The Executive Director of IT Production Finance (also known as the IT Production Finance POA Lead) is an important role servicing SPE’s domestic and international Motion Picture and Television Production business. SPE has a vast array of company owned production labels, as well as a diverse catalog of partially owned, joint venture and third-party productions. On average, SPE has ~20 active MPG features and 100 active TV shows (70 domestic, 30 international). We anticipate this will continue to grow year over year to support the Studio’s aggressive content growth strategy. Reporting directly into the VP/DCIO for Production & Studio Technology Services (PSTS), this role will oversee the IT Production Finance (ITPF) Team and partner closely with wide range of stakeholders to deliver a comprehensive set of IT services / solutions tailored to SPE’s Production Finance needs. In this role, the Candidate will be expected to:

• Invest and maintain positive working relationships with our Production Finance Executives and their staff (VP, Director, Manager and coordinator level) across SPE productions including: MPG Productions (Columbia, Tristar, 3000 Films, Screen Gems, Sony Pictures Classics, Sony Pictures Animation), TV Productions (SPT Productions, Industrial Media, Silvergate) and SPE International TV Productions (Left Bank, Bad Wolf, Eleven Films, Stellify Media, Whisper Group to name a few). The list of SPE production entities may evolve over time.

• Serve as an invested business partner with our production clients to understand their challenges/painpoints; work across IT and broader studio functions (Legal, Privacy, Information Security, Facilities, IT, P&O and/or other production centric technology operations functions) to propose, implement, and manage the required IT solutions. This may include developing or integrating third-party applications, rolling out secure infrastructure services, and/or enabling automated production workflow solutions.

• Oversee the end-to-end IT Production Finance (ITPF) program, including supporting functions – Finance & Operations, Production Accounting Technical Support, Strategic Vendor Partnerships (EP + Cast & Crew), and Business Intelligence / Reporting services. In addition, the Production Finance POA lead will be responsible for working hand in hand with our head of Portfolio Architecture / Technical Solutioning to offer PSTS wide capabilities including solution architecture, custom development oversight, BI/ data warehousing and internal/third party API integrations.

• On a regular basis, evaluate and mature our ITPF technology offering to meet the evolving needs of our Production Finance exec’s and their teams. Where possible, look to rationalize, sunset and/or integrate disparate technology solutions and/or workflow to reduce IT’s population of applications.

• Create and regularly maintain a comprehensive ITPF service catalog outlining the key services that ITPF provides, with common data points such as technology type, service category, location and availability, pricing, resource expertise, use across the production workflows. Examples include providing services focused on location accounting, digital start paperwork, digital time card, payroll, tax incentive tracking, 1099 processing and Exec level financial reporting.

• Mature the IT Production Finance department (e.g., people, functions, internal workflows, and corresponding technology) to maximum efficiency and value delivered to our business clients.

• Supervise and coach ITPF staff to ensure performance levels are met, if not exceeded. Right size, re-tool, and/or enact organizational changes for ITPF as required to create and maintain a high performing team.

• Centrally manage and prioritize a demand tracker to ensure workload aligns with capacity and the ITPF department is focused on the highest value activities for the Business.

• Manage ITPF department spend (overhead and capital) according to budget; monitor expenditures carefully and escalate any overages to VP, PSTS timely. Manage agile funding quarterly.

• Serve as a primary line of defense (following Tiered 1-3 support model) for critical IT outages and/or disruptions associated to Production Finance. Know when to escalate and engage Senior Leadership as required for awareness, triage, and support.

• Develop, lead, and/or manage strategic and transformational projects for ITPF. Candidate should have strong proficiency in strategic planning, project management, communication, escalation management and scorecard/reporting.

• For larger scale initiatives that require green-lighting, develop supporting documentation, including but not limited to memo-papers, cost benefit analysis, strategic narrative content to justify the investment of SPE resources. All proposals should be reviewed and approved by VP, PSTS.

• Demonstrate strong proficiency in going from business problem to solution (assess, design, and recommend appropriate people, process, technology components) to execute.

• Evolve the Pockets of Accountability (POA) structure for IT Production Finance. Ensure clear paths of accountability and close integration with other POA’s across PSTS and broader IT, including but not the Finance Systems and Corporate IT POA’s. Develop and maintain a strategic 3 year roadmap to account for anticipated business demand and resource requirements.

• Fully integrate and leverage PSTS’s Productions Operation Management framework to track which productions are receiving ITPF services, including type, health, any open risks/concerns, and/or net new requirements. Serve as primary point on key metrics associated to the overall service delivery for ITPF. Maintain processes to link our production demand funnel (new technology needs) to our service catalog and supporting operating procedures.

