Job Description

Job Summary:

At Disney Financial Systems (DFS), the mission is to deliver technology solutions that align to business strategies while enabling enterprise efficiency and promoting cross-company collaborative innovation. The DFS organization drives competitive advantage by enhancing our financial systems, enabling business growth and advancing operational excellence.

DFS aims to provide business technology solutions for the enterprise that empower growth, and enhance value across brands, geographies and organizations. We are responsible for excellence in operating financial systems and processes in support of the enterprise. This position will be supporting The Walt Disney Companys Disney Media & Entertainment Distribution (DMED), Sports, General Entertainment and Studio Finance teams.

Youll team with the best in the business to create and build in one of the most innovative financial systems team in any industry. Uniquely positioned at the center of The Walt Disney Company, the forward-thinkers at Financial Systems constantly pursue new ideas and technologies to help The Walt Disney Companys many businesses drive value, all the while gaining something valuable from the experience themselves.

The Manager of Financial Systems (MFS) will support Forecasting & Planning (F&P) for the DMED Finance team and their various Cognos applications. Support enhancements to accommodate various integration efforts that impact DMED from the DTC restructure initiative. Serves as the primary business partner to the DMED finance teams, partners with technology in delivering solutions that enables the client base to produce cause of change analysis, forecasts and perform management reporting.

This position serves as a strategic business partner to the finance teams and partners with technology in delivering solutions that enable finance to produce forecasts, plans and perform management reporting. Assess client needs, identify alternative solutions that facilitate the finance teams goals using various technology and automation tools. The Manager will participate in the design, evaluation, testing and implementation of report development, system break fixes, and technology enhancements. Serves as the project lead partnering and liaising with the business partners. The manager is the go-to system support to the Finance end-user community. This role is also responsible for identifying ways to make processes more efficient, offering continuous improvement recommendations and developing and delivering training to the finance teams.
Responsibilities:

Strategy

* Translates strategy into specific priorities, objectives and action plans
* Connects their segment & process priorities to the greater organizational goals
* Makes sound business decisions that balance priorities
* Participates in the strategic business planning with business units (within Segments and across the Enterprise) and IT to formulate enhancement options to address specific functional issues / requirements
* Identifies and analyzes metrics to obtain trends and patterns to identify process/system opportunities and recommend corrective action
* Recommends and implements process improvement/reengineering initiatives

Project Management
* Liaises with IT to drive system enhancements, upgrades, and modifications; ensures architecture supports business requirements
* Manages smaller scale/budget, lower risk, and single-process focused projects.
* Leads the design, resource management, implementation and support of finance system solutions for each Segment and the Enterprise
* Effectively communicates with management, stakeholders, subject matter experts and project team members
* Assists in developing project infrastructure for team (i.e. templates, project management methodology and execution)
* Assists in the development of project plans specifying goals, strategy, staffing, scheduling, identification of risks, contingency plans and allotment of resources for each phase of the project
* Coordinates & executes project activities to ensure project progresses on schedule
* Monitors project results against objectives, milestones and scope.
* Develops and solution testing, training and communication.
* Obtains project signoff of completion and appropriately close-out
* Collaborates and solves problems

Leadership
* Promotes teamwork both internally and externally
* Manages team resources and ensure they are utilized appropriately
* Proactively recruits, retains and develops a diverse range of talented people
* Provides challenging work assignments and development opportunities
* Supports productivity and morale of the team
* Manages activities of one department. Exercises supervision in terms of costs, methods and staffing.
* Ability to positively confront issues and resolve conflict with sound judgment
* Ability to define a clear vision and motivate others to embrace change
* Works with team to lead the resolution of day-to-day technical/procedural challenges

Process Support and Governance
* Direct management of governance and finance system compliance in accordance with company policies, standards and SOX requirements
* Applies expert knowledge and understanding of financial and US GAAP accounting principles to our systems and business processes
* Proactively identifies and troubleshoots issues (data or process) and take appropriate action to resolve
* Manages super user and end user support and training. This includes request management (incidents/system enhancements) and training (standard materials, course design and delivery)
* Manages testing efforts for system implementations, enhancements and modifications
* Coordinates testing with end users, IBM staff and peers supporting other Disney business units
* Ensures orderly, accurate and timely completion of all required test scripts, localizes test scripts as necessary to ensure each Segments specific business needs are addressed
* Completes the most complex tasks and projects

Communication
* Regularly interacts with clients and stakeholders on matters concerning their functional area, segments and departments
* Able to concisely develop and deliver key information; ability to develop well laid out presentations
* Tailors messages appropriately to the audiences
* Conveys relevant information in a timely and concise manner

Basic Qualifications:

* Minimum of 5 to 7 years work experience with financial or accounting, preferably in a large Cognos/SAP installation
* Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated expertise and technical proficiency in report design and build
* Working knowledge in using reporting tools like Hyperion Essbase or Cognos/TM1 tools (CAF or PAX, CWA, Cognos Analytics, Report Studio, Active Reports) or other BI related tools
* Experience in service delivery in a high performing customer service and support organization
* Minimum of 5 years management experience with financial or accounting, preferably in a large SAP installation
* Minimum of 5 years of demonstrated expertise and technical proficiency in report design and build
* Understanding of general ledger, hierarchies and data structures
* Must possess strong quantitative and analytical skills combined with solid business and financial acumen
* Experience in directing the accounting and reporting of a highly complex, diverse, international, multi-location financial organization
* Flexible, special-projects orientation coupled with solid ability to deliver on baseline client service obligations
* Experience driving and advocating change on projects of moderate scope and budget, involving localized teams whose success is dependent upon the management of potential risk factors, impacting a specific line of business
* Experience with direct/in-direct management of a team of high performing financial professionals with focus on solving complex technical issues to achieve specified results within service level agreement (SLA) parameters, while providing a positive experience for customers
* Experience with direct/in-direct management of high performing customer service and support organization with demonstrated expertise in reporting and analyzing metrics and driving resulting improvements in service levels
* Excellent written and verbal communication skills including the ability to succinctly convey relevant information across multiple levels of the organization and project a professional image that fosters relationship building and collaboration
* Ability to work on self -directed and assigned tasks under moderate direction and supervision

Preferred Qualifications:

* Experience overseeing managers/supervisors
* Expertise with complex integrated financial planning models that consists of labor/headcount, overhead, P&L, and inter/intra-allocations
* Knowledge of GL based financial consolidation, eliminations, and reporting for quarter closes
* Experience in using SAP or another ERP
* Experience in using Business Objects, Tableau, and/or Cognos reporting tools
* Experience using systems designed to manage issues, changes and testing (e.g. Service Now, Rational Team Concert, ALM)
* CPA or CMA license, or equivalent
* PMP or other professional project management certification
* Six Sigma certification

Required Education

* Bachelor's Degree, or equivalent work experience in Accounting, Finance, Information Technology, Business, or a related field

Preferred Education

* Graduate Degree in Finance, Accounting, Business Administration and Information Systems or a related field (e.g., MAC, MBA or MIS)