Senior Finance Manager

As a CBRE Senior Finance Manager, you will manage and own the accuracy of the books, the speed of billing and the collection of cash for a defined portfolio or business unit, and you will be responsible for producing all output associated with Finance Strategy and Operations for it. This role is part of the Financial Strategy & Operations function and maintains the accounting, financial, and reporting policies and controls that support it.

The Senior Finance Manager oversees and approves the monthly close, balance sheet reconciliations and management reporting, and makes sure every invoice is correct, on time and collected through accounts receivable (AR). The Senior Finance Manager also drives the annual budget preparation, monthly forecasts, strategic planning and standard management reporting for the portfolio or business unit, and manages special projects.

The Senior Finance Manager leads and develops a team of analysts and billing specialists, and partners with operations leaders to explain results, challenge performance and protect margin. Act as a business partner to the Business Unit Director to both advise and challenge senior management on contract performance.

Build meaningful relationships across multi-stakeholders within CBRE leveraging opportunity to improve Business Unit profile

• Manage the monthly close on the company timetable, from accruals and journal entries through to final financial statement packages for clients and management.
• Review and approve all monthly journal entries, balance sheet account analyses, the statement of cash flows and supporting schedules.
• Approve standard consolidated reporting packs and client financial packages for accuracy and completeness before release.
• Prepare the full profit and loss (P&L) with analysis and commentary, balance sheet extracts and reconciliations, and project profitability reporting.
• Apply cash and accrual accounting fundamentals consistently, and resolve open accounting issues before they affect the close.
• Respond to questions from management, clients and auditors on accounting treatment and reporting.

• Own the billing cycle: confirm that every invoice is accurate, complies with contract terms, and issues on schedule.
• Review billing support, including expense pass-throughs, management fees, funding requests and owner distributions, before invoices release.
• Manage AR from invoice to cash: monitor the aging report, drive collections, and elevate disputes and past-due balances to account and operations leaders.
• Track days sales outstanding (DSO) and aged balances by client, and report them in the monthly review with a recovery plan for any account that slips.
• Review cash application, credit memos, write-off requests and bad debt reserves, and approve them within delegated authority.
• Reconcile the AR subledger to the general ledger each month and clear reconciling items promptly.
• Confirm that revenue recognition and billing match contract terms, including cost-plus, fixed-price and guaranteed maximum price models where they apply.
• Resolve client billing queries quickly, with a documented root cause and a fix that prevents repeats.

• Make sure account reconciliations are complete, reviewed and signed off on time.
• Operate and evidence Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) controls, comply with U.S. generally accepted accounting principles (GAAP), and support internal and external audits.
• Meet CBRE and statutory reporting and governance obligations.
• Maintain the accuracy of data in CBRE enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, and use system-generated reports to remove manual processes, journals and workarounds.
• Keep desk procedures current for close, billing and AR, and lead the research, development and preparation of accounting policies and procedures.

• Drive the annual budget, monthly forecast, strategic planning and standard management reporting processes for the portfolio or business unit.
• Include balance sheet and cash flow plans, with AR collections and billing timing built into the cash forecast.
• Explain variances between plan, forecast and actual results, and flag contracts or teams that trend off track.
• Produce complex routine and ad hoc financial reports, packages and pro forma analyses for senior management and the planning unit.
• Use scenario planning (exit, maintain, grow) tools and models to support decisions on contracts and…