Financial Operations & Systems Analyst Financial Operations & Systems Analyst

With the significant expansion in the volume of Bluey licensing deals we have an opportunity for a Financial Operations Analyst to join the Brands & Licensing finance team on a 12-month fixed term contract. This newly created role will collaborate closely with the licensing team and with different departments across the business, to provide professional financial operations and system support to key stakeholders, ensure effective control of financial operational processes, enabling the delivery of operational excellence., Process Support

• Support the businesses by ensuring the billing of royalties is accurate and timely, which will involve close management of the finance operational process, and rigorous review and challenge of royalty statements received.
• Collaborate with licensee coordinators in the collection of global / multi region licensee royalty forecasts, and own the delivery of a consolidated position for the Consumer Products leadership team and finance
• Agency process management and issue resolution (20+ agents and growing)
• Document financial operational processes for each of the existing and agents that are being onboarded, so complexities are clear to all areas of business support.
• Act as point person for agent and licensee questions regarding payments due or requests for reconciliations.
• Represent the licensing business during weekly meetings with the outsourced billing and accounting team, and monthly meetings with all support functions.
• Support the licensing business team members with process management, to include governance documentation requirements and answering sales team questions with regards to the status of licensee payments.
• Reconciliation of licensing revenue that is included in third party royalty statements to ensure accuracy and completeness of royalty calculations.
• Facilitate credit checks with credit control
Resolution Support
• Resolution of issues related to royalty and central marketing fund reports in a timely manner.
• Resolution of credit control issues including the allocation of cash.
• Resolution of matters that have resulted in unallocated cash receipts.
• Lead the completion of deal exception forms and obtaining necessary approvals.
• Lead queries as to whether licensees are reporting and paying.
Data Control
• Reviewing licensing contracts once signed and supporting business teams with reporting templates to ensure the correct billing process occurs.
• Point person to liaise between sales team members, Systems and Finance on licensee requests for unique statement/reporting templates, to ensure variations are as limited as possible but simultaneously providing for unique deal structures and compliance with BBCS accounting guidelines.
• Monitor submission of royalty statements through unique email address to be included on all contracts following licensee payment instructions
• Chasing and reviewing royalty and central marketing fund reports from licensees
• Collaborate with the licensing and billing team to proactively resolve issues before billing dates.
• Complete recoupment reporting which will involve understanding the status / position of each licensee.
System Support
• Develop thorough understanding of finance systems involved in managing the licensing business (e.g. SAP) to be able to perform the necessary reconciliations and help the business or licensees with the resolution of issues. Generate reconciliation of licensee payments versus royalty statements submitted quarterly for all stakeholders.
• Collaborate with multiple system and project teams as the link between financial operations and financial systems teams.
• Work with the technology project team during the development of a bespoke licensing system platform.
• Involvement in UAT testing and issue resolution of such systems.
• Maintain library of approved reporting templates for deals including but not limited to flat fee, flat fee with royalty hurdle and meet and greet event driven payments.
  
  Significant experience of delivering a high-quality financial operations support
• Ability to take complex data/principles and to communicate these in an understandable way
• Experience of reviewing royalty statements is necessary.
• Experience in payments involving VAT highly desirable.
• Highly developed written and verbal communication skills
• Ability to communicate effectively with a range of stakeholders.
• Experience in accounting and/or revenue collection within the consumer packaged goods, publishing or interactive products substitutable.
• Experience with licensing software programs required, with the ability to translate licensing business needs into system requirements, Newly obtained professional accounting qualification or studying towards one e.g. ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent
• Familiarity with consumer products licensing, live events and promotional agreements preferred.
  
  BBC Studios is a world-renowned content studio and channels & streaming business, powered by British creativity, with a reach that touches audiences in every corner of the globe.
We work with outstanding creative talent who are responsible for platform-defining shows from Strictly Come Dancing to Bluey, Eastenders, Prehistoric Planet and Planet Earth III. The range and quality of our content is unsurpassed, creating critical and commercial successes and global phenomena. From BAFTAs to RTS Awards, BBC Studios is Britain's most awarded production company and the only producer with three of the top ten shows on IMDB; we're the home of bbc.com, the widest-read English language news website in the world; and the UK's largest distributor of British content. ABOUT THE CONSUMER PRODUCTS TEAM BBC Studios recently announced a new global approach to its Consumer Products & Licensing business, with the creation of two distinct global teams. The new setup will allow the creation of a global centre of excellence for consumer products activities and a deeper focus on high-potential licensing opportunities. This follows on from amazing results for BBC Studios' iconic properties including global phenomenon Bluey, the number 1 kids' content brand in the UK, Australia, and the US. Other global IP slate includes Doctor Who, Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars, Top Gear and BBC Earth. The consumer products team continues to secure an ever-increasing number of key partnerships for the global phenomenon Bluey that have positioned Bluey to become a leading preschool franchise across the retail landscape in 140 countries across the world., The BBC is committed to building a culturally diverse workforce, that represents the audiences we serve, and encourages applications from candidates from any background, especially people from diverse communities. Equity of opportunity is important to us, and we endeavour to make our processes equal, fair and meritocratic for everybody. More information on our D&I plan can be found here. BBC Studios puts sustainability at the heart of everything we do both onscreen and offscreen, including delivering against the BBC Group's science-based Net Zero targets. More information on sustainability at BBC Studios can be found here.


• We offer a competitive salary package
• Flexible 35-hour working week for work-life balance
• Parental leave for new parents, regardless of gender, of up to a year with 18 weeks fully paid
• 26 days holiday (plus an additional day which is a Corporation Day) with the option to buy an extra 5 days
• A defined pension scheme and discounted dental, health care, gym and much more
• A comprehensive Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
• Excellent career progression - access to courses, webinars, workshops and the opportunity to work in different areas of the organisation