Manager, Creative - Business Operations and Financial Planning Manager

Position Summary... We are seeking an experienced and detail-oriented Business Operations & Financial Planning Manager to lead financial reporting and budget management for Walmart Creative Studio (WCS). This role requires a strong foundation in business analytics, data analysis, and budget management. You will design, build, and maintain financial reports, dashboards, and performance scorecards from the ground up, creating a streamlined reporting ecosystem for WCS while providing strategic insights to its leaders. Responsibilities include tracking purchase orders (POs), managing change requests, coordinating contract updates, and collaborating closely with internal Finance, Agency Relations, and external vendors. You'll drive the day-to-day rhythm of the business, ensuring all financial reports are accurate and updated, while shaping its strategic landscape through data analysis. We're looking for an individual with exceptional business analysis skills, who is detail-oriented, strategic, and an effective collaborator. Walmart Creative Studio is a dynamic, complex environment with evolving budget needs, requiring a professional who thrives in complexity, simplifies chaos, and creates impactful executive reports and dashboards. If you’re a proactive, curious professional with a passion for financial reporting and operations management, we’d love to hear from you. What you'll do... Budget Planning System Design & Maintenance: Oversee the design, maintenance, and continuous improvement of budget planning reporting systems in Excel and Airtable. This includes selecting and integrating the most effective tools and platforms to enhance reporting capabilities, streamline workflows, and simplify the financial reporting ecosystem for the Walmart Creative Studio (WCS). Data Integrity & Financial Governance: Maintain data accuracy and integrity for all financial reports, conducting monthly reconciliations to compare internal forecasts with actual expenses. Document and analyze shifts across budget lines to provide clear financial tracking and accountability, ensuring compliance with internal standards and reporting accuracy. Expense Forecasting & Modeling: Support the Senior Manager in forecasting upcoming expenses, with a focus on staffing needs and marketing initiatives. Build data models as necessary to project future expenses accurately, using data-driven insights to guide budgeting decisions and prepare for evolving business needs. Dynamic, Automated Reporting System: Develop and implement an automated, user-friendly budget reporting system that enables senior management and WCS leadership to access real-time, ad-hoc budget reports. This system should simplify budget tracking and provide leadership with quick insights into financial status, trends, and variances. Executive Financial Presentations: Prepare and present financial information and insights to senior leadership, translating complex budget data into clear, concise, and visually impactful presentations that facilitate informed decision-making at all organizational levels. Data Visualization & Analysis: Advanced Data Insights Leadership: Lead the development of innovative data analysis initiatives that provide strategic insights for Walmart Creative Studio. Partner closely with the Data Strategy & Reporting team and our Creative Business Operations Manager to proactively analyze data trends, uncover meaningful insights, and deliver actionable recommendations for optimizing studio performance. Creation of Insightful Data Tools: Design and build custom reports, dashboards, and tools that transform raw data into clear, actionable visual insights. Utilize creative visualization techniques to present data in a compelling way, empowering stakeholders to identify trends, assess key metrics, and make data-driven decisions. Proactive Insight Generation: Regularly review all available data with a proactive approach, identifying potential improvements or new ways to analyze and interpret the data. Present these insights as actionable recommendations to WCS leadership, demonstrating an ability to foresee business needs and propose timely solutions. Collaborative Data Innovation: Work closely with cross-functional teams to ensure that data insights are aligned with business objectives. Tailor reporting and visualization tools to meet the specific needs of each team, enhancing data accessibility and relevance for all stakeholders. Contract Management: Manage contract approvals including change order requests with external vendors Liaise with Agency Relations and Legal teams to ensure contract compliance Create purchase orders (POs) for agencies, vendors, contractors, and any financial needs for WCS/Marketing Financial Documentation: Document budget shifts and forecast changes and maintain a universal source of truth for WCS leadership team Ensure alignment on budget changes with senior management and leadership, flagging risks and opportunities Document processes and Standard Operating Procedure for working with Agency Relations, Legal, and Finance Project Management: Responsible for updating and maintaining WCS financial planning calendar, meticulously updating and revising with new information from finance partners Keep Sr. Manager and WCS leadership updated on