• Establish processes to properly vet and evaluate new ITPF technology needs. This includes minimizing tool fragmentation, point solutions, while also ensuring we work towards standards for productions. All technologies should be vetted closely in partnership with Info Sec, Legal, Privacy and Procurement to ensure adherence to global policy and regulatory compliance requirements.

• Integrate and where possible standardize ITPF services across the globe considering regional / local preferences and requirements (e.g., EP domestic vs. international support model).
• Partner with VP, PSTS on broader strategic programs, including expanding IT’s alliance with other internal production service providers and third-party technology partners.

• Support and lead (where required) the integration or divestiture activities for newly acquired or divested SPE production entities via SPE’s Integration Management Office (IMO) – specifically IT requirements to support Production Finance stakeholders and business functions.

• Identify and champion new innovative technology solutions to create operational efficiency, reduce cost, or further manage risk for our business partners.

• Lead and facilitate senior level discussions with Production Finance executives to help them understand where their business challenges lie and how technology can be an enabler to solve their constraints – i.e., architect the art of the possible w/ our business clients.

Core Responsibilities

• Operational Oversight – Oversee the sub teams and/or “sub-POA’s” that report into the ITPF department to ensure efficient operations and continued workflow / process improvement. Adopt clear communication protocols to ensure sub teams are empowered to work autonomously with direction and support from management.

• Stakeholder / Relationship Management – Invest and maintain strategic relationships with our Production clients from both Motion Pictures and Television Production. Keep abreast of organizational changes that impact Productions to ensure ITPF is “linked in arms” with the Business direction and strategy.

• Strategic Planning - Participate in business and IT strategic planning; engage the Business frequently to understand their strategic priorities and/or business challenges. Forge an IT strategy and funding plan that positions IT to properly meet those needs with strong business value realization metrics and KPI’s. Understand and evaluate current market trends to complement our solutioning approach. More broadly, understand the strategy and direction of IT within SPE to ensure alignment.

• Team Development / Coaching / Empowerment – Invest in team members, help pave clear career paths, provide coaching and mentoring to junior staff. Empower others leveraging Servant Leadership best practices. Adopt the “impact players” mindset and approach to leading – knowing when to step up and step back, provide clear purpose and direction but hold team members accountable to perform according to SPE’s competency model.

• Industry / third party vendor alliances – Maintain awareness of industry trends and evolving technologies: specifically in the production space. Create and foster relationships with strategic vendors / partners where it benefits SPE.

Job Requirements

To be considered for this role you will ideally meet and be able to demonstrate the following criteria.

Experience and Education

• Bachelor’s degree or relative certifications preferred
• 10+ years employment in the IT industry working in mid to large enterprise environments
• 5+ years of experience working in the Media and Entertainment industry
• 3+ years or more experience working and/or supporting Productions
• 3+ years or more experience in Production Accounting/Finance
• Prior Big 4 consulting experience as plus

Skills and Knowledge

• Strong communication skills (oral and written)
• High proficient in project management, strategic planning and tactical solutioning
• Eagerness to learn, adapt, and implement new skill sets for individual and team
• Effective customer services skillset to be able to onboard, support and effectively communicate with various ITPF clients.
• Possesses a good working knowledge of all common technical platforms (application, infrastructure, cloud based solutions – SaaS, PaaS, IaaS)
• Strong service orientation and focus.
• Carries “team first” mentality – demonstrates effective leadership behaviors to empower, motivate and lead her/his team across the finish line
• Demonstrates ability to escalate / provide awareness to Senior Leadership when support and/or guidance is needed.
• Working knowledge of continuous process improvement methodologies and customer satisfaction measurement practices.
• Has above-average, creative, intellectual, imaginative and original problem-solving skills and able to implement solutions for moderate to difficult software/hardware problems.
• Demonstrates the ability to be flexible and deal with change both internal and external to the organization.
• Has the ability to work independently under limited supervision to accomplish small tasks that require coordination between multiple departments and people.

Specialized Skill Sets

• Strong proficiency in financial reporting & accounting processes & controls (general ledger, bank config, PO processing, A/R, A/P, Rev recognition, month end close processes)
• Strong proficiency in location accounting vendor products & industry software (large and small scale)
• Customer centric mindset for product design / development
• Familiarity with production tax incentives and value added tax
• Familiarity with feature vs episodic budgets

• Overall understanding of the end to end production lifecycle

The anticipated base salary for this position is $159,300-$213,000. This role may also qualify for incentives and/or comprehensive benefits. The actual base salary offered will depend on a variety of factors, including without limitation, the qualifications of the individual applicant for the position, years of relevant experience, level of education attained, certifications or other professional licenses held, and if applicable, the location of the position.

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  Sony Pictures Entertainment is an equal opportunity employer. We evaluate qualified applicants without regard to race, color, religion, sex, national origin, disability, veteran status, age, sexual orientation, gender identity, or other protected characteristics.