Vice President, Client Finance

ABOUT ORCHESTRA

Orchestra is a new communications company that helps brands and organizations reach audiences in a more effective and precise way. Its growing team of 700+ storytellers and strategists is shaping what's next in communications, with experience that spans consumer, technology, climate and sustainability, education, healthcare, philanthropy, real estate, travel, hospitality and arts and culture, to name a few. Since 2022, it’s acquired nine firms, including: BerlinRosen, Civitas Public Affairs Group, Derris, Glen Echo Group, Inkhouse, M18, Message Lab, Onward and Small Girls PR. It also launched Brightmode, a talent acquisition firm for communications professionals. Learn more at: www.orchestraco.com.

People of color, people with disabilities and women are strongly encouraged to apply. Orchestra is committed to building and maintaining a diverse staff and recognizes that its continued success depends on hiring and retaining high-quality creative professionals with a variety of backgrounds and experiences. Opportunities for advancement exist and we are committed to helping all staff develop and grow.

 

ABOUT THE ORCHESTRA FINANCE TEAM

The Orchestra Finance Team oversees financial results and works with our teams on client finance, growth strategies and the overall financial health of the company. We are responsible for the successful integration with our new partner companies as well as any future acquisition activity.

We work with management and other key agency stakeholders to drive profitability and monitor key performance indicators. We are growing a team of experienced finance professionals, change agents, Excel masters and complex problem-solvers to collaborate cross-functionally to assess financial strategies, systems and processes in an effort to drive the full-cycle financial health of all our clients.

 

ABOUT THIS ROLE

Orchestra is seeking a Vice President, Client Finance. This is an excellent opportunity for a solution-oriented and analytically minded individual who will approach work with a sense of possibility, sees challenges as opportunities and has a relentless passion and curiosity for process improvement.

You’ll be responsible for providing financial leadership, mitigating business risks, partnering with leaders of the business and taking on projects that are central to our short- and long-term growth & profitability initiatives. This position is part of a dynamic team that works in a fast-paced environment where attention to detail and the ability to work nimbly with cross-functional teams is crucial to success.

Role location: This role is based in our New York, N.Y. office on a hybrid basis. The Finance team is in-office at least 3 days per week.

 

ACCOUNTABILITIES AND QUALIFICATIONS

As a Vice President, Client Finance, you will...

• Own the management of monthly/quarterly financial reports (i.e., dashboards, P&Ls overservicing, etc.), forward projections, including commentary around noticeable trends; communicate and set expectations on the risks and opportunities in the forecast
• Deeply understand the drivers of revenue, EBITDA variances and proactively flag any large variance swing
• Proactively identify opportunities and provide strategic counsel to practice managers on business decisions (i.e., capacity management and client profitability to new business proposals)
• Maintain client-level financial forecasts for the business units, indicate when a new headcount may be needed and provide all financial modeling
• Mentor and train client finance team on revenue recognition, projections and drive monthly revenue review process
• Create and drive reports that help identify areas of improvement across practices and/or clients; suggest improvements that would drive improvement beyond one account (i.e. over/under service, missing time, revenue risk and staffing plans)
• Be responsible for annual budgets with YoY analysis and modeling
• Collaborate with Client Finance team and key business stakeholders to understand the story behind the numbers
• Review expenses, AR, pre-billing and WIP for managed practices
• Actively manage vendor selection and relationships including any and all system implementations together with the wider finance team
• Proactively drive ad hoc strat