Senior Manager, Global Localization Cost Management

This is a Full Time Job

Sr Mgr, Localization Cost MGMT, Global Localization

The Sr. Mgr, Localization Cost Management (SMLCM), Global Localization, oversees the end-to-end localization financial cycle and enforces billing procedures and policies with a high level of autonomy to ensure accuracy, compliance, and alignment with the Language Plan of Record (LPOR), Amazon Corporate Financial Planning & Accounting, Creative factors, and overall Production timelines and requirements. The SMLCM prepares, monitors and maintains localization project costs, including forecasts, commitments, invoicing, and actuals across content from any originating territory in all languages. This role must drive improvement in processes across multiple regions and distribution platforms, as well as our external Third Party vendors, to mitigate long-term risk and ensure both current and potential localization workflows, strategies, and initiatives are supported.

The SMLCM gathers, prepares, forecasts, and analyzes financial data and key inputs required to evaluate and define localization strategy, track and allocate MM annual budgets, increase the cost efficiency of workflows, identify cost saving opportunities, support content or language expansions, and manage the costs of extensive 3P vendor infrastructure and in-territory creative talent. This work requires cross-functional collaboration with Finance, Accounting, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, Strategy, Procurement and WW Production & Post-Production teams. The SMLCM is a critical contributor for the development and operationalization of the LPOR, which defines language coverage, raises the bar for customer experience, and optimizes localization Return on Investment (ROI).

The SMLCM must plan, implement, and partner to build billing systems, tools and technological enhancements that solve business needs, enforce policies, align and integrate with internal platforms and workflows, and effectively exchange financial data with external 3P vendors. The role will liaise with Tech and Product teams to design and leverage systems that balance trade-offs in short vs. long-term needs and drive improvement in processes, extend data aggregation, validate scalability, and guarantee controllership. The role must also ensure Billing tooling integrates with various applications and systems throughout Amazon and Amazon MGM Studios infrastructure, such as Coupa, Oracle, and SAP.

The SMLCM must develop, leverage, and set goals for a team of billing specialists to ensure efficient and accurate billing and cost management operations which serves to force-multiply the impact of the Global Localization organization. Through delegation, guidance, prioritization and training, the SMLCM ensures these billing specialists follow best practices, manage duties, complete assigned tasks, and comprehend multiple lines of production, post-production and localization workflows. This role ensures specialists understand costs associated with each step throughout localization, in order to accurately track, highlight off pattern discrepancies, validate overages, and reconcile budgets with internal teams and external vendor partners. Their team must also scale to support a growing domestic and international slate, language and territory expansions, and the evolving needs of Amazon MGM Studios and Prime Video.

Key job responsibilities
• Oversee the end-to-end localization financial cycle and enforce billing procedures and policies
• Gather, prepare, forecast, and analyze financial data and key inputs required to evaluate and define localization strategy and report on current state
• Plan, implement, and partner to build billing systems, tools and technological enhancements that solve business needs, enforce policies, align with internal platforms and workflows, and effectively exchange financial data with vendors
• Develop, leverage, and set goals for a team of billing specialists to ensure efficient and accurate operations
• Dive deep into financial processes and protocols with other internal Amazon stakeholders
• Establish and integrate innovative solutions to improve financial reporting processes and billing workflows
• Develop, implement, and maintain AP and AR workflows, policies and procedures; such as buybacks and refunds
• Act as Primary Point Of Contact for external bidding, billing and payments teams at localization vendors, post facilities, co-production studios, and in-territory studios

About the team
Global Localization at Amazon MGM Studios is responsible for creating subtitled and/or dubbed versions of our content for more than 240 countries and territories worldwide. Our team ensures localized content conveys the original creative intent and is adapted with appropriate linguistic and cultural references for our global Customers. The team oversees the human, creative, and technical aspects of localization from greenlight through distribution. Our global Customers should relish the holistic quality of our product, as they enjoy the exclusive experience of material tailored just for them.

Qualifications
• 6 years working with purchase orders, invoicing, and tracking of spends via financial systems such as Coupa, Oracle, or SAP
• 6 years working in a variety of Subtitling and Dubbing localization workflows and product types, including movies or series, or experience working in the local office of a global studio or post-production environment geared toward work with the same
• 6 years building and managing teams by leveraging leadership, communication, motivation, delegation, and conflict resolution skills to foster a positive work environment
• 6 years utilizing advanced functions in Microsoft Excel and Airtable, such as pivot tables, formulas, or macros
• Familiarity utilizing 3P post vendors and technical/workflow mechanisms from the beginning (greenlight) to end (distribution) of episodic or feature content life cycles globally
• Ability to analyze financial data, develop cost-saving strategies, create financial reports, and communicate results to various types of stakeholders