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Responsibilities
About This Role
We are seeking a strategic and detail-oriented Events Finance Business Partner to serve as the embedded financial expert for Semafor's rapidly growing global events business. This role offers the opportunity to build the financial infrastructure for a high-profile events portfolio from the ground up, managing budgets ranging from $500,000 to $15 million for flagship events including the World Economy Summit and The Next 3 Billion.
As the first dedicated finance professional supporting the Events team, you will serve as the link between Finance and Events leadership, ensuring financial discipline while enabling event growth. You will oversee the complete financial lifecycle for events, from initial budget development through final reconciliation, while providing guidance on financial strategy and vendor relationships.
This role is ideal for a finance professional who works well at the intersection of FP&A rigor and operational execution, enjoys a fast-paced creative environment, and seeks direct impact on one of the company's key revenue and brand-building initiatives.
Your Responsibilities
Budget Development & Financial Planning:
* Partner with Events leadership to develop comprehensive event budgets ranging from $500K to $15M, building detailed financial models that account for all revenue streams and cost categories.
* Translate strategic event concepts into actionable financial plans with clear assumptions, scenarios, and risk mitigation strategies.
* Create and maintain budget templates and frameworks to scale across the growing events portfolio.
* Conduct variance analysis comparing planned versus actual performance and provide insights to improve future forecasting accuracy.
Budget Management & Oversight:
* Monitor real-time budget performance throughout the event lifecycle, identifying variances and recommending corrective actions.
* Serve as the financial gatekeeper for event spending, ensuring that all expenditures are within budget and properly authorized.
* Maintain tracking systems for commitments, accruals, and actual spend across multiple concurrent events.
* Prepare financial reports and dashboards for Events leadership and Finance stakeholders showing budget health, burn rate, and projected outcomes.
Vendor Management & Contract Oversight:
* Manage the vendor process including vendor selection evaluation from a financial perspective, contract negotiation support, and payment tracking.
* Partner with the Events team to negotiate contract terms with venues, production companies, technology providers, and other event vendors.
* Maintain a centralized vendor database with contract terms, payment schedules, and performance metrics.
* Ensure compliance with procurement policies and proper contract documentation.
* Build and maintain relationships with key vendor partners to optimize terms and service delivery.
Accounts Payable & Invoice Processing:
* Manage the AP process specific to events, ensuring accurate and timely processing of invoices in coordination with the central Finance team.
* Verify invoice accuracy against contracts and purchase orders, resolving discrepancies with vendors.
* Coordinate payment scheduling to optimize cash flow while maintaining vendor relationships.
* Track and reconcile deposits, advance payments, and final settlements with vendors.
Reconciliation & Reporting:
* Perform post-event financial reconciliation, accounting for all revenue and expenses.
* Prepare event P&L statements and analyze financial performance against plan.
* Identify key learnings and financial insights to inform future event planning and budgeting.
* Create executive-level financial summaries and presentations for leadership review.
Strategic Partnership & Cross-Functional Collaboration:
* Serve as the finance liaison for the Events team, providing financial guidance and support on strategic decisions.
* Partner with the Revenue team on sponsorship pricing, packaging, and revenue forecasting.
* Collaborate with the central Finance team on cash flow planning, forecasting, and financial close processes.
* Support due diligence and financial analysis for new event concepts and market expansion opportunities.
* Contribute to the development of financial policies, processes, and controls specific to the events business.
Process Improvement & Systems Development:
* Refine and improve financial processes to scale with the growing events business.
* Identify opportunities for automation and system enhancements to improve efficiency and accuracy.
* Document standard operating procedures and best practices for event financial management.
* Partner with the IT/Systems team on integration of event management platforms with financial systems.
What Makes You Qualified
Required Experience & Background:
* 5-7 years of progressive experience in finance with exposure to FP&A, financial planning, budgeting, or financial operations.
* Experience managing complex budgets, ideally in the $500K+ range with multiple cost centers and revenue streams.
* Background in vendor management, contract review, and procurement processes.
* Experience with accounts payable processes, accrual accounting, and financial reconciliation.
* Ability to partner effectively with non-finance stakeholders and influence decision-making.
* Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Business, or related field.
Preferred Experience:
* Experience in events, hospitality, media, entertainment, or project-based industries managing large, time-bound financial initiatives.
* Experience supporting revenue-generating business units as a finance business partner.
* Background in high-growth or entrepreneurial environments building processes.
* Familiarity with event management platforms and financial systems.
* MBA, CPA, CFA, or other advanced degree or certification.
Technical Skills:
* Advanced Excel or Google Sheets proficiency including financial modeling, pivot tables, and data analysis.
* Experience with financial systems such as NetSuite, QuickBooks, SAP, or Sage Intaact, and ERP platforms.
* Strong analytical skills to translate financial data into business insights.
* Proficiency with budget management tools and reporting platforms.
* Ability to learn new systems and technologies as the business evolves.
Core Competencies:
* Financial acumen including budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and financial reporting.
* Strategic thinking with the ability to understand business context and provide insights.
* Detail orientation with strong organizational skills and ability to manage multiple projects simultaneously.
* Communication skills to translate financial concepts for non-finance audiences and present to leadership.
* Partnership mindset with ability to build credibility across teams while maintaining controls.
* Adaptability in a fast-paced environment with changing priorities.
* Problem solving to identify issues and develop solutions.
* Ownership and accountability with commitment to high-quality work.
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