Commercial WIP Manager

Department: Commercial Finance 

Location: London 

Contract type: Fixed-Term (12 months) 

Full Time/Part time: Full Time 

Reporting into: Commercial WIP Manager Lead 

 

About Ogilvy: 

Our vision is to inspire brands and people to impact the world. To create big ideas that make a significant contribution to the planet, society, and the bottom line. We believe in today’s world this is the best way for our clients to achieve sustainable growth. We achieve this by breaking down the barriers that restrict talent and ideas. 

Which is why our teams work fluidly across 5 capabilities: Advertising, Consulting, Experience, PR & Influencer, and Health. This allows us to not only operate but innovate at the intersection of capabilities and talent. We believe impact and magic lies at this intersection. Ogilvy scales this by seamlessly connecting and accessing the deep cultural expertise of 132 offices in 83 countries. 

The result is multifaceted ideas for our clients that drive impact and are born from the intersection of platform x culture x technology. 

We call this Borderless Creativity. 

Ogilvy was ranked the number one UK agency at D&AD and was the only UK agency to win a Glass Lions at Cannes. Ogilvy was also nominated network of the year in Cannes Lions, Campaign, Effie Awards EMEA, London International Awards, The One Show and WARC Rankings. 

 

The Role: 

This role is responsible for the billing and WIP management on a portfolio of clients. They are the gatekeeper of the jobs. Reporting into the Commercial WIP Manager Lead. 

You will be responsible for all job opening and closing and ensuring that best practice is applied to job management throughout the life cycle of the job. 

You will be part of a dynamic team which is striving to ensure best commercial practice is at the heart of all agency business transactions. 

You will have a close working relationship with both Commercial Managers (CM), the other Commercial WIP Managers and the agency client team. 

 

Key Responsibilities: 

Job Management 

· Ensuring adherence to the job opening process 

· Ensuring timely management and follow up on jobs with client teams 

· Explaining to client team how the job processes work on a client and why 

· Regular meeting with client teams to review open jobs 

· Working with CM to ensure best use of Workday for each client’s specific needs 

· Billing to client on a timely basis, ensuring invoices are in line with client processes and internal processes 

· Keeping a log of Credit Notes and obtaining relevant sign off 

· Advising CM if client teams are not following internal processes or not making themselves available for WIP reviews 

· Preparing reports on time value on jobs vs. fee invoiced for CM to review 

· Reviewing open PO’s and advising teams to close where appropriate 

· Ensuring jobs are closed down correctly when necessary 

· Ensuring Project Manager has signed off on each closed job and reviewed the profitability 

· Ensuring job setup follows the Commercial Control guidelines and the necessary documentation is attached to it 

· Allocation of WIP balances on Workday 

· Reviewing FX gains/losses on the jobs and taking appropriate action to clear any balances 

Client Contracts 

· Carrying out credit checks on new clients 

· Setting up new clients in Workday 

· Ensuring Workday Masterdata is correct 

· Ensuring you understand the VAT rules on each client and that they are adhered to 

· Ensuring you understand the foreign currency policy on each client and it is being adhered to 

NWC Management 

· Liaise with Finance Plus Debtors as appropriate, to assist with resolution of any Debtors issues 

· Reviewing WIP and pro-actively ensuring any issues are resolved or escalated to avoid NWC provisions 

Compliance 

· Ensure compliance with ICFR regulations in relevant areas 

· Assist in any ICFR or other audits, including client audits 

· Raising a query if there is an area of compliance which you do not understand or appears to be a duplication 

· Ensuring all internal procedures and policies are adhered to 

· Ensure Purchase Order policy is adhered to – i.e. no approved PO’s issued after supplier invoice date, highlighting to CM where there is breach of the policy 

Other responsibilities 

· Ensuring best practice in use of all systems and help in training on Workday new client team joiners if appropriate 

· Running ad-hoc reports on Workday for the brand teams 

· Ad hoc requests from CM 

 

Requirements: 

· Media-experience preferred/experience in service-oriented business with commercial focus. 

· Proactive and self-motivated, with a desire to identify and improve on processes. 

· Confident and enthusiastic communicator (written and verbal). Proven stakeholder management. 

· Familiarity with Billing, WIP and Net Working Capital management. 

· Excellent organisation and attention to detail. Time management skills essential due to multiple deadlines and priorities. 

· Excel skills are essential (sumifs, vlookups, etc.) 

 

How we help you Thrive: 

· 25 days annual leave + 1 Volunteer Day  

· Bupa Healthcare 

· Enhanced Maternity, Adoption and Shared Parental Leave 

· We have a Flexible Working Model with core working hours: 10am – 4pm 

· A 1.5:1 Matching Pension Structure 

· Wellbeing and Health: Up to £25.00 per month towards physical or online exercise class membership, Unmind membership, LifeWorks tool and annual eye tests and development budgets and Wellbeing incentives and activities throughout the year  

· Season Ticket Loan and Cycle to Work Scheme 

· Life Assurance

Our ambition is to attract the very best diverse talent to Ogilvy, and to be the employer of choice in the UK. We want everyone to feel welcome when they join us, and once they’re here, for them to want to stay with us, grow their career, and to feel they belong with us.

We are an equal opportunity employer and we’re committed to creating an inclusive, welcoming environment for everyone who wants to work at Ogilvy. For us, diversity, equity and inclusion is integrated into everything that we do. We believe that for creativity to flourish, everything about how we work must have diversity at its core. Your race, colour, ethnic, religion, gender, gender identity, national origin, sexual orientation, age, marital status, disability, have no bearing on our hiring decisions, but we encourage everyone to feel free to express their true selves in an environment we are consistently striving to make as inclusive as possible.

We aim to facilitate an accessible and positive application experience for all candidates. If you require any adjustments from us to support you through the process or expect to require any adjustments to working conditions to be able to best perform in the role, please let us know. We are happy to consider all reasonable adjustments.

If you live with a disability and you would like to take advantage of our offer of a guaranteed interview under the Disability Confident Scheme, please ensure you fill out our voluntary Equal Opportunities Questionnaire when applying.