Senior Financial Analyst, Ad Sales

Disney Entertainment includes the company’s full portfolio of entertainment media and content businesses globally, including streaming.

The Ad Sales Finance team is seeking a Senior Financial Analyst to join the team for digital ad sales support for Direct-to-Consumer (DTC) International, reporting to the Director, Finance. This is a unique opportunity to be part of the newest growth product and segment for the company as it grows on a global scale across Canada, EMEA, LATAM & APAC. The team works closely with Disney Ad Sales Revenue and Yield Management (RYM), Research, and Technology teams to deliver strategic, financial and operational insights and goals of the global business across Disney+ & Hulu.

Job Summary:

The Senior Financial Analyst will partner with the Ad Sales Finance domestic & international leads as well as the RYM, Data, Technology, Controllership, Subscription & Engagement Finance teams to prepare budgets, forecasts, and strategic financial plans. The role will be responsible for providing recurring KPI reporting across the global business on a weekly basis vs. current forecast & overseeing the full funnel financial ad model for the D+ Canada business, in addition to the consolidation of the entire DTC Global business by layering KPIs for Hulu, D+ US, EMEA & LATAM. He/She will lead cross-portfolio analysis and insights into digital OI growth initiatives such as inventory optimization, pricing opportunities, and new product features across various regions & countries.

Due to the market-facing nature of our work and our shifting industry landscape on a global scale, a successful candidate will have the aptitude to efficiently execute their tasks, develop new ways of analyzing and thinking about existing problems, work cross-functionally and within a variety of time zones to get job done, and contribute to ideas and initiatives generation.

This role relies heavily on a key understanding and working knowledge of the streaming ad sales business and how an ad supported Direct to Consumer product generates subscribers, inventory, and ultimately ad monetization. The ideal candidate will be able to easily navigate and clearly communicate between the ad sales, technology, and the financial organizations.  A strong analytical background to drive business insights and recommendations with quantifiable impact is needed. Ability to work in a fact paced and evolving line of business is needed. At times candidate will possess the ability to be creative and thrive in ambiguity or limited direction.

Responsibilities and Duties of the Role:

• Lead the D+ Canada AOP/LRP/monthly forecasting process, including: coordinating with D+ domestic subscription finance for Canada subscriber funnel inputs, calculating average unique subs & HPS based on historical averages & recent trends, incorporating ad levers based on discussions between ad product & business operations, increasing or reducing STR % or eCPM based on marketplace or sales strategy, etc. Own & maintain all aspects of financial model, including incorporating necessary updates based on evolving business/go-to-market strategy, building scenario analyses, actualizing all KPIs after month-end close, etc.

• Own & compile the consolidated DTC Global & International AOP/LRP/monthly forecasting model, which incorporates all KPI metrics by month for Hulu, D+ US, Canada, EMEA & LATAM (incl. historical actuals). Collect inputs from domestic & international FP&A teams, combine applicable inputs to produce total D+ views of forecast, provide variances vs. prior FC/AOP & review output with ad sales finance leads to ensure accuracy & gain additional context.

• Establish & maintain essential relationships with our stakeholders, serve as ad sales finance “lead” in the US on cross-functional DTC projects across regions & provide essential analytical support to our business partners. Handle several re-occurring meetings & ad hoc requests for regional FP&A teams, DTC business operations/strategy, DTC subscription finance, ad product, etc. without direct supervision of Director, DTC Ad Sales Finance. Continue to increase efficiency of existing processes so that we can inform our partners & executive leadership with accurate & timely information.

• Prepare weekly DTC Global KPI pacing report & D+ Canada KPI pacing reports: pull MTD data from various internal & external warehouses, download into excel & accurately update all KPI metrics. Connect with D+ & Hulu domestic, D+ Canada, EMEA & LATAM FP&A teams to provide additional commentary to support week-over-week variances & vs. AOP/FC, as needed.

• Own DTC Global from a narrative position & serve as our primary Global “lead”. Collaborate with the D+ US/DTC Consolidation Ad Sales Finance Manager to understand current state of the domestic business & recent trends, so that we can accurately tell the overall D+ Global story & provide additional commentary support variances.

• Own D+ Canada month-end & quarter-end financial close process: ensure accounting has everything they need from our team prior to month-end including actuals to-date, extra day accruals & prior period adjustments. Once all journal entries are posted, pull account strings from SAP & reconcile GL vs. internal files by line item to ensure accuracy. Communicate final close ad revenue to leadership & distribute month-end KPIs to stakeholders (RYM, business operations, etc.).

Required Education, Experience/Skills/Training:

• 2+ years in a corporate finance / business analytics role (ad sales experience is a plus)

• Extensive experience and proficient in Microsoft Excel modeling and quantitative data analysis. Exceptional Excel skills required (nested statements, pivot tables, charting, combining functions like Index Match, Offset and Indirect)

• Exceptional analytical abilities, capable of using data tools to drive decision-making using Tableau, Adjuster and managing large pools of data in Excel

• Experience in SAP, COGNOS, or similar financial reporting tool

• Strong ability to extract key information and transition seamlessly from explaining micro details to communicating how they impact the big picture

• Acute attention to detail and aptitude for troubleshooting data discrepancies

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills to interact at all levels of the organization. Ability to produce concise, effective, and visually appealing presentations

• Strong intellectual curiosity and ability to think outside-the-box

• Strong work ethic and an ability to prioritize across multiple projects. Goal-oriented and client-facing mentality, entrepreneurial spirit to continue innovating and adding value

• Proactive communication style with the ability to build/foster relationships with business partners internally and externally

• Bachelor’s degree required; in Finance, Accounting or Economics is a plus

The hiring range for this position in California is $109,800.00-$134,200.00 per year. The base pay actually offered will take into account internal equity and also may vary depending on the candidate’s geographic region, job-related knowledge, skills, and experience among other factors. A bonus and/or long-term incentive units may be provided as part of the compensation package, in addition to the full range of medical, financial, and/or other benefits, dependent on the level and position offered.