Finance Director

ABOUT MKG

Founded in 2003, MKG is a women-led creative agency specializing in brand action. Brand actions – including live experiences, digital, virtual, and hybrid events, employee engagements, and social impact actions – humanize brands through creative storytelling and thoughtful, purpose-driven engagement. We’re proud to be long-standing partners to brands like Google, Target, Netflix, Meta, HBO, Delta Air Lines, and Visa and have offices in NYC and LA.

WORKING AT MKG

MKG, with offices in NYC and LA, is actively looking for a Finance Director to oversee the agency’s finances. This role will report into MKG’s President with a dotted line into our parent company’s CFO. They will oversee at minimum a team of three, and work collaboratively with all department heads and agency staff as needed.

Candidates should be within commuting distance of our NYC office and available for in-person collaboration on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays.

OVERVIEW OF THE ROLE

MKG is looking for a talented and versatile Finance Director to join the MKG team.

The Finance Director will act as the Financial and Business Standard Bearer for the agency. They are the subject matter expert, facilitator, enabler, mentor and guide in the financial workings and growth of the business. Areas of focus include: Client Finance, Financial Planning & Analysis, and accounting and financial management & reporting. The Finance Director will report to the President of the agency.

This person will be mentored by the multi-agency CFO at ACC, our parent company.

$150,000- $175,000 ***This is the minimum + maximum base salary that we, in good faith, are willing to pay at the time of the posting. Salary commensurate with experience.

WHAT YOU WILL DO IN THIS ROLE

Overview and Expectations at MKG:

• The Finance Director is the Financial and Business Standard Bearer for the agency.
• The subject matter expert, facilitator, enabler, mentor, and guide in the financial workings and growth of the business.
• Areas of focus include Client Finance, Financial Planning & Analysis, and accounting and financial management & reporting.
• Partner with the President to develop, implement and grow the agency’s business and financial strategy.
• Planning, developing, and implementing financial strategies for increasing revenues/profitability for the company.
• Continually work to ensure efficiency, quality, service, and cost-effective management of resources; reviewing business documentation/reports; monitoring and making recommendations on cost-saving measures and places to invest.

Financial Liaison & Partner with ACC and Sister Agencies:

• The Finance Director will have the greatest volume and frequency of communications with ACC.
• The strength of this relationship, therefore, will set the tone for how the agency and ACC work and grow together.
• Likewise, with integration and collaboration as a founding principle of ACC, the Finance Director will also have a critical relationship with each of the ACC agencies.
• Working with a holding company and with different agencies is difficult and requires exceptional emotional intelligence, adaptability and subject matter expertise.

Responsibilities:

• Create and maintain the agency forecast as a key tool to enable the agency’s goals and provide a runway to meet its EBITDA target
• Partner with the President in creating and evolving annual plans; track progress and communicate shifts to plan revising objectives/ plans in accordance with current conditions
• Create systems, tools, and process to continually improve the financial management of the agency.
• Utilization tracking, analysis, and projecting
• Revenue planning tracking
• Expense planning and tracking
• Work with team to ensure AMEX transactions are recorded and approved in a timely manner
• Profitability – by accounts, by departments, by work type
• Oversight of MKG Finance team including all performance reviews, coaching, counseling, etc.

Financial Management and Reporting:

• Create and manage systems and processes to effectively manage and advise agency leaders on all financial elements of the business.

On-going/As needed:

• Client Contract Review and negotiations
• Work closely with Production and Biz Dev teams on pricing projects for optimal project profitability
• Freelancer pricing negotiations – in partnership with DOP
• Ensure travel plans are within client policies and expense budget
• Departmental Process and System review and implementation
• Commission management.

Weekly Duties:

• Revenue Summary/Detail (Pipeline)
• Review and ensure timely Billing
• A/R aging and collections
• Review Departmental Resource Utilization and forecast
• Review Salary Planning File / Departmental To-Go Analysis
• Review, analyze, and approve Freelancer Needs and process all freelance invoices
• Weekly Meeting with the Production Director to discuss project, needs, and issues
• Generation of Utilization report now and going forward
• Accounts Payable (Checks, Wire Transfer Review and Approval), weekly.

Monthly Duties:

• Prepare Forward-looking Cash Flows that include Billing and Cost of Goods Sold for a roll
• forward 12-month period
• Accounting Close Schedule review with ACC
• Review and submit Actual Results vs Prior Year and vs Budget
• Monthly Business Review with ACC using the Corporate Consolidation Schedules
• Balance Sheet review with ACC
• Departmental T&E To Go Analysis
• Review Client Profitability
• When necessary, prepare and review Client Fee and hours Reconciliations.

Annual Duties:

• Support ACC for any Audit requests for the Year End Audit.
• Detail Forward Plan for the calendar year and update 5-year forecast.

Working With ACC:

• Help create, evolve, and then manage the financial reporting that first improves the operation of the agency, second, enables ever-increasing analysis, insights and enhancement of financial and business management, and thirdly, informs how the holding company can increasingly help the agency improve and grow.
• Timely reporting to ACC within timelines and determined schedules/formats.

Working with Sister Agencies:

• There will be significant opportunities for the agencies within the community to work together –
• especially in winning and growing business with clients.
• How each agency allocates resources to these cross-ACC opportunities will be critical.
• The Finance Director will play a key role in informing and managing these cross-agency
• investments.

Growth and Innovation Enabler:

• The effective investment and management of resources will enable the agency to grow, both with new business and with innovation.
• The Finance Director plays an instrumental role in informing this allocation of resources.
• Optimally plan and allocate resource and out of pocket funding for business development and marketing efforts
• Inform and enable new business pitch packages.
• Review and improve client contracts and negotiations
• Review and Prepare Pricing (SOW/Staffing Plans).

WHAT YOU WILL BRING TO THIS ROLE

• Experiential Marketing, Event Management, Marketing Services, etc., that has a material sized COGS element as part of its financial model.
• Experience in a fast-paced, dynamic, entrepreneurial environment.
• Demonstrates ability to work efficiently and fluidly amongst Leadership, Account teams and Parent Company.
• Understands how to and can navigate in a dual reporting senior role; i.e., local leadership and Holding Company environment.