BU Controller - Dance

VARSITY SPIRIT, A VARSITY BRANDS COMPANY - THE DRIVING FORCE IN SPIRIT ACROSS CHEER, DANCE, BAND AND YEARBOOK

For over 50 years, Varsity Spirit has been the leading global source for all things spirit, including cheerleading, dance team, performing arts and yearbook. Focused on safety, entertainment and traditional school leadership, Varsity Spirit’s 5,000+ employees are dedicated to celebrating school spirit. A leader in apparel innovation, educational camps, clinics, competitions, and yearbook, Varsity Spirit impacts more than a million athletes each year.

OUR COMMITMENT TO SAFETY

At Varsity Spirit, the safety and wellbeing of the young people we serve is of the utmost importance. Since our inception 50 years ago, we have been – and remain – steadfastly committed to doing our part to create a safe and positive environment for our participants’ physical, emotional, and social development, and promoting an environment free from abuse and misconduct. Varsity has a zero tolerance for abuse in its programs, events, and associated business activities. Varsity is committed to reporting all suspicions, allegations, and incidents of abuse in full accordance with local laws and reporting requirements. Learn more at Our Commitment to Safety - Varsity.com.

JOB TYPE: Full-time, Hybrid (Onsite: Monday - Thursday & Friday: Work from home)

LOCATION: Open to candidates to report to our Memphis, TN or Farmers Branch, TX headquarters.

TRAVEL EXPECTATIONS: Travel may be required on a monthly/quarterly basis, particularly as a new hire becoming familiar with the services and operations for which you are responsible. Travel for required meetings will also be expected.

HOW YOU WILL MAKE AN IMPACT

As the financial lead for the Varsity Spirit Dance business unit, the Finance Business Partner, Dance, partners closely with the SVP, Dance and the SVP, Dance Events, to guide and support their teams in defining and delivering our dance training and event offerings.  A successful candidate in this role will provide financial expertise and insights to drive effective business planning and operational excellence, key focus areas for Varsity Spirit. You will play a transformational role in shaping and modernizing how the finance function drives value for the company and for our customers, developing our collective analytical capabilities and continuing to establish our role as trusted advisors to the broader business.

WHAT YOU WILL DO

• Lead, engage, and motivate the newly-formed Dance finance team, to provide financial transparency, improve operational efficiency, and drive profitable growth, through partnership with the Dance business unit leaders. Manage team’s performance to consistently encourage retention growth and productivity.
• Partner with Dance business unit leaders, and Varsity Spirit cross functional partners, to drive the integration of newly acquired dance businesses into the Varsity Spirit ecosystem, from definition to execution of the integration strategy.
• Partner with Dance leadership team in continuing to harmonize the Dance go-to-market strategy, with KPI’s designed to measure and drive optimal outcomes.
• Establish and implement robust accounting controls including account reconciliations and systematic review processes, to ensure the accuracy, completeness, and integrity of financial data.
• Support and coordinate due diligence processes associated with future potential acquisitions, as well as integration of any completed acquisitions.
• Champion and oversee the continuous improvement of the dance budgeting and planning methodology, aligning business and financial planning efforts and making them more consistently structured and proactive, between the various types of training and events. 
• Provide leadership and structure in the regular reviews of planned capacity, registration, pricing, and cost of sales to help inform active business decision making, throughout each planning and execution cycle.
• Lead monthly/quarterly/annual budgeting and forecasting of all training and event offerings, from sales to execution, including all critical support functions, in partnership with FP&A.
• Partner with the Dance leadership teams to develop appropriate performance scorecards, standardizing KPI’s where possible, to drive focus and best outcomes.
• Provide leadership and support to the broader Dance business unit Finance teams, taking full responsibility for a clean and timely monthly financial close process of all businesses in the Dance portfolio, including audit support.
• Serve as a key decision support and commercial partner for the Dance teams, evaluating and approving all key contracts and commercial proposals for the business units.
• Provide direction to the Dance teams in support of continued improvement in their use of Net Working Capital, methodically improving deposit, AP, and AR performance.
• Drive the adoption and proficient use of technology to manipulate data from multiple sources into meaningful analysis and insights for sales and operations leadership to act upon.

