Associate Director, Client Accounting

WHO WE ARE

Crossmedia is the global media independent. We're committed to doing media and business the right way, guided by the principles of TRUST, REASON and the pursuit of HAPPINESS. Crossmedia US was founded in NY in 2000 and is one of the largest minority-owned full service media planning & buying agencies in the nation. Together with our network partners in UK and Germany, we are 500+ Crossmedians worldwide with big ambitions to continue to grow with soul.

We focus on what media agencies should do: create innovative connections between brands and people regardless of channel or budget. And, we do it in an honest way. We are and always have been a values-based organization. We earn our clients TRUST by ensuring media transparency in our business model and objectivity in decision-making. We apply REASON & logic to everything and have one of the leading analytics groups in the industry committed to uncovering data insights to drive solutions. The pursuit of HAPPINESS matters to us. Big time. We invest in each colleague's professional & personal wellbeing and growth. It's why we have countless initiatives, clubs & cultural events dedicated to our people and why we've been the top ranked media agency named to Ad Age's Best Places to Work for the past five years in a row.

In the US, we have offices in New York and Philadelphia and team members across 25+ states. Our client roster includes US Bank, White Castle, NASCAR, Planet Fitness, Newell Brands, American Cancer, Invesco, Illva Saronno, Edible (Arrangements), Teramana, Lightbox, and more.

WHO YOU ARE

You are a seasoned professional with seven or more years successive roles related to media invoice reconciliation and media accounts payable. You have worked across multiple channels (digital, print/ooh, network and local television), possess strong analytical skills, and a proven track record in vendor relationship management. You excel in overseeing vendor matching and clearing teams, ensuring seamless alignment between internal & external stakeholders. As a strategic thinker, you work to solve not only today's problem, but set process to ensure an efficient future. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills enable you to build robust relationships and drive innovation in the vendor matching process. If you're ready to lead and mentor a remote team and contribute to the success of our clients' advertising campaigns, we encourage you to apply.

YOUR ROLE

The Associate Director, Client Accounting will oversee the day-to-day operations and internal controls of the Vendor Matching & Clearing (VMC) & media accounts payable team. This person will report directly to the Director of Client Accounting & Media Operations and will be responsible for ensuring the accuracy and consistency of process adherence and reporting for VMC/Media AP.

YOUR OBJECTIVES

Responsible for the day-to-day prioritization of VMC team queue clearance and all aspects of the vendor relationship from set-up to account reconciliation. Lead weekly status meetings with VMC, attend weekly check run review meetings, & weekly cashflow check-ins. Oversees team of five (5) vendor matching clearing and one (1) Media AP Analyst. Ensures exported data for reporting is correct, mapped, and posted in a timely manner. This leader will have an excellent understanding of the buy-to-reconciliation process and be able to decipher when/where there are discrepancies and where to triage.

Vendor Management:

• Oversee accurate and compliant new vendor set-up
• Oversee Vendor Maintenance process to ensure clean system data & ongoing Maintenance; including, but not limited to: inactivation schedule, ensure updates across all systems, etc.
• Develop and maintain strong relationships with key vendors' billing and collections teams
• Serve as the primary point of contact for vendor-related inquiries and issues

Vendor Matching and Clearing Process:

• Sets weekly prioritization schedule of vendor queues (i.e. certain channels, pre-payment vendors, or client closures)
• Responsible for educating who is responsible at each stage of the invoice issue & EdenRed Pay queue status & prioritization
• Escalation point for VMC team members when they are stuck on an invoice issue
• Communicates with vendors, Media Operations, VMC, A/P to resolve any vendor inquiries regarding invoice data needed for processing through EdenRed Pay, incl. but not limited to: appropriate information required for invoice coding, appropriate location, multi-match, cloning, etc.
• Monitors 3rd party vendor invoice management platform to ensure invoice records in all pending queues are resolved within 60 days and/or escalated accordingly
• Implement and refine processes for vendor invoice processing and matching to improve efficiency and effectiveness
• Owns Edenred Pay Invoice Automation (formerly IPS) relationship & vendor communication
• Proficient in Edenred Pay functionality; uses proper shortcuts to ensure efficient review
• Can export data to share with Media Operations by client need and/or Client Accounting Leadership

Accounts Payable Management:

