Director, Financial Planning & Analysis

Position Overview Are you more than just a "spreadsheet builder"? Can you look at a complex grid of financial data and instantly extract the operational story behind it? As the Director of FP&A at CMI Media Group/Compas, you won't just compile numbers—you will translate them into executive action. Reporting directly to the EVP of Finance and Accounting, you will own the consolidation of our financial planning, forecasting, and reporting processes. Serving as a strategic finance partner across our scaling business units, you will guide budgeting, revenue/expense forecasting, and profitability strategies. This is a high-visibility, high-impact leadership role where your insights will directly influence executive and parent company (WPP) decision‑making. What You'll Do Own the Financial Story: Lead the annual budgeting, rolling forecasting, and long‑range strategic planning (3-5 years) for our multi‑state agency network. Deliver Executive & Board Insights: Design, produce, and present monthly/quarterly Board reporting packages, investor‑ready presentations, and executive KPI dashboards. Drive Profitability & Business Partnering: Act as a dedicated advisor to business unit leads. Deliver deep‑dive profitability analyses across client accounts, departments, staffing models, and media investment ROI. Optimize & Automate: Lead the evolution of our FP&A technology stack (EPM, Anaplan, Adaptive, Excel, and emerging AI tools) to automate repetitive processes and establish a single source of truth. Mentor and Lead: Oversee and coach a growing team (including our Cherry Hill‑based Expense Budget Manager), elevating the output of the finance department to be highly strategic and insight‑driven. Who You Are The Financial Translator: You have a unique ability to explain complex accounting treatments and financial variances in plain, actionable English to non‑finance leaders. A Natural Investigator: You have a healthy skepticism. You don’t just accept data; you ask "why?", digging past superficial answers to find the underlying operational driver. Comfortable with Ambiguity: You don’t wait for perfect data to form a strategic hypothesis. You build robust, clean financial models that allow for seamless scenario planning. Systems Champion: You are passionate about process discipline, data governance, and reducing manual workload through smart automation. Qualifications & Requirements Experience: 12+ years of progressive corporate finance, investment banking, or FP&A experience. Leadership: 5+ years of direct people management experience with a proven track record of mentoring talent. Industry Context: Experience working within an advertising, media, marketing services, or professional services agency model is highly preferred (understanding billability, utilization, and client‑retainer models). Accounting Fluency: Deep understanding of how accounting entries (revenue recognition, accruals, timing differences, working capital) flow directly into the P&L and cash flow statement. Technical Stack: Advanced/expert level financial modeling skills in Excel. Direct hands‑on experience with Enterprise Performance Management (EPM) systems (Hyperion, Anaplan, Adaptive, or NetSuite/Workday Financials). Education: Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field; MBA and/or CPA/CFA/FPAC certifications are highly valued. The base salary for this position at the time of this posting may range from $90,000 to $180,000. Individual compensation varies based on job related factors, including business needs, experience, level of responsibility and qualifications. We offer a competitive benefits package, please visit WPP Benefits for more details. #J-18808-Ljbffr