Financial Accounting Sr. Manager

WABE informs, inspires, reflects and empowers greater Atlanta.  Formally called Atlanta Educational Telecommunications Collaborative, Inc. (AETC), WABE is a non-profit, public media service and NPR and PBS affiliate for metro Atlanta and presents information via WABE90.1FM, WABE TV, WABE.org and numerous podcasts and digital offerings. For more information on the broadcast service, programming, and opportunities, please visit www.wabe.org  

Financial Accounting Sr. Manager 

Seeking a dynamic, experienced, and detail-oriented Financial Accounting Manager to join our Finance team. Reporting to the VP of Finance, this role will primarily work closely with the WABE Studios production team and will be responsible for all production and associated reporting, preparing show financial statements, verifying financial records and account reconciliations. The Financial Accounting Sr. Manager will lead the film tax credit audit and will assist in the annual financial audit. The position will be responsible for all financial reporting and tracking aspects related to the Underwriting billing and revenue process. 

WABE Studios Duties and Responsibilities: 

  • Be the communication glue between Finance and the WABE Studios Production team. 
  • Monitor production budgets, analyze expenditures reports, and forecast final costs. 
  • Work with production to gather and understand contracts, deal memos, appropriate start paperwork, and timesheets for processing. 
  • Process production payroll. 
  • Manage the production AP process. 
  • Process bill-backs of corporate costs for WABE. 
  • Calculate Georgia Film Tax Credits for each production. 
  • Deliver breakdown of Costs for GA Film Tax Credits 
  • Review/audit production expense reports ensuring compliance with company policy. 
  • Preparation of WABE Studios financial analyses as requested by management. 
  • Prepare production company information for inclusion in monthly reporting, including revenue recognition. 
  • Lead the Film Tax Credit audit process for each production. 
  • Work very closely with the Georgia Film Office to ensure all qualified film tax credits are received. 

WABE Duties and Responsibilities: 

  • All financial processing related to Underwriting sales:  
  • Underwriting billing and revenue recognition for radio, TV, and all other digital media areas. 
  • Account tracking and analysis, collections, payment application, aging reporting, and overall support for the Underwriting team. 
  • Deferred revenue analysis and monthly tracking. 
  • Underwriting Account Executive monthly commission calculation and statement distribution. 
  • Billing and revenue recognition for ISDN, studio, and tower rentals. 
  • Verifying and posting general ledger activity. 
  • Reconciling account balances and bank statements, maintaining general ledger, and assisting with the month-end close process.  
  • Developing and documenting procedures to maintain and strengthen internal controls. 
  • Providing continuous process improvement recommendations for better integration of the various management systems that support financial processes and record keeping. 
  • Participating in the financial forecast process. 
  • Assisting the Finance team in preparing documents and interpreting complicated financial information for managers, department heads, and senior leadership. 
  • Providing input into department’s goal setting process. 
  • Providing timely and accurate information in response to any inquiries. 
  • Keeps up to date on information and technology affecting financial operations to enable innovation and ensure compliance. 

Requirements:  

A successful Financial Accounting Sr. Manager combines excellent analytical skills with a thorough knowledge of accounting principles to analyze financial reports and forecasts. The ideal candidate also has experience collaborating and/or managing a team. 

  • Film & Tax credit auditing experience is required. 
  • BS degree in Accounting or Finance 
  • Minimum of 4-5 years of combined production and accounting experience. 
  • Experience with general ledger functions and the month-end/year-end close process. 
  • Billing and revenue recognition experience. 
  • Experience in Film or TV production and knowledge of audit, tax, union, guild, and relevant government regulations. 
  • Strong knowledge and understanding of the production process and experience with budgets and weekly cost reports. 
  • Hands-on experience with accounting and financial reporting software such as Abila MIP, Hyperion/Tableau  
  • Advanced Excel skills such as Power Query, XLOOKUP’s, Pivot tables, macros, etc. 
  • Accuracy and attention to detail. 
  • Must be positive, hardworking, deadline and goal oriented. 
  • Aptitude for numbers and quantitative skills. 
  • Excellent communication skills. 
  • Strong organizational skills and able to handle multiple requests in order of priority. 
  • Respects and maintains confidentiality. 

Competencies:  

  • Change/Adaptability/Flexibility— Adapts to change, is open to new ideas, takes on new responsibilities, handles pressure, and adjusts plans to meet changing needs.  
  • Communication— Communicates well both verbally and in writing, shares information and ideas with others throughout the organization as appropriate, has active listening skills.   
  • Leadership and Initiative — Focused on results, sets challenging goals, prioritizes tasks, overcomes obstacles, accepts accountability, sets high standards and takes responsibility.  Provides leadership and motivation.  
  • Collaboration— Works collaboratively with others to solve problems, achieve common goals. Listens to others and values opinions. Is open with other team members and expresses disagreement constructively. Seeks opportunities to work on teams to provide a financial perspective to projects. 

Work Environment & Physical Demands:  

The physical demands and work environment described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions. Individuals may need to sit or stand as needed. May require walking primarily on a level surface for periodic periods throughout the day. Reaching above shoulder heights, below the waist or lifting as required (up to 5 lbs.), filing documents or store materials throughout the workday. Proper lifting techniques required. For the most part ambient room temperatures, lighting and traditional office equipment as found in a typical office environment.