Client Finance Manager (Chicago, Denver, New York)

Job Description

Job Description

Motive is a dynamic agency and creative community operating at the speed of culture. We're a collective of deep thinkers, creative makers, cultural connoisseurs, and executional aces. We create meaningful engagements between brands and their audiences, cultivating relationships that drive tangible results for our clients. And we do it with sharp strategy and powerful creative executed across all the media and touch-points key to our targets' lives.

As pioneers in the area of content, digital engagement, and innovative experiential programs, and award winners for work in TV, event, digital and social, Motive has created a culture where every individual is given an opportunity to stretch and flex their creative and executional muscles daily. We are a team of hard-working, fast-moving, energetic, passionate, driven, straight-talking creative thinkers. We like being challenged and we love the collaboration necessary to overcome the challenges and succeed.

If this sounds like a place you would thrive, let's see if we can make something happen.

Great creative work deserves great financial stewardship.

At Motive, our Client Finance team sits at the intersection of creativity, client service, and business strategy. As a Client Finance Manager, you'll partner closely with our Account, Production, and Leadership teams to ensure our work is financially healthy from project kickoff through final billing.

You'll serve as the financial lead for a portfolio of client business; guiding budgets, forecasting revenue, monitoring project profitability, supporting resource planning, and ensuring accurate client billing. You'll help our teams make smarter business decisions while giving them the financial visibility they need to deliver exceptional work for our clients.

This isn't a traditional accounting role. It's a highly collaborative position for someone who enjoys translating numbers into insights, partnering with cross-functional teams, and helping drive better business outcomes.

Reporting to the Chief Financial Officer, you'll play a key role in strengthening financial discipline across the agency while supporting the entrepreneurial culture that defines Motive.

• Serve as the primary finance partner for an assigned portfolio of client accounts.
• Partner with Account Directors, Producers, and project teams to establish, monitor, and manage project budgets.
• Monitor project financial performance, identifying risks, opportunities, and margin trends throughout the lifecycle of work.
• Provide proactive recommendations to improve profitability and financial outcomes.
• Support financial planning for new projects, change orders, and client scopes.

• Prepare ongoing revenue forecasts for assigned accounts.
• Monitor project burn rates, utilization, and revenue recognition.
• Ensure financial forecasts accurately reflect project progress and anticipated revenue.
• Partner with leadership to understand revenue trends, risks, and opportunities.

• Lead the monthly client billing process for assigned accounts.
• Review project costs and reconcile billable and client related non-billable expenses.
• Ensure invoices are accurate, timely, and aligned with client contracts and billing schedules.
• Partner with Account teams to resolve billing questions and client financial inquiries.
• Monitor outstanding receivables and support collection efforts as needed.

• Develop financial reporting that provides meaningful insights to Account and Agency leadership.
• Responsible for preparing project and client P&Ls.
• Present project financial health, profitability, and forecasting information in a way that supports decision making.
• Help educate non-financial stakeholders on budgets, revenue, profitability, and financial best practices.
• Partner with Finance leadership during month-end close and reporting activities.
• Lead revenue recognition at month close across the portfolio.
• Provide commentary at month end on revenue variances.

• Identify opportunities to improve financial processes, reporting, and operational efficiency.
• Help evolve agency financial tools, systems, and workflows.
• Support implementation of new financial processes and best practices.
• Participate in special financial analyses and strategic initiatives.

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or related field.
• 4–7+ years of agency client finance roles and project accounting.Experience supporting project-based advertising or creative agency strongly preferred.
• Strong understanding of budgeting, forecasting, revenue recognition, and project profitability.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Comfortable translating financial concepts for non-financial audiences.
• Highly organized with exceptional attention to detail.
• Ability to manage multiple projects and competing priorities simultaneously.
• Advanced Excel/Google Sheets proficiency.
• Excellent interpersonal skills, good listener, proactive, can stand up and drive changes

• Love solving business problems—not just balancing spreadsheets.
• Enjoy partnering with creative and client-facing teams.
• Can spot financial risks before they become problems.
• Ask thoughtful questions and challenge assumptions.
• Balance precision with pragmatism.
• Comfortable navigating ambiguity in a fast-moving environment.
• Believe finance should help enable great work—not slow it down.

At Motive, we believe great ideas deserve great execution, and that includes how we manage our business.

You'll join a collaborative Finance team that partners across every discipline in the agency, helping shape smarter decisions and stronger client relationships. We move quickly, think entrepreneurially, and believe financial stewardship is everyone's responsibility.

If you're looking for a finance role that's equal parts analytical, collaborative, and strategic, we'd love to meet you.

Motive is an equal opportunity employer ! We believe that a diverse team makes us stronger and smarter.

Motive recruits, employs, trains, compensates and promotes regardless of race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. We offer an inspiring working environment and great benefits, including health, dental, vision, matching 401-k, unlimited flex time off, and more. The starting salary for this position is between $100,000 and $125,000 annually, based on experience.

Motive has a clear vision: to be a creative leader where a diverse mix of talented people want to come, to stay and do their best work. We know our company succeeds only through the hard work and dedication of our passionate and creative employees.