Job DescriptionTennis Channel is seeking a hands-on Director, Production Finance to lead and manage production budgeting, forecasting, accounting, controls, reporting, and continuous improvement across Tennis Channel production activities. This role sits within Tennis Channel Corporate Finance & Accounting and reports to the Controller / VP Finance, serving primarily as the finance partner in support of the head of production & programming and the related teams across live events, studio productions, original content, digital initiatives, creative, and production operations.
The head of production & programming owns the department budget, including creative budgets; the Director role supports that responsibility through production-related financial management, reporting, analysis, and decision support.
The Director will work closely with Production, Programming, Rights & Acquisitions, Creative, Operations, Legal, HR and Finance & Accounting, as needed, to support the production-related financial responsibilities.
This role is onsite and located in Santa Monica, CA.
In this role, you will...Lead Strategic Production Finance & Planning- Prepare annual production budgets, quarterly forecasts and long-range plans.
- Build financial models for productions/tournaments, seasonal coverage plans, and production cost centers to support staffing, resource allocation, and investment decisions.
- Lead PickleballTV joint venture production-related forecasting, actualization, and variance analysis in coordination with production leadership and Finance & Accounting.
- Prepare financial support for go/no-go decisions, cash flow, production economics, and financial risks.
Oversee Production Accounting & Financial Controls- Lead production accounting, including job costing, accruals, amortization, and close support.
- Track production costs, commitments, vendor obligations, and talent costs to support accurate reporting.
- Review production payables and purchasing card activity for proper coding, approvals, and controls.
- Prepare forecast updates and cost variance explanations for FP&A, Accounting, and Production.
Drive Business Analytics & Executive Reporting- Prepare KPI dashboards, forecast packages, cost summaries, and recurring reports for the Head of Production & Programming to support production planning, cost visibility, and decision making.
- Conduct post-event production cost reviews to explain variances, capture planning takeaways, and recommend improvements for upcoming productions.
- Summarize production financial insights for executive reporting and upcoming production planning.
Champion Continuous Improvement- Improve budgeting, forecasting, accounting, reporting quality, forecast accuracy, and decision support.
- Develop cost benchmarks, productivity metrics, savings trackers, and performance indicators across productions, vendors, staffing, travel, and operations.
- Implement automation, AI-enabled tools, templates, and reporting improvements to increase efficiency and financial visibility.
Manage Financial Governance & Oversight- Review production agreements, vendor arrangements, talent commitments, and related documents for financial terms, budget impact, cost tracking, and risks in support of the Head of Production & Programming.
- Coordinate with Legal, HR, Treasury, Tax, and Accounting as needed on production-related financial risks, labor costs, international requirements, cash flow, and compliance.
- Support international productions, including foreign costs, tax/VAT, payment timing, currency exposure, and compliance impacts.
- Maintain practical governance, controls, and processes that support growth, compliance, cost discipline, and operational effectiveness.
- Provide Leadership & Team Development
- Provide day-to-day leadership, coaching, and support to the Production Finance team.
- Set priorities, goals, development plans, and operating rhythms.
- Foster accountability, collaboration, financial discipline, improvement, and data-driven decision making.
Key Qualifications- Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field.
- CPA preferred.
- 8+ years of progressive experience in Production Finance, Production Accounting, Media Finance, FP&A, or related disciplines.
- Experience in live production, sports media, entertainment, streaming, digital media, or content businesses preferred.
- Strong hands-on financial modeling, budgeting, forecasting, accounting, controls, reporting, and analytical skills.
- Experience with project accounting, production costing, close support, operational budgets, and cost governance.
- Ability to partner with operational leaders and translate financial data into business recommendations.
- Experience with ERP/project costing systems, production accounting tools, Excel, and BI reporting; Oracle experience preferred.
- Strong communication, leadership, judgment, business partnership, and stakeholder management skills.
This role is onsite and located in Santa Monica, CA.
The base salary compensation range for this role is $140,000 to $148,000. Final compensation for this role will be determined by various factors such as a candidates' relevant work experience, skills, certifications, and geographic location. Full time positions are eligible for benefits that include participation in a retirement plan, life and disability insurance, health, dental and vision plans, flexible spending accounts, sick leave, vacation time, personal time, parental leave and employee stock purchase plan.
#tennis
