Senior Director External Reporting & Consolidation

Who are we hiring? 

The Senior Director - External Reporting & Consolidations is responsible for the overall management of Sphere’s financial reporting process, which includes the preparation of the Company’s consolidated financial statements as well as quarterly and annual statutory financial statements for certain Sphere divisions. These responsibilities include the review of Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Statement of Cash Flows (“SoCF”), Statement of Shareholders Equity, and Statement of Comprehensive Income for inclusion in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis as well as the preparation or review of certain footnotes and Management’s discussion and analysis (MD&A).

The Senior Director also supports Sphere’s technical accounting efforts through the research and documentation of technical matters as they arise to ensure appropriate application of US GAAP as well as the maintenance of effective internal control over financial reporting.

This role also oversees the maintenance of Sphere’s general ledger and the Company’s financial consolidation practice, which includes opening and closing the ledger on a monthly basis as well as continuous interaction with all relevant stakeholders, including business, finance and accounting leaders.

The Senior Director must also demonstrate an exemplary ability to build, establish and maintain best in class financial close and reporting processes, while appropriately re-prioritizing as necessary, as competing projects and deadlines arise to ensure completion of all projects and responsibilities in the expected timeframe.

What will you do?

• Review consolidated financial statements prepared by the financial reporting team, including Balance Sheet, Income Statement, Statement of Cash Flows, Statement of Shareholders Equity, and Statement of Comprehensive Income for inclusion in the Company’s periodic filings with the SEC on a quarterly basis.
• Ensure the integrity of balance sheets, income statements, applicable financial statement analysis and other supporting documentation pertaining to management, annual audit, SEC and other reports.
• Prepare the cash flow analysis and Cash Flow Discussion in the Company’s 10Qs and 10-Ks based on SoCF prepared by the financial reporting team.
• Prepare disclosure related to the Company’s leases, share-based compensation, earnings-per-share, related party transactions, as well as management’s discussion and analysis in Sphere Forms 10-Q and 10-K.
• Preparation of audited financial statements for Sphere subsidiaries. Work with treasury and legal department and provide various analyses need for determining the settlement of intercompany payable/receivable balance and repatriation of capital back to US parent company.
• Responsible for statutory reporting requirements for Sphere subsidiaries.
• Assist Investor Relations with earnings documents and ensures consistency between Forms 10-Q/K and earnings documents.
• Responsible (working with Senior Staff Accountant) for accounting for Company’s share-based compensation (“SBC”), earnings per share calculations and related disclosure, as well as segment reporting.
• Work with the FP&A team on projections for the budget and forecast related to share-based compensation annually, as well as working with income tax team on quarterly basis to provide additional SBC information used for DTA calculation.
• Prepare journal entries for corporate accounting for monthly and quarterly share-based compensation related matter including capitalization as well as income tax related schedules.
• Ensure accuracy of the monthly foreign exchange translation and maintaining Cumulative Translation Adjustment account.
• Review and analyze financial packages submitted by business units, participate in various divisional accounting review meeting and identify accounting and disclosure issues.
• Perform technical research and document significant accounting issues in support of the Company’s Technical Accounting.
• Provide leadership and guidance with respect to the Company’s ongoing GL Conversion and subsequent maintenance as well as future system implementations / upgrades.
• Function as a key point of contact for both External and Internal auditors.
• Evaluate and identify areas of potential exposure and internal control weaknesses.

What do you need to succeed?

• 10+ years of experience, preferably a mix of public accounting and accounting in private industry.
• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or related field.
• CPA license required.
• Media & Entertainment industry experience a plus.
• Proficient understanding of technical accounting concepts, including but not limited to complex revenue recognition, share-based compensation, leases, business combinations, equity method investments, asset capitalization, asset impairment analysis and film / production accounting.
• Proficient in SEC Reporting, including the preparation of financial statements, footnote disclosures, and the related analytical review.
• Proficiency in Excel and knowledge of Oracle Financial Systems.
• Ability to evaluate and interpret data and draw relevant conclusions.
• Ability to interact with various levels of management and staff in several divisions.
• Ability to mentor and lead Accountants.
• Exemplary ability to build, establish and maintain best in class financial close and reporting processes
• Excellent project management skills with the ability to keep projects on schedule.
• Attention to detail and strict adherence to deadlines is critical.
• Possess strong organizational skills with the ability to multi-task and re-prioritize between competing responsibilities in a fast-paced detail-oriented and growing environment.
• Experience in Workiva Wdesk platform and XBRL tagging is preferred.

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