercial Performance & AI Innovation (FP&A Partnership)

• Client P&L Ownership: Own the monthly performance analysis for the portfolio. Identify root causes of margin erosion (e.g., over-servicing or scope creep) at the client level.
• Performance Reporting: Provide timely, detailed, and accurate monthly performance reporting on variances against budget, forecast, and prior year, focusing on root cause analysis.
• Narrative Feed: Act as the primary source for the commercial narrative provided to FP&A. Translate ground-level project variances into the commentary required for agency-wide management packs.
• AI Dashboarding: Build and maintain AI-driven dashboards (using Gemini/Claude) that provide Client Partners with real-time visibility into margin health and burn rates.
• Continuous Improvement: Drive continuous improvement in monthly financial reporting cycles and data integrity in partnership with Accounting, FP&A, Shared Service, Tech, and Procurement.

C. Systems & Forecast Integrity (NetSuite & NSPB)

• NSPB Ownership: Full accountability for vital forecast input data including revenue, comp adjustments, and below-line rephasing. Ensure intercompany revenue and staff time are accurately inputted into NSPB for forecasting and actuals.
• System Evolution: Utilize NetSuite as the primary ERP for monitoring actuals and lead the commercial transition/onboarding of Mediaocean.
• Burn Analysis: Partner with PMs to review project burn monthly; ensure revenue is recognized in strict alignment with work completed.

D. Strategic Operations, Audit & Compliance

• Staffing & Hiring: Manage the hiring approval workflow in partnership with POPs and PET. Review all hiring requests against scoped client margins to confirm every new hire is "Client-Justified" before Compensation Committee review.
• Month-End Accruals: Collaborate with the Accounting team to provide all necessary monthly accruals for billable costs and intercompany charges.
• Audit Lead: Provide primary support and lead for internal and external client transparency audits.
• Compliance & VAT: Maintain a basic understanding of UK VAT compliance for media spend and intercompany recharges.
• A/R Coordination: Trigger Shared Service invoicing; act as the escalation point for overdue status and recommend bad-debt reserves to Accounting for review.

What WE KNOW as a Success

We treasure Personality and Experience, yet we do know that these qualifications lead to what WE KNOW as a success:

• Commercial Experience: 4–6 years in Commercial Finance, ideally within a fast-paced agency environment.
• System Proficiency: Strong experience with NetSuite and Enterprise Planning Modules (NSPB, Adaptive Insights, or Hyperion).
• AI Growth Mindset: A genuine interest in using tools like Gemini, CoPilot, or Claude to reduce manual inputs and enhance insight generation.
• Data Visualization: Experience using BI tools like Tableau or PowerBI to automate reporting solutions.
• Communication Mastery: Ability to translate complex financial data for non-finance stakeholders (Sales/PMs).
• Operational Organiser: A detail-oriented nature capable of managing complex hiring workflows and high-volume contract reviews.
• Technical Extras: Proficiency in MS Excel/PPT is essential; exposure to writing code (Javascript, Python, R) is a significant plus.

What you SHOULD KNOW about VaynerMedia

Think “lab” and not “agency”. We get excited about solving business problems, not creating advertising for the sake of making advertising. Our entrepreneurship DNA runs deep. We’re willing to break rules, try new things, and test hypotheses if it means better understanding our craft. It’s fun!

VaynerMedia is an Equal Opportunity Employer.