Success Indicators:

• Leadership style based on Varsity Brands Core Values of Service, Passion, Integrity, Respect, Innovation, Transparency
• Ability to create vision and implement long-term, sustainable, positive change with continuous improvement mindset.
• Deep interest and experience in recognizing inefficiency and turning into high-performing teams/processes
• Passionate about work, detail-oriented, analytical, and excellent problem-solving abilities
• Driven towards simple, scalable solutions to difficult problems, have excellent project-management skills, and be able to communicate complex analytical results, both written and verbally, in a clear and easy-to-understand way
• Possess a high level of integrity. Be widely trusted, direct and transparent, with the ability to establish and maintain effective relationships
• Aptitude for framing complex business problems and translating into analyses and recommendations to inform decision-making
• Demonstrated ability to effectively communicate and present to all levels of leadership
• Customer service oriented and ability to partner with individuals at all levels in many different functional areas of the business
• Demonstrated ability to execute in an ambiguous environment with competing priorities

Supervisory Responsibility:

• Provides direct leadership and oversight of the Dance business unit’s finance function, including a Finance Director and Finance Manager, as well as their respective finance and accounting teams and external third-party support resources.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge/Skills/Abilities:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• Strong analytical skills
• Ability to work independently and multi-task
• Strong organizational skills and attention to detail
• Knowledge of GAAP
• Financial Analytical Skills
• Proficient in Microsoft Office products, specifically Excel

Education/Experience:

• 10+ years of experience in a Finance, Accounting, or related field
• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting or Finance, or other business discipline
• Experience leading people and teams
• Leadership experience in a dynamic event, services, or project business is preferred
• MBA, CMA, CPA certification highly preferred
• ERP enhancement or implementation experience a plus

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS:

• The physical demands described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. 
• This job operates in a professional office environment. Largely a sedentary role with some filing requiring the ability to lift files, open filing cabinets and bending or standing on a stool as necessary. Ability to sit or stand for long periods through meetings and while operating office equipment, PC’s, laptop, telephone will be required.  

Please note this job description is not designed to cover or contain a comprehensive listing of activities, duties or responsibilities required of the employee for this job.

JOIN THE BEST TEAM IN SPORT & SPIRIT

At Varsity Brands, we believe every student deserves the opportunity to succeed and every educator wants to make a difference. It takes a team to make a real impact, and through our two divisions – BSN SPORTS and Varsity Spirit – and our network of 6,000+ employees and independent representatives, we are proud to partner with a wide range of educational institutions and club and professional sports to transform the student journey in SPORT and SPIRIT.

OUR VALUES

Service - We lead with heart. We champion community.

Passion - We love what we do. It fuels our purpose.

Integrity - We do what we promise. We own our actions and decisions.

Respect - We earn it by giving it. Because everyone deserves it.

Innovation - We never stop striving to be better. For ourselves and our community.

Transparency - We are committed to openness and honesty in everything we do.

OUR BENEFITS

We are committed to putting you and your families first. For benefits eligible roles, we offer a variety of choices and costs as well as program enhancements that align with our responsibility to elevate the employee experience. Some of our offerings include:

• Comprehensive Health Care Benefits
• HSA Employer Contribution/ FSA Opportunities
• Wellbeing Program
• 401(k) plan with company matching
• Company paid Life, AD&D, and Short-Term Disability
• Generous My Time Off & Paid Holidays
• Varsity Brands Ownership Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• St. Jude Partnership & Volunteer Opportunities
• Employee Perks including discounts on personal apparel and equipment!

Varsity Brands companies are equal opportunity employers. Qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, citizenship, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, veteran’s status, age or disability.