Manager, Master Data Product Owner

This is a Full Time Job

A centralized Governance, Oversight and Adoption (GOA) team was created to ensure that SPE remains aligned to the strategic direction defined in our transformation projects. GOA's aim is to ensures that SPE realizes the expected operational value of its investments.

This Manager role will be placed in the RTR Governance & Oversight arm of GOA and report to the GOA RTR Governance & Oversight Executive-Director. The RTR Governance & Oversight team is accountable for ensuring accurate and efficient S4 RTR Master Data and adherence to RTR standards.

The Master Data Product Owner (MDPO) is a global role and will be the point-person for questions and guidance and be where projects and initiatives go for assistance with firefighting, validating new initiatives, and playing major roles on new initiatives. The role and the whole GOA team will also include conformity to SPE's finance policies, systems, and processes. This includes identifying areas of non-compliance, drafting a remediation plan, and executing that plan. Key element of work will be working closely with GFO and Cap Gemini teams to standardize processes and metrics. GOA will partner with GFO, other cross-functional teams, and the business, but decision rights remain with GOA and will be validated against the guidelines and rules established. This will be done as a partnership in a fair, transparent, and responsible way.

A primary responsibility of the MDPO will be supporting the maintenance of master data in S4. He or she will function as the first level escalation point within the Supplier Maintenance work unit to create, modify, and block master data while confirming its compliance to guidelines and policy. The MDPO will also be responsible for maintaining the guidelines and updating them as needed as well as serving as an SME in transformation project as per demand or impact on master data.

What you'll do:
• Ensure that new master data requests conform to established guidelines
• Work with Product Owners on exceptions to guidelines
• Establish new guidelines with Product Owners on master data
• Drive the updating of master data guidelines as needed
• Conduct master data rationalization for elements in scope
• Seek out master data best practices that can be adopted by SPE
• Broadly communicate changes to relevant stakeholders and executive stakeholders
• Drive process improvement initiatives post system go live
• Ensure adherence to SPE master data management processes, controls, and policies
• Support Transformation programs with both regional and global efforts and ensure successful implementation of new processes and policies globally
• Oversee the systems in scope to make sure the use of systems is in accordance with set rules during pre-go live agreement
• Monitoring, enforcing and ensuring adaption to new System/Process standards
• Institutionalise and document standards and methodologies from completed projects
• Conduct routine audits of master data additions and updates, validating that the master data is complete in accordance with best practices
• Recommend enhancements to department processes and workflows to increase operational efficiency and accuracy
• Lead efforts for driving global related processes and continuous improvements focused on user experience, process efficiencies, issue resolution and updates to solution features and functionality
• Create, analyse and publish reports so management can track status
• Provide day-to-day supervision of global staff consisting of internal resources and outsourced personnel
• Monitor pending requests and ensures timely processing of requests
• Perform root cause analysis for complex problems working alongside project teams, GFO and IT
• Partner with GFO Team on strong and consistent best practices across all regions
• Partnering with IT on the resolution of any issues related to system processes
• Collaborate with business partners to define business requirements for new functionality
• Function as first level support for escalation of concerns or discrepancies
• Proactively seek out potential data integrity issues to mitigate the risk of downstream system implications.
• Effectively and professionally manage challenging internal and external relationships
• Work as part of the bigger GOA team in providing support globally.

What you have:

Level of Education Required:
• Bachelors degree required, MBA or post- secondary education preferred
• Familiarity of the Record to Report and Budget and Planning processes
• Experienced and proficient in Microsoft Office Applications required
• Ariba and SAP knowledge a plus. S4 HANA knowledge a plus
• Entertainment experience preferred

Experience (In Years):
• Eight+ years' professional experience with a background in process improvement, managing strategic projects and experience in business transformation programmes
• A minimum of three years of accounting experience required.
• Three years Supervisory experience preferred
• Experience of working across a Global business within a multi-cultural corporate working environment.
• Experience of working in large scale Finance and Accounting projects/programs

Knowledge:
• Understanding of best practice Financial Operations processes, particularly those associated with the Media & Entertainment industry
• Significant experience managing Financial Operations processes or other core finance, accounting, or strategic planning processes, within a complex, high volume environment
• Appreciation of US GAAP, IFRS, and regulatory requirements
• Strong familiarity with month-end reporting processes and standards
• Experience working with Global stakeholders and end-users and effective interpersonal skills required

Skills:

• Detail-oriented with good organizational skills, able to balance multiple tasks in a time sensitive atmosphere
• Strong analytical thinking and problem solving skills
• Excellent ability to communicate complex information to others, presenting messages in a way that enhances understanding of large-scale projects
• Demonstrates strong and effective verbal and written communication skills necessary to interact effectively with internal and external customers as needed
• Excellent ability to consistently anticipate users' needs through an in-depth understanding of both global and regional business processes and operations
• Ability to balance multiple activities in a fast-paced environment while delivering a timely and high-quality end work product
• Can effectively respond to a changing workload while maintaining flexibility as priorities change
• Strong ability to perform analysis of large complex business, workflow, and technology issues to support decision-making
• Can effectively assess situations, consider alternatives, and choose the appropriate course of action
• Understands overall impacts of data changes and experience level to make the appropriate decisions
• Ability to work independently as well as in a team environment
• Contributes to a collaborative, productive work environment through positive relationships with Senior Leadership, Managers, Employees, and the community
• Contributes new ideas, makes helpful suggestions for change in a dynamic work environment
• Demonstrates Leadership skills and mentors new hires
• A 'Customer' centric attitude with a 'continuous improvement' mindset.
• Must be pro-active with issue identification and resolution
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