Lead and develop an ambitious and talented team of accountants providing a benchmark business finance service supporting the Learning Division, with its wide range of publications ranging from Little Wandle Phonetic Readers, GCSE Flashcards, AZ Atlases, Collins Dictionaries or Books of Minecraft activities. This will include, but not be limited to, preparation of investment cases for acquisitions, business cases, annual budget, month-end analysis and reports, monthly forecasts, long-range planning , sales performance updates, and regular reporting to licensors (e.g., National Geographic, National Trust, Mattel). You will work closely with the senior publishing team, including executive editors and the managing director. Deputize for the Commercial Director as needed.
Responsibilities include
Team management:
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Coach team members to identify and address knowledge gaps and areas for improvement (2 direct reports)
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Delegate effectively and efficiently to develop and challenge staff
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Identify and encourage interests in specific areas of publishing so the team can integrate more fully into global publishing teams
Forecasting and budgeting:
Support the budgeting and forecasting process to ensure accurate and timely delivery and reporting to business stakeholders. This will include:
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Plan the budget and forecasting process and organize the finance team and external data providers from the sales and marketing teams to ensure that deadlines are reasonable and achievable.
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Ensure accuracy of submissions, uploads and reports by training the team in attention to detail and developing a culture of self-assessment and review.
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Apply the principle of continuous improvement to budget/forecast (and other) reports and strive to incorporate rich detail, illuminating information and surprising content.
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It is anticipated that due to workload and time constraints, the Business Manager will need to assist in preparing and uploading data to ensure timelines are met.
Purchases:
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Attend acquisitions meetings, be the editorial’s first point of contact for acquisition queries and, in consultation with the Commercial Director, advise on best practices for bids and cost improvements. Liaise with sales, marketing, production, design and contracts team as required.
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Ensure acquisition P&Ls are prepared in a timely and accurate manner and that the relevant accountant has a full understanding of the business implications for each title e.g. how the different formats work and the retail and marketing strategy proposed.
Financial report:
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Manage the month-end process ensuring the team completes retro accruals, factory adjustments, subscription deferrals, cost center adjustments, and marketing adjustments in sufficient time for review detailed before the submission of the group.
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Lead the team in identifying significant variances from budget and/or forecast and analyze the reasons for these variances. Consider the impact on forecasts and future planning.
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Ensure timely preparation of reports for monthly Division Executive meetings, including month-end business reports and post-release reviews.
Ad hoc analysis and division support:
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Value-added activities, performed personally or delegated within the team, including but not limited to:
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Regular monthly reports on individual sales rep performance against targets
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Manage the annual price increase process
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Long-term profitability analysis of individual departments/series
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Cost analysis and ROI – production, marketing, factory, royalties
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Participate in printing, reprint and excess inventory meetings to provide financial advice and deepen your understanding of costs, retailer behavior and risk.
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Superuser status on JDE to help editorial/marketing/design departments. navigate the system
Advantages
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Hybrid work model (more than 2 days in the office)
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26 days of vacation plus holidays (possibility to buy and sell holidays)
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Increased compensation for maternity, paternity, adoption and shared parenthood leaves
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Private health cover and life insurance
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Free access to HeadSpace, Employee Assistance Program (24-hour helpline), Mental Health First Aid and Wellness Portal
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Subscription loans (from day 1 for entry level) and bike work program
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Employee networks: HC All In (open forum), Elevate (for ethnic minority colleagues), HarperParents, Menopause at Work and Pride at HC
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Unlimited training on our Learning and Development portal, management courses (up to MA level) and mentoring programs
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Virtual GP and eye care vouchers
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Discount on gym membership
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On-site physiotherapy (London only)
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Charitable and Volunteer Matching Day
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We are a Carbon Neutral certified company
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Free e-books and audiobooks, newspaper subscriptions and book discounts
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Subsidized canteen and retail discounts
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Prayer room on site
If you would like to discuss anything in relation to this position and/or your application for this role, please contact our Talent Acquisition Manager directly at stephanie.jemmett@harpercollins.co.uk with the subject line “Job Application vacant” plus the job title and we will endeavor to respond to you within 5 working days.
