Company Description
VERSANT (Nasdaq: VSNT) is an industry-changing media and entertainment business and home to trusted brands that shape culture, inform audiences, and build lasting connections. It operates across four core markets: political news and opinion, business news and personal finance, golf, and sports and genre entertainment. These markets are served through a powerful portfolio of iconic and innovative brands, including CNBC, MS NOW, USA Network, Golf Channel, Oxygen, E!, SYFY, and Versant's sports division USA Sports, along with complementary digital assets including Fandango, Rotten Tomatoes, GolfNow and GolfPass.
Job Description
We are seeking a Senior Director, Global Record to Report to lead Versant’s global Record to Report (R2R) function and shape the future-state accounting operations model for a newly independent, publicly traded media and entertainment company. This critical accounting operations executive will be responsible for enterprise-wide R2R service delivery, including supporting Corporate and Business Unit Controllers in close operations, journal entry governance, account reconciliations, internal and external reporting support, and related controls. Reporting into the SVP, Accounting Operations, the Sr. Director will provide executive leadership across internal teams and outsourced service providers, ensuring timely, accurate, controlled, and scalable execution of the global close and reporting cycles.
The Senior Director will play a critical role in creating and driving the strategies necessary to delivering Versant’s evolving operating model by driving standardization, strengthening governance, improving service levels, and leading transformation across R2R processes, technologies, and organizational capabilities. This includes oversight of offshored BPO-delivered activities, expansion of centralized accounting operations, adoption and optimization of enabling technologies such as BlackLine and Promenta, and successfully leading R2R through Versant’s ERP modernization and finance transformation efforts underway.
This leader will partner closely with Controllership, Finance, Technical Accounting, Risk & Compliance, Internal Audit, Treasury, Technology, business unit leadership, and third-party providers to ensure the R2R function delivers operational excellence, financial integrity, and strong stakeholder service.
This role is based in Orlando and will lead a growing organization of senior internal management level resources and outsourced BPO resources located both onshore and offshore.
Responsibilities:
Strategic Leadership & Operating Model
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Lead the global Record to Report function, setting the strategic direction for R2R operations across Versant.
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Own the future-state R2R operating model, including centralized general accounting operations, business segment support, shared services, and outsourced delivery.
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Drive the continued evolution of R2R roles, responsibilities, governance, and service delivery expectations in alignment with Versant’s needs.
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Lead R2R readiness for major transformation initiatives, including ERP modernization, automation, process redesign, and further centralization of accounting activities.
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Partner with Controllership leadership, Finance, Treasury, and Technology to design scalable, standardized, and controlled R2R processes.
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Serve as a senior escalation point for R2R matters involving business segments, Controllership leaders, external providers, and executive stakeholders.
Service Delivery
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Oversee end-to-end R2R operations, including journal entries, account reconciliations, close coordination in revenue and costs of revenue related accounts, intercompany, fixed assets, cash and treasury accounting, compensation and benefits accounting, edit checks, suspense clearing, and reporting support.
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Ensure timely, accurate, and complete month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close execution in partnership with Corporate Accounting, Consolidations, Technical Accounting, and business-unit Controllership teams.
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Provide executive oversight of commitments to close calendars, journal entry workflows, reconciliation quality, reporting packages, and issue resolution.
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Ensure accounting operations support is aligned to business segment needs across TV Networks, Digital, Corporate Accounting, Central Accounting, and other evolving Versant business areas.
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Lead service delivery governance for outsourced and offshore resources, including performance management, issue escalation, workload planning, and accountability for service commitments.
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Ensure continuity and scalability of R2R services as Versant centralizes additional activities and supports potential growth, acquisitions, or structural changes.
Standards, Controls & Compliance
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Own the R2R control environment, ensuring processes are SOX-compliant, audit-ready, transparent, and consistently executed.
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Ensure adherence to accounting policies, internal controls, close governance, reconciliation standards, and documentation requirements.
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Partner with Technical Accounting, Risk & Compliance, Internal Audit, External Audit, Treasury, Tax, Legal, and Corporate Controllership to align R2R execution with policies and evolving standards.
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Oversee governance of journal entry and account reconciliation controls.
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Establish and maintain standard operating procedures, playbooks, escalation protocols, and control documentation across R2R teams and providers.
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Strengthen accountability for control performance across internal teams and outsourced providers.
Performance & Transformation
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Define, monitor, and improve R2R performance through KPIs, SLAs, dashboards, scorecards, and governance forums.
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Drive operational improvements that enhance close timeliness, reconciliation quality, journal entry accuracy, productivity, transparency, and stakeholder satisfaction.
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Lead standardization of R2R processes across business units, regions, and providers.
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Identify and execute automation opportunities across reconciliations, journal entries, workflow management, reporting, and exception resolution.
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Oversee adoption and optimization of BlackLine, Promenta, SAP ECC, and future ERP or close-management platforms.
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Address manual process challenges, including opportunities related to cash accounting, treasury / banking activity, transaction matching, high-risk reconciliations, and centralized workload expansion.
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Lead root cause analysis for recurring issues and drive sustainable process and control improvements.
