Director, Participation & Residuals

About the role

Most people don’t realize the importance of the Finance department in keeping our business operating without hitches and delays. We oversee many of the more quietly glamorous, back-office functions that drive our bottom line: forecasting, building and managing budgets, collecting and analyzing important data that helps leadership make the best decisions. All of this sounds exciting to you because you love numbers and spreadsheets, and especially love great entertainment.

Responsibilities

• Lead the day-to-day operations of the division to ensure timely and accurate delivery of royalty payments for both owned and licensed programs with associated royalty obligations.
• Provide final guidance as the subject matter expert on all matters related to participations, including compiling accurate estimates and forecasts under tight deadlines.
• Foster strong working relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including business partners, legal, FP&A, accounting, and technology teams.
• Stay abreast of industry standards and practices, as well as topics impacting participations, such as new and emerging markets (e.g., FAST channels, Podcasts, OTT, AVOD/SVOD Platforms).
• Ensure that all calculations for MAGR Participation contracts are accurate, working closely with Legal and Production Finance to interpret contract provisions as appropriate.
• Collaborate with the Technology department and actively participate in discussions to provide insight regarding the future state for participations processing; devise and implement automated solutions to drive operating efficiencies and conduct User Acceptance Testing to guarantee the successful deployment of our new Participations System.
• Provide coaching and guidance to the team to facilitate their development with a strong focus on growing their leadership and strategic thinking skills.
• Lead and resolve all 3rd party participant audits and claims promptly to eliminate and/or limit liabilities.
• Collaborate closely with our Legal department to ensure that policies are adhered to, and to provide necessary data and insights for legal proceedings when required.
• Review and interpret sales and participant contracts to assess participation obligations.
• Ensure compliance with and maintenance of A+E Networks’ accounting policies and procedures related to profit participations.

Requirements

• 10+ years of profit participations royalty accounting experience in the media and entertainment industry; residuals experience a plus.
• Extensive experience with MAGR participation calculations.
• Strong knowledge base in new and emerging markets (e.g., FAST channels, Podcasts, OTT, AVOD/SVOD Platforms).
• Bachelor’s degree; Accounting major a plus.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Excellent organizational skills and attention to detail.
• Proficient in deciphering legal documents for financial terms.

Pay

• Annual Pay Range: $132,522 – $155,050
• Annual Incentive Target: 17.50%

Benefits

• Healthcare coverage
• 401k matching
• Range of other benefits