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Hybrid Agency : Havas London Job Description Summary : Havas London is Havas UK’s flagship creative agency. Our mission is to make a meaningful difference to brands, businesses and people.

We’re the only major UK advertising agency to share a single building with every other specialist business in our network, all under a single P&L. Sitting within the Havas Village in King’s Cross affords us some clear advantages; none more so than our ability to build bespoke, multi-discipline teams around our clients, whatever their business need.

These are not teams that are together on paper alone, but teams physically, culturally, logistically and financially aligned. This set-up, alongside our partnership with Vivendi and companies including Universal Music Group, Canal+, StudioCanal and Gameloft, allows us to complement – not replicate – our specialisms.

Spearheaded by CEO James Fox, Chief Creative Officer Vicki Maguire and Chief Strategy Officer Matt Springate, we work with some of the largest, most influential and most ambitious organisations in the world, including Reckitt, Asda, the Department for Education and Hain Celestial. Job Description : The Chief Finance Officer will be a key member of the Management Teams across all the Havas Creative UK agencies, leading the financial strategy and strategy of the Group and ensuring all financial goals are met. The role requires a blend of strategic vision, operational excellence and emotional intelligence in order to partner effectively with a range of stakeholders to achieve our growth plans. Responsibilities include: The core management accounting and customer invoicing is handled by a dedicated team within the central Havas Finance Team. The CFO will work closely with the team and other services such as CT, VAT, AP, AR, treasury and statutory accounts are handled by the Havas Shared Services Centre in Maidstone. This role will require both a strategic and hands on approach to the following: Strategic Financial Planning, Management and Leadership:

• Develop and implement a forward-looking financial strategy aligned with the various agencies long-term growth objectives.
• Collaborate closely with the leadership teams to align financial plans with strategic business goals
• Collaborate with business leaders to set detailed annual expenditure budgets
• Support the Managing Partners in each agency in setting appropriate company, sector and account revenue targets
• Strategic oversight and accountability for financial operations, taking a hands-on approach when necessary to address critical issues including client-related financial escalations.
• Leading global and local commercial negotiations for new and existing clients, as well as forming strong relationships with client procurement functions.
• Manage salary review process against agreed budget submissions, and in line with network protocols
• Build relationships with other Havas CFO’s as a member of the Global Havas Commercial Council.

Financial Planning and Analysis (FP&A):

• Lead the development and implementation of robust FP&A processes, providing accurate and actionable financial insights.
• Accountable for accurate financial forecasts, analyse variances, and recommend and implement corrective actions.

Risk Management:

• Identify financial and company risks and opportunities and develop strategies to mitigate risks while maximizing opportunities and growth.
• Support the implementation of Havas internal controls.

Financial Reporting and Compliance:

• Oversee financial reporting, budgeting and forecasting, ensuring accurate, timely and compliant submissions.
• Ensure compliance with UK and overseas financial regulations, accounting standards, and best practices.
• Collaborate with external and internal auditors, tax advisors, and regulatory agencies as needed.
• Prepare the company for external financial audits.

Team Leadership:

• Lead, mentor, coach and develop team members (both finance and non finance), fostering a culture of excellence, collaboration, and continuous improvement.
• Provide oversight of other functions including IT and Legal.
• Set clear performance objectives, conduct regular performance evaluations, and provide professional development opportunities for team members.

Strategic Financial Projects:

• Lead, drive and participate in strategic financial projects that support the company's growth.

Skills and Experience:

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA).
• BSc/BA, MSc/MA is a plus
• Substantial experience in a similar senior financial leadership role within a marketing comms business.
• Experienced in proposing and implementing actionable insights for strategic decision-making.
• Proven track record of success in financial innovation and optimisation strategies.
• Experience in running complex financial projects.
• Awareness of financial software (e.g. Pulse, Concur).
• Able to clearly communicate financial information on a timely basis, highlighting risks and opportunities.
• Able to develop and implement financial strategies aligned with long-term business goals and partner effectively with SLT.
• Excellent interpersonal, communication and collaboration skills to cultivate and sustain key stakeholder relationships.
• Proficient coaching skills to support team members and get the best from them.
• Strong problem-solving skills for addressing complex financial challenges and opportunities.
• Advanced Excel skills.
• Able to adjust communication style and complexity of financial information to suit the audience (e.g. junior team members Vs board members).
• Capable of leading multiple financial projects simultaneously.
• Adept at articulating ideas persuasively both verbally and in writing.
• Advanced MS office and some data systems including Power BI, Tableau etc.
• Ability to handle commercially sensitive information appropriately and maintain confidentiality

#LI-AC2 Contract Type : Permanent Here at Havas across the group we pride ourselves on being committed to offering equal opportunities to all potential employees and have zero tolerance for discrimination. We are an equal opportunity employer and welcome applicants irrespective of age, sex, race, ethnicity, disability and other factors that have no bearing on an individual’s ability to perform their job.