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Support the transition from legacy or transitional processes to scalable standalone Versant capabilities where applicable.
BPO, Shared Services & Governance
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Own executive-level governance of outsourced R2R delivery, including Accenture and other third-party providers.
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Ensure outsourced teams meet agreed SLAs, KPIs, quality standards, control requirements, and service expectations.
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Establish governance routines that provide transparency into performance, backlog, issue resolution, capacity, controls, and continuous improvement.
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Drive alignment between internal retained teams and outsourced resources to ensure clear ownership, efficient handoffs, and effective service delivery.
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Evaluate provider performance and recommend structural, staffing, process, or technology changes to improve outcomes.
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Build strong, accountable partnerships with service providers while ensuring Versant retains appropriate governance, oversight, and process ownership
People Leadership & Collaboration
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Lead, develop, and inspire a high-performing global R2R organization, including internal Versant staff and outsourced/onshore/offshore resources.
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Build organizational capability to support expanded scope, greater centralization, ERP transformation, and future-state accounting operations.
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Attract, retain, coach, and develop talent capable of delivering operational excellence and transformation.
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Provide leadership to senior managers, directors, managers, and process leads across business-unit and central accounting teams.
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Promote a culture of accountability, customer service, collaboration, continuous improvement, ownership, and strong controls.
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Partner effectively with senior leaders across Accounting Operations, Controllership, Finance, Treasury, Technology, Audit, Compliance, Tax, Legal, and business units.
Qualifications
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Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, Business, or a related field
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15+ years of progressive experience in controllership, corporate accounting, shared services, accounting operations, or Record to Report functions.
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Significant leadership experience managing large, complex R2R or accounting operations teams in a global, matrixed environment.
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Demonstrated experience leading month-end, quarter-end, and year-end close operations, including journal entries, account reconciliations, consolidation support, and reporting packages.
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Deep knowledge of US GAAP, SOX controls, internal control frameworks, audit readiness, and close governance.
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Experience managing third-party BPO, shared service, offshore, or outsourced accounting operations providers.
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Proven ability to define and manage KPIs, SLAs, performance dashboards, governance routines, and continuous improvement programs.
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Experience leading process transformation, automation, centralization, or operating model redesign.
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Strong systems knowledge across ERP, close, reconciliation, and workflow tools, including SAP ECC, BlackLine, Promenta, or similar platforms.
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Executive-level communication skills with the ability to influence senior stakeholders, resolve escalations, and drive alignment across functions.
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Strong analytical, problem-solving, organizational, and decision-making capabilities.
Desired Characteristics:
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CPA, MBA, or equivalent advanced accounting or business credential.
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Experience in media, entertainment, digital, advertising, news networks, streaming, technology, or similarly complex industries.
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Experience in a spin-off, IPO-readiness, post-merger integration, carve-out, transformation, or newly public company environment.
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Experience standing up or scaling standalone accounting operations capabilities.
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Finance ERP transformation experience.
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Experience with BlackLine transaction matching, reconciliation automation, journal entry workflow, or AI-enabled finance operations tools.
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International accounting operations experience, including managing global teams and regionally distributed service providers.
Why Join Us
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Lead a critical enterprise accounting operations function during a pivotal stage of Versant’s formation, growth, and transformation.
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Shape the future-state Record to Report model for a new modern publicly traded media and entertainment company.
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Partner directly with senior leadership across Controllership, Finance, Technology, Treasury, Audit, Compliance, and business operations.
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Drive measurable improvements in close quality, service delivery, controls, automation, scalability, and stakeholder experience.
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Build and develop a global team focused on accountability, operational excellence, innovation, and continuous improvement.
Additional Requirements:
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Hybrid: This position has been designated as hybrid, generally contributing from the office a minimum of three days per week.
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This position is eligible for company sponsored benefits, including medical, dental and vision insurance, 401(k), paid leave, tuition reimbursement, and a variety of other discounts and perks.
Additional Information
As part of our selection process, external candidates may be required to attend an in-person interview with a VERSANT Media employee at one of our locations prior to a hiring decision. VERSANT Media's policy is to provide equal employment opportunities to all applicants and employees without regard to race, color, religion, creed, gender, gender identity or expression, age, national origin or ancestry, citizenship, disability, sexual orientation, marital status, pregnancy, veteran status, membership in the uniformed services, genetic information, or any other basis protected by applicable law.
If you are a qualified individual with a disability or a disabled veteran and require support throughout the application and/or recruitment process as a result of your disability, you have the right to request a reasonable accommodation. You can submit your request to [email protected].
VERSANT Media is committed to fair and equitable compensation practices. We include a good faith pay range for each position to comply with applicable state and local pay transparency laws and to promote equity across our organization. Actual compensation will be based on factors such as the candidate's skills, qualifications, experience, and location and may include additional forms of compensation and benefits such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, etc.
VERSANT Media is not accepting unsolicited assistance from search firms for this employment opportunity. All resumes submitted by search firms to any employee at VERSANT via-email, the Internet, or in any form and/or method without a valid written Statement of Work in place for this position from VERSANT's Talent Acquisition team will be deemed the sole property of VERSANT. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is hired by VERSANT as a result of the referral or through other means.