shifts to timelines, upcoming financial planning deadlines, and liaise between finance department & WCS Define roadmap for WCS financial planning & reporting and successfully execute in bringing to life Operational Management: Manage the day-to-day rhythm of the business as it relates to budget management and reporting Continuously optimize processes related to financial planning Champion change management initiatives by rolling out new processes, tools, and documentation for ways of working and reporting processes Qualifications: 4+ years of experience in a business analysis role with expertise in budget reporting design, management, and financial data governance. Preferred experience in a Marketing or Creative environment with an understanding of Marketing and Content Production landscape. The ideal candidate has experience building financial models pertaining to headcount, staffing, and resource planning. Preferred experience building financial data reporting within Airtable or similar project management tools. Strong analytical skills with a focus on data integrity and building simplistic reporting ecosystems. Navigates ambiguity and has experience working in a fast-paced, constantly changing environment with multiple competing deadlines. Excellent organizational and documentation skills with fantastic project management skills. Effective communication and collaboration with senior management and leadership. Experience in building dynamic, automated financial reporting systems. Ability to manage multiple priorities and work under tight deadlines. Demonstrated ability to lead change management initiatives and implement new processes. At Walmart, we offer competitive pay as well as performance-based bonus awards and other great benefits for a happier mind, body, and wallet. Health benefits include medical, vision and dental coverage. Financial benefits include 401(k), stock purchase and company-paid life insurance. Paid time off benefits include PTO (including sick leave), parental leave, family care leave, bereavement, jury duty, and voting. Other benefits include short-term and long-term disability, company discounts, Military Leave Pay, adoption and surrogacy expense reimbursement, and more. You will also receive PTO and/or PPTO that can be used for vacation, sick leave, holidays, or other purposes. The amount you receive depends on your job classification and length of employment. It will meet or exceed the requirements of paid sick leave laws, where applicable. For information about PTO, see Live Better U is a Walmart-paid education benefit program for full-time and part-time associates in Walmart and Sam's Club facilities. Programs range from high school completion to bachelor's degrees, including English Language Learning and short-form certificates. Tuition, books, and fees are completely paid for by Walmart. Eligibility requirements apply to some benefits and may depend on your job classification and length of employment. Benefits are subject to change and may be subject to a specific plan or program terms. For information about benefits and eligibility, see One.Walmart. Los Angeles, California US-10988: The annual salary range for this position is $96,000.00 - $186,000.00 San Bruno, California US-08848: The annual salary range for this position is $104,000.00 - $202,000.00 Additional compensation includes annual or quarterly performance bonuses. Additional compensation for certain positions may also include : - Stock ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ㅤ ‎ Minimum Qualifications... Outlined below are the required minimum qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no minimum qualifications. Bachelor’s degree in Design, Marketing, Creative Writing, Advertising, Fine Arts, or related field and 1 year's experience in interactive design, editorial content management, or related field OR 3 years' experience in interactive design, editorial content management, or related field. Preferred Qualifications... Outlined below are the optional preferred qualifications for this position. If none are listed, there are no preferred qualifications. Content Management Systems, Managing interactive projects in an online creative or related digital field, Working for or with creative agencies, Working with Design Software (For example, Adobe Creative Suite), including proficiency in advanced functions (For example, multi-layer masking and compositing) Primary Location... 5404 Jandy Pl, Los Angeles, CA 90066-7006, United States of America Walmart and its subsidiaries are committed to maintaining a drug-free workplace and has a no tolerance policy regarding the use of illegal drugs and alcohol on the job. This policy applies to all employees and aims to create a safe and productive work environment. About Walmart: Fifty years ago, Sam Walton started a single mom-and-pop shop and transformed it into the world's biggest retailer. Since those founding days, one thing has remained consistent: our commitment to helping our customers save money so they can live better. Today, we're reinventing the shopping experience and our associates are at the heart of it. You'll play a crucial role in shaping the future of retail, improving millions of lives around the world. This is that place where your passions meet purpose. Join our family and create a career you're proud of.