Manager, Budget Project Management

Manager, Budget Project Management

This is a position which will play a key role as the day-to-day liaison between the client, internal teams, & vendor partners. This position will also oversee and coordinate all aspects of client budget management.  

Responsibilities:

This position acts as the relationship and account manager for all financially related client matters. 

• Manage the end-to-end billing cycle including pre-billing, billing, and post-billing processes across all media types.
• Maintain budget trackers using client-approved media plans as the source of record. Translate media plan budgets into proprietary billing platform.
• Conduct variance analysis to reconcile planned versus actual spend, identifying and resolving discrepancies before billing is submitted.
• Process and submit client billing accurately and on time in accordance with contractual deadlines and billing cadences (e.g., 30-day and 60-day terms).
• Support agency fee billing and production billing as needed.
• Manage vendor statement reconciliation, ensuring all vendor accounts are current and in good standing to prevent any disruption to media activity.
• Oversee vendor communications and resolve invoice discrepancies in a timely manner.
• Calendar Management (sending billing reminders and meeting invites)
• Review and approve insertion orders for priority vendor partners
• Manage purchase order creation, tracking, and maintenance to ensure budget compliance and operational visibility.
• Partner with media reconciliation teams to ensure all vendor spend is cleared and accurately reflected in financial records.
• Provide accounts receivable (AR) commentary on account balances and payment status. Assist in resolving outstanding balances to support healthy cash flow.
• Support monthly forecasting, accrual reviews, and annual audit processes.
• Serve as the primary point of contact for all client budget management deliverables, troubleshooting issues to meet client expectations.
• Partner with strategy, planning, and investment teams to ensure budget changes and plan updates are accurately reflected in financial records.
• Communicate with agency finance teams on working capital, accounts receivable, accounts payable, and media reconciliation matters.
• Handle client requests including plan or budget changes and ensure timely resolution and communication.
• Responsible for all activity related to budget status, overage/underage investigations, and payment inquiries.

Qualifications

• 3-5+ years of experience in media finance, budget management, or a related financial operations role, preferably within a media agency environment.
• Intermediate to advanced Excel proficiency required, including VLOOKUPs, XLOOKUPs, and pivot tables. Experience with Microsoft Office Suite (Outlook, PowerPoint, SharePoint)
• Strong analytical and organizational skills with exceptional attention to detail.
• Demonstrated ability to manage multiple projects, deadlines, and priorities in a fast-paced, client-service environment.
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with experience working cross-functionally across internal and external teams.
• Familiarity with media billing processes, vendor operations, and reconciliation workflows.
• Experience with media or financial management platforms a plus (e.g., MediaOcean/Prisma, D365, IBM TM1).
• Prior experience in an entertainment or media agency environment a plus.
• High sense of urgency, proactive mindset, and a positive, solutions-oriented attitude.