Client Finance Manager

ChangeUp; Dayton (OH); Hybrid; USD 72,000 - 95,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flex and remote working

Summer Fridays

Generous holiday schedule (birthday)

Wellness plans

Volunteer opportunities

Professional development

Job summary

ChangeUp seeks a Client Finance Manager to serve as project accountant and subject-matter expert for financial performance of assigned clients and projects. This hands-on role covers budgeting, revenue recognition, projections, financial analysis, and workflow, reporting to the CFO as an individual contributor.

You will partner with client relationship managers, track all project finances in Smartsheet, and prepare forecasts for monthly reviews, ensuring adherence to scope and cost controls with

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Accounting, Finance, or equivalent.
• 5+ years of relevant professional experience.
• Understanding of fixed-fee (deliverable-based) project accounting under ASC 606.
• Experience with Sage Intacct and Smartsheet strongly preferred.
• Advanced MS Excel skills with formulas and pivot tables.
• Comfort with high project volumes (600–1,000 per client) and large datasets.
• Proactive, analytical, organized, and self-motivated.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.
• Team-oriented and quick to learn.
• Bonus points for experience in Architecture, Engineering, Branding, or Advertising industries.

Responsibilities

• Partner with client relationship managers to oversee financial aspects of client projects.
• Using Smartsheet, track budgets, vendor costs, pass-through expenses, revenue forecasts, and billing.
• Prepare revenue forecasts and financial roll-ups for monthly reviews.
• Conduct trend analyses and ensure contracts stay within scope and cost controls.
• Oversee client procurement portals, contracts, invoice submission, and approvals.
• Maintain an audit trail of client financial activity per accounting guidelines.
• Coordinate revenue recognition, billing, and cash collections with Accounting.
• Track project expenses and vendor costs, including PO tracking and cost analysis.
• Collaborate with other areas of the business to maintain workflow integrity.
• Support the CFO with ad-hoc projects.

Skills

Financial analysis

Budgeting

Revenue recognition

MS Excel

Communication

Team collaboration

Proactivity

ASC 606

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting/Finance

Tools

Sage Intacct

Smartsheet

Job description

Dayton/Cincinnati, OH hybrid preferred, or Remote for the right candidate

Are you looking for a change? – Be our next great Client Finance Manager! #changeistheanswer

ChangeUp was founded to be a different kind of agency – one deep in experience and world-class service, but nimble and agile. We’re about connections and collaborations – among ourselves, and with our clients. We’re known for our culture and the outstanding solutions we provide.

We believe: Change is not a risk, it’s the answer.

We are: Thinkers, makers, poets, and futurists who unlock the unexpected.

Be the change!

The Client Finance Manager serves as the project accountant and subject‑matter expert for the financial performance of assigned clients and projects. It’s a hands‑on role managing projects against scopes of work, including all aspects of budgeting, revenue recognition, projections, financial analysis, and workflow. Reports to the CFO; individual contributor.

As a Client Finance Manager, you will…

• Partner with our client relationship managers to facilitate financial oversight of client projects
• Using Smartsheet, be responsible for tracking all aspects of assigned client projects, including budgets, vendor costs, pass‑through expenses, net revenue forecasts, and billing
• Prepare revenue forecasts and financial roll-ups for monthly account reviews
• Perform trend analysis and prepare reports to ensure contracts are within negotiated and agreed‑upon scope parameters and cost control guidelines
• Oversee client procurement portals when necessary, including client contracts, invoice submission and approvals
• Create and maintain a clear audit trail of all client financial activity within industry and accounting guidelines
• Closely coordinate client revenue recognition, billing/invoicing, and cash collections between client relationship managers and Accounting
• Track and maintain employee project expenses and hours, and all project‑related vendor costs, including purchase order tracking, budgeted vs. actual vendor cost analysis, and correlated client profitability impacts
• Work collaboratively with other areas of the business to ensure workflow integrity
• Support the CFO with ad‑hoc projects

We’d love to hear from you if you have:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or equivalent experience
• A minimum of 5 years relevant professional experience
• An understanding of fixed fee (deliverable‑based billing) project accounting under ASC 606
• Experience with Sage Intacct and Smartsheet strongly preferred
• Advanced MS Excel skills including a wide variety of functions, formulas, and pivot tables
• Comfort with high project volumes (600-1,000 per Client Finance Manager) and large datasets
• A strong orientation toward proactivity, analysis, organization, and self‑motivation
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills
• A willingness to work in a team‑first environment and learn quickly
• Bonus Points if you have:
• Experience in Architecture, Engineering, Branding, or Advertising Industries

Are you ready to be the change?

ChangeUp is an equal opportunity employer of all qualified individuals. We look at diversity through the lens of gender, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, religion, and age… and also through cultural backgrounds, life experiences, thoughts, and ideas. We believe diversity enhances our work culture as well as improves the quality of our work. Quality of work and innovation both grow as a result of the encouragement of new ideas and perspectives.

We believe in creating the best possible workplace to foster best‑in‑class design… that includes, and emphasizes, a work‑life balance! Our people are our foundation. We offer a comprehensive benefit plan, flex and remote working, Summer Fridays, a generous holiday schedule (including your birthday off), wellness plans (financial, mental, and physical), volunteer opportunities, and professional development. We are looking for professionals with passion for what they do, and a desire to see their work come to life for some of the best‑known brands in the retail and restaurant industry.