Project Financial Analyst

About WHYY

WHYY serves the Philadelphia region with trusted journalism, eye-opening storytelling and intimate local arts programming. Our curiosity and commitment to this community is what drives our programming. It’s also what drives our hiring.

Below you’ll find an employment opportunity in the fast-paced setting of the Philadelphia region’s leading public media provider. The award-winning professional staff of WHYY sets the bar high in television, radio and online. Whether it’s preparing a program to air or a behind-the-scenes role in support, all positions are vital to continuing—and growing—our impact in our community.

WHYY offers a voice to those not heard, a platform to share everyone’s stories, a foundation to empower early and lifelong learners and a trusted space for unbiased news. Learn more about our Social Responsibility Program. It’s how we live.

About the Role

This position provides financial, accounting and reporting support for WHYY’s programming and production teams, grant fundraising team and other stakeholders.  He/she functions as a key liaison between finance and the production divisions, engineering, grant fundraising, payroll, legal, and others, ensuring cross-departmental communication on project expenses and revenue releases, and that they are budgeted and forecasted for properly.

Major Duties and Responsibilities

• Work with project directors and all other stakeholders to build project budgets based on WHYY’s overall production schedule, financial objectives, and personnel and engineering capacity. Understand and communicate any internal and/or external constraints on personnel allocations, including union contract rules.
• Lead development of annual budget assumptions with Chief Engineer to generate the annual technician schedule baseline budget
• Collaborate with our grants fundraising team to ensure understanding of all grant contract parameters and related budgets/allocations.  Actively participate in team planning sessions, etc.
• Work closely with project/program managers and grant fundraising team on budgets, modifications, and other financial aspects of the grant.
• Monitor grant expenditure burn-rates and provide analysis on project P&Ls. Report material variances to project managers that will help them to keep scheduled deliverables on track.
• Monitor grant payments and assist Senior Financial Analyst with rolling accrual/cash forecast for WHYY’s 80+ grant portfolio.
• Work with Controller’s office, WHYY’s grants reporting team and other stakeholders to develop and maintain policies governing effective project accounting procedures.
• Train project managers and/or other stakeholders on relevant accounting systems, procedures and policies as needed.
• Works with the grant fundraising team and project managers to evaluate restricted fundraising pipeline

Education: A bachelor’s degree in finance, accounting, or related field. Project management related credentials are preferred.

Experience: Three to five years’ experience in financial planning & analysis and/or grant/project accounting experience

Technical Skills: Advanced use of Microsoft Office products including Excel and PowerPoint. Must have solid understanding of accounting principles. Experience with financial planning or accounting software packages, SQL, and big data analytics are preferred. Must be comfortable working with large databases/data sets.

 *All WHYY employees are required to receive the COVID-19 vaccination. Proof will be required upon hiring.