Bisnow · New York
Finance & LegalAccountingHybridFull-Timeposted 4w ago
BISNOW OVERVIEW
Bisnow is the commercial real estate industry's leading, vertically integrated B2B media platform, covering North America, Canada, the UK and Ireland. We serve the CRE industry through award-winning news and publications, renowned events, wide-ranging marketing services, specialized recruitment solutions, and intelligent sales enablement tools.
With 1.7M+ subscribers and 400+ events annually across 47 markets in the U.S., Canada, the UK, Ireland, and the Netherlands, we don't just cover the industry, we help move it forward.
We inform. We connect. We create opportunities that turn into deals. Global mindset. Hyper-local execution.
The Director, Strategic Finance leads financial planning and strategy for Bisnow, serves as a direct partner to the CEO and directly reports into finance. You own the forecast, the analytical case behind where the company puts its next dollar and its next hire, and the substance of the financial story Bisnow tells its investors.
Bisnow reports into Axel Springer. You'll build the monthly financial review the company presents and draft the weekly investor updates in between — what happened, what's moving the business, what's at risk, and why it matters. The writing standard is external: polished, brief, and defensible, with minimal editing before a global investor reads it. Ahead of those conversations, you'll build alignment with the CEO so he walks in with a view he believes in and can defend under questioning.
You'll also manage our FP&A Manager, adding senior review and capacity to a function that one person has carried to date.
If you want a role where the models are already built and the process already works, this isn't it. If you want to build the finance function of a fast-moving media business inside a global platform, with the CEO's ear and real influence over what the company does next, this is the one.
Own the forecast and the process that produces it — the leading indicators, historical benchmarks, and sales-input rhythm that make an unpredictable business plannable. Get your inputs from sales leadership directly, not from a report.
Make the analytical case for where the next dollar and the next hire go. Explain not just what the P&L did, but why a new event category matters, what a digital investment should return, and where the multi-year path leads. Validate the assumptions under the multi-year plan and build the bridge from this year to those numbers.
Pressure-test optimism as rigorously as pessimism. Look at a target and say whether it's achievable in the time available. Surface the initiative that isn't scaling or the assumption that stopped being true before it becomes a surprise, and bring a view on what the company should stop doing — not only what it should add.
Own planning for the business units outside the core events budget, with a closer look under the hood on digital and new initiatives, and partner with department leaders on staffing plans and the business cases behind headcount.
Own the quality of the numbers and how they get produced. Everything that leaves Finance ties to one source and stays consistent month over month, and reconciles with Accounting through close without manual bridging. Too much of the recurring reporting is manual today — you'll rebuild it and lead the evaluation of dedicated FP&A tooling. Small finance teams don't need to be big, they need to be efficient, and you'll be measured on how much analytical capacity you create.
Set the standard for the function. Prioritize the work with the FP&A Manager, review output before it goes out, raise the ceiling on what he can own, and hold the analytical and writing bar for the team.
8–12 years in FP&A, strategic finance, or corporate finance, with clear progression in scope and ownership.
Has owned a company-level or major-segment forecast, not a workstream inside someone else's model. Multi-business-line or multi-entity experience preferred.
Has forecast a lumpy, project-based revenue business — events, media, marketplace, or anything that starts each year near zero. You can walk us through how you got to a number the data couldn't fully support, and why it held up.
Exceptional written communication: concise, structured, free of finance jargon, and built for a board, PE sponsor, or corporate parent. Presenting to one directly is a plus.
Gets fluent in an unfamiliar, complicated business fast, and stays curious about it beyond the numbers. Expect to understand the economics of every Bisnow revenue line inside 60 days.
Expert financial modeling and advanced Excel — you can build it yourself, and you can tell within minutes whether someone else's model is trustworthy. NetSuite or comparable ERP, Salesforce, and BI fluency welcome.
Track record of replacing manual reporting with something scalable and documented. FP&A platform selection or implementation (Cube, Adaptive, Pigment, Anaplan) is a plus, as is a working practice around AI in finance and a clear view on when tooling is the answer and when it's a distraction.
Experience managing or formally developing finance talent. You'll have a direct report on day one.
Forms a view and brings a recommendation rather than waiting to be asked for analysis. Comfortable being the person in the room who says the number doesn't work. Low ego, high accountability, and steady without process cover in a business that moves faster than the plan.