Head of Financial Controllership
Company description
OVERVIEW
Publicis Groupe is one of the world’s largest communications holding companies, present in over 110 countries and employing about 100,000 professionals.. The Groupe is positioned at every step of the value chain, from consulting to execution, combining marketing transformation and digital business transformation.
HELPING OUR CLIENTS UNLOCK GROWTH IN THE PLATFORM WORLD
Our clients compete in the platform world, a horizontal marketplace between creators and consumers, between speakers and listeners, between buyers and sellers. To thrive in the platform world, companies must continue to innovate their products and business models. Four imperatives (1. Real Identity, 2. Dynamic, Diverse and Disruptive Creativity 3., Smart Media and 4. Direct Relationships) via our suite of world-class agencies, are necessary for modern brands to win in the platform world. At Publicis Groupe, we’ve invested in capabilities across these four imperatives our clients need to unlock growth. As the only one who can architect, build and orchestrate end to end solutions, not only do we have a proven record of building bespoke models for clients and leading expertise across all major industry categories, we are able to offer our talents more opportunities to grow and benefit from a richer learning experience. We call this Power of One. Powered by a 100,000-strong network via Marcel, our AI-based platform, we are also able to provide our clients and talents instant access to resource, knowledge for any need, any time, in any market.
THE SPIRIT OF VIVA LA DIFFERENCE
Viva La Difference is deeply rooted in everything we do. It has always been in our DNA. From the birth of Publicis, 94 years ago, when Marcel Bleustein-Blanchet, our founder, invented French advertising. Viva La Difference expresses how we value and respect each individual and recognize what makes us distinctive. This is the charge that inspires our teams to celebrate the differences in identity, background, culture, and experience of all of us. It is how we behave with each other and our clients, and it is deeply rooted throughout our work, to elevate and bring to life our differences throughout the platform world.
Overview
Head of Financial Controllership, Media
About the role:
We are hiring a Head of Financial Controllership, Media to play a senior leadership role within Publicis Groupe UK. This role sits at the heart of our Media practice, ensuring financial integrity, strong governance and high‑quality insight that supports confident decision‑making. You’ll work closely with Media and Finance leadership, leading a sizeable controllership team and shaping how we report, plan and perform. This is a role for an established finance leader who brings depth, judgement and impact at scale.
This role sits within the Finance team and will be reporting into the Group Finance Director.
What you’ll be doing
- Own and lead all financial reporting cycles, ensuring accurate, timely and high‑quality reporting aligned to UK MT timelines and accounting standards
- Maintain a robust and compliant financial control environment across reporting, reconciliations and transactions, in line with Groupe policies
- Partner with Commercial and Media leadership to deliver accurate forecasts and annual Commit (budget), supporting growth and performance outcomes
- Provide technical accounting leadership on complex transactions and guide teams through changes in accounting standards and reporting requirements
- Drive disciplined expense management and TWC performance, monitoring agency results against KPIs
- Identify and deliver process improvements through automation and smarter ways of working, improving efficiency and reducing risk
- Lead, develop and inspire a high‑performing controllership team, with a strong focus on succession planning, inclusion and continuous improvement
Skills we’re looking for
- A qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent) withsignificant post‑qualification experience, operating at senior controllership or finance leadership level
- Demonstrable experience leading financial reporting, forecasting, budgeting and compliance within a complex, multi‑entity or matrixed organisation
- Strong technical accounting expertise, with the confidence to advise on complex and non‑standard transactions
- Proven people leadership experience, including leading managers and developing high‑performing teams at scale
- Experience driving process improvement and embedding efficient, well‑controlled ways of working
- The ability to partner credibly with senior stakeholders, translating financial detail into clear and actionable insight
- A collaborative, thoughtful approach, with sound judgement and the confidence to challenge constructively when needed
If this sounds aligned to your experience and career stage, we’d be pleased to share the full job description and explore the role with you.
#LI-CR1
Additional information
Publicis Groupe offers a wide range of benefits to support our employees. Full details are shared when you join, but highlights include core benefits such as Pension, Life Assurance, and Private Medical cover, alongside enhanced policies like Reflection Days and Shared Parental Leave. You’ll also have access to a range of additional initiatives, including:
📖 Please check out the Publicis Career Page which showcases our Inclusive Benefits and our EAG’s (Employee Action Groups).
Publicis Groupe works primarily from the office or our clients' office four days per week.
At Publicis Groupe, we are proud to be an equal opportunities employer. We welcome and encourage applications from people of all backgrounds, and do not discriminate on the basis of race, ethnicity, nationality, religion or belief, disability, age, citizenship, relationship status, sexual orientation, gender identity, or any other protected characteristic.
We are committed to providing a fair, accessible, and inclusive recruitment process. If you have any access needs - for example, related to disability, neurodivergence, or a health condition - please let us know. We’ll work with you to ensure the process works for you. Sharing this information will never impact your application.
Guided by our values, we listen with empathy, uplift each other, take responsibility, and embrace change - building a culture where everyone feels seen, respected, and genuinely included.