• Oversee media accounts payable, ensuring efficient and accurate processing of vendor invoices, check run and payments
• Daily review of media AP inbox for hot items, late payments, shut-off notices, vendor statements, answers emails in a timely fashion, delegates email priorities to AP analyst
• Weekly validation of Check Run Schedule after check run meeting to ensure all discussion points were included (i.e. adding vendors, holding back vendors, accelerated payment, etc)
• Ensures most efficient and lucrative payment scheme is in place aligning with vendors' prioritization and virtual card eligibility
• Owns Edenred Pay Payments Automation (formerly CSI) relationship & vendor communication
• Monthly pre-payment reconciliation to ensure quick clearance of any prepaid vendor items and proactive reporting to controller
• Implement and maintain accounts payable policies and procedures to ensure compliance with company standards, priority vendors, vendor payment terms, and financial regulations
• Monitor and manage media accounts payable, ensuring timely reconciliation and resolution of discrepancies, refunds, overpayments, and unapplied cash application
• Ad hoc payables reporting

Management and Team Collaboration:

• Manage a (mostly) remote team of five (5) VMC and one (1) media AP analyst
• Manage, train, and motivate the VMC associates to ensure they collaborate and produce accurate work on time
• Identify opportunities for workflow improvement to align responsibilities across the team, ensuring a smooth practice
• Consistently liaise with finance sister-departments, Controller and Media Operations, to validate spend and solve issues related to all aspects vendor billing
• Seen as an escalation point and peer leader to all Client Accounting junior staff

REQUIREMENTS:

• 7+ years of experience in media reconciliation and/or media accounts payable in a media buying agency
• Familiarity of buying systems and/or buying system reporting, such as: Mediaocean (OX) or Freewheel (SBMS)
• Strong familiarity with 3rd party invoice-to-pay automation platforms, such as: Edenred Pay (formerly IPS and CSI)
• Strong understanding of agency accounting platforms/ERPs
• Strong analytical skills with the ability to solve escalated financial issues
• Proficiently utilize Microsoft Excel to perform data entry, analysis, and manipulation tasks, demonstrating intermediate-level skills in functions such as VLOOKUP/XLOOKUP, pivot tables, and data validation

Salary: 100-115k. Commensurate with experience. Compensation is determined on the skills, qualifications, certifications, tenure in the industry and experience of the applicant along with the requirements of the position.

CROSSMEDIA BENEFITS

Our principles of Trust, Reason, and the Pursuit of Happiness are brought to life through benefits that recognize and support the diversity and physical, emotional, and professional well-being of our people, including:

• Work from anywhere flexibility including hybrid/remote office options to empower you to work your way
• Open PTO policy and paid sabbaticals at significant milestone anniversaries
• Fully-funded healthcare options and agency-wide physical & mental health support
• 401(k) with company match, student loan relief program and financial counseling support
• Generous paid parental leave policy
• Life milestone recognition & support
• The Pursuit of Happiness Fund devoted to helping Crossmedians find their happy (be it travel, enrichment class, fitness membership or professional development)
• Cell phone/tech reimbursement
• Student Loan payment plan
• Tuition reimbursement
• And burgers – lots and lots of burgers

COMMITMENT TO DIVERSITY AND INCLUSION

Diversity is in our DNA. As a minority-owned company, our commitment to an inclusive environment has long been embedded into agency practices and at every level. Almost one third of senior leadership identifies as a person of color and over half of our executive leadership are women. We have active mentoring & internship programs that create opportunities for underrepresented groups. Internal agency programming is anchored by XMEquity365, a permanent, year-round initiative fostering acknowledgement and support of marginalized communities within five pillars – Excellence, Voices, Education, Giving & Representation.

Crossmedia is committed to providing equal employment opportunities and creating a diverse and inclusive company culture and that does not discriminate against candidates and employees because of their disability, sex, race, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, national origin, age, veteran status, or any other basis prohibited by applicable federal, state, or local law.

All job requirements are subject to possible revision to reflect changes in the position requirements, business necessities and/or to reasonably accommodate individuals with disabilities. Essential and other job functions are subject to modification. This job description in no way states or implies that these are the only duties to which will be required in this position. Employees will be required to follow other job-related duties as requested by their supervisor/manager (within guidelines and compliance with Federal and State Laws).

Continued employment remains on an "at-will" basis." Reasonable accommodations may be provided to enable individuals with disabilities to perform essential functions in compliance with the American with Disabilities Act of 1990.

Physical Demands:

The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job:

• Prolonged periods of sitting at a desk and working on a computer. Must be able to remain in a stationary position 50% of the time.
• Ability to stand, bend, and reach
• Constantly operates a computer and other office productivity machinery, such as a calculator, copy machine, and computer printer.
• The ability to communicate information and ideas so others will understand. Must be able to exchange accurate information in these situations.
• The ability to observe details at close range (within a few feet of the observer).

In compliance with the current Americans with Disabilities Act and state and local laws, if you have a disability and would like to request an accommodation to apply for a position with Crossmedia, please email people.team@xmedia.com.