Senior Manager – Finance & Business Control
Company: Motivate Events & Media W.L.L.
Location: Bahrain
Reporting to: Chairman
Works closely with: General Manager, Finance Team, Events, Media, Production
Role PurposeMotivate Events & Media is seeking a highly hands-on and commercially minded Senior Manager – Finance & Business Control to strengthen financial discipline, business performance, internal controls and management accountability across the company.
This is not a purely accounting role and it is not a supervisory-only position.
The successful candidate will be expected to personally review financial information, project profitability, cash flow, receivables, departmental performance and management reporting, while providing the Chairman with independent visibility on the overall health of the business.
The role will work closely with the General Manager and department heads while maintaining direct access to the Chairman for business control, financial oversight and risk escalation.
The objective is to ensure that Motivate is:
- Financially controlled
- Commercially disciplined
- Profitable by project and business unit
- Strong in cash management
- Well monitored against budgets and targets
- Capable of identifying issues early and taking corrective action
Key ResponsibilitiesFinancial Control & Oversight
- * Review the company’s overall financial position on an ongoing basis.
- Monitor bank balances, liquidity and short-term cash requirements.
- Review monthly management accounts and ensure that financial reporting is accurate, timely and meaningful.
- Monitor accounts receivable, overdue collections and customer credit exposure.
- Monitor accounts payable and upcoming commitments.
- Review major payments, supplier advances and exceptional expenditures.
- Ensure appropriate financial controls and approval procedures are followed.
- Monitor payroll, headcount costs and employee-related financial commitments.
- Review capital expenditure and significant purchases.
- Support audit readiness and ensure appropriate documentation and controls are maintained.
Cash Flow & Working Capital
- * Prepare and maintain an 8–12 week rolling cash-flow forecast.
- Monitor expected customer collections and supplier commitments.
- Identify potential liquidity gaps early.
- Work with management to improve working-capital discipline.
- Follow up on overdue receivables and challenge delays in collection.
- Ensure management understands the cash impact of commercial decisions.
Budgeting & Forecasting
- * Coordinate the annual budget process with management.
- Monitor actual performance against approved budgets.
- Review revenue, gross profit, operating expenses and EBITDA against target.
- Identify and explain material variances.
- Maintain rolling forecasts based on current pipeline and confirmed business.
- Challenge unrealistic assumptions and unsupported forecasts.
- Follow up on agreed corrective actions.
Project ProfitabilityGiven the project-based nature of Motivate, project profitability will be a key responsibility.
The Senior Manager will:
- Review major project budgets before commitment where required.
- Monitor quotation margins and expected profitability.
- Review project costing, purchasing, manpower and supplier commitments.
- Track actual project cost against approved budget.
- Identify margin leakage and cost overruns.
- Conduct post-project profitability reviews for major projects.
- Ensure project managers understand and are accountable for financial performance.
- Highlight projects that generate revenue but insufficient profit or cash contribution.
Business Unit PerformanceMonitor the financial and operational performance of key business units, including:
- Events
- Media / Creative
- Production
- Event Fab
- Other business units as required
Establish clear reporting by business unit showing:
- Revenue
- Gross profit
- Operating expenses
- Contribution
- EBITDA
- Headcount
- Utilization
- Pipeline
- Collections
- Key risks
Commercial & Performance Control
- * Review the profitability of key clients and accounts.
- Identify low-margin or loss-making relationships.
- Monitor discounting and pricing discipline.
- Review major contracts for financial and commercial exposure.
- Monitor confirmed revenue and sales pipeline.
- Review staffing levels against workload and revenue.
- Assess productivity and cost effectiveness.
- Challenge decisions that negatively affect margin, cash flow or profitability.
- Ensure agreed management actions are followed through.
Internal Controls & Governance
- * Support the development and enforcement of the company’s authority matrix.
- Review procurement and purchasing controls.
- Ensure appropriate segregation of duties.
- Identify weaknesses in systems, controls and procedures.
- Recommend practical improvements.
- Escalate material financial, operational or governance risks directly to the Chairman.
- Monitor whether key management decisions and corrective actions are implemented.
Management ReportingPrepare a concise weekly dashboard for the Chairman covering:
- Bank balance and liquidity
- Receivables and overdue collections
- Payables and upcoming commitments
- Confirmed revenue
- Sales pipeline
- Gross profit
- EBITDA
- Major project margins
- Payroll and headcount
- 8–12 week cash-flow forecast
- Major risks
- Recommended actions
Participate in monthly management reviews and provide an independent assessment of business performance.
Role BoundariesThe General Manager remains responsible for running the company and managing day-to-day operations.
The Senior Manager – Finance & Business Control is responsible for independently monitoring, analysing and challenging performance.
The role is not intended to duplicate the General Manager.
It is designed to ensure that:
- The financial numbers are reliable.
- Management is delivering against agreed targets.
- Projects are commercially viable.
- Cash is controlled.
- Risks are identified early.
- Corrective actions are followed through.
Candidate ProfileWe are looking for a strong finance professional who is analytical, commercially aware, disciplined and highly hands-on.
Experience
- * Approximately 8–15 years of relevant experience.
- Previous experience in one or more of the following roles is preferred:
- Financial Controller
- Senior Financial Controller
- Business Controller
- Commercial Finance Manager
- Finance Manager
- FP&A / Business Performance Manager
- Audit / Advisory Manager or Senior Manager
- Experience in project-based businesses is highly desirable.
Relevant sectors may include:
- Events and exhibitions
- Advertising and media
- Construction
- Contracting
- Engineering
- Fit-out
- Production
- Professional services
- Other project-driven businesses
Technical SkillsStrong knowledge of:
- Management accounting
- Financial reporting
- Budgeting and forecasting
- Cash-flow management
- Working capital
- Project costing
- Job profitability
- Financial analysis
- Internal controls
- Commercial finance
- Risk management
Strong Excel and analytical skills are essential.
ERP and management-reporting experience are highly desirable.
Personal AttributesThe successful candidate should be:
- Highly analytical
- Hands-on
- Detail oriented
- Commercially aware
- Independent in judgment
- Calm under pressure
- Confident dealing with senior managers
- Comfortable challenging decisions professionally
- Strong in follow-through
- Ethical and discreet
- Able to identify problems and propose practical solutions
- Comfortable working with limited supervision
The candidate must be willing to personally review data, investigate variances and follow issues through to resolution.
Key Success MeasuresSuccess in this role will be measured by:
- Improved quality and reliability of financial information
- Better cash-flow visibility
- Improved receivable collection
- Stronger project margins
- Reduction in project cost overruns
- Improved budget discipline
- Better visibility by business unit
- Stronger internal controls
- Improved EBITDA performance
- Earlier identification of financial and operational risks
- Better management accountability
- Reduced shareholder involvement in day-to-day monitoring
Important NoteThis is a highly hands-on role.
The successful candidate will be expected to personally analyse financial and operational information, review project profitability, investigate variances, follow up on collections and ensure agreed actions are completed.
This position is best suited to someone who enjoys understanding how a business actually works and using financial information to improve performance.
