Advertising Finance Business Partner

Key Responsibilities

• Own the annual Ads budget: revenue by format (Programmatic vs Direct Sales), by placement type, by market; sales team OPEX; ad tech infrastructure costs; marketing spend allocation
• Build multi-year Ads forecast: revenue growth trajectory, margin improvement path, sales team scaling plan, technology investment roadmap
• Own monthly Ads rolling forecasts in Workday with full driver assumptions documented
• Growth stress testing: model aggressive vs conservative scaling scenarios and their impact on headcount requirements, technology investment, and profitability
• Scenario modeling: quantify impact of sales hiring delays, product rollout timing shifts, fill rate improvement, and eCPM growth on revenue targets

• Own weekly and monthly Ads performance dashboards: actuals vs plan with variance commentary for Ads leadership and senior management
• Deep-dive variance analysis: when revenue is off-plan, identify whether it's inventory constraints, fill rate issues, eCPM compression, sales pipeline gaps, or seasonal factors
• Track revenue per monthly active user by market and benchmark against industry standards
• Monthly plan-fact analysis: explain every material variance in impressions, fill rates, eCPM, and revenue with root cause analysis and actionable recommendations
• Build and maintain forward-looking performance indicators: sales pipeline visibility, advertiser churn signals, inventory utilization trends

• Build and own the Ads driver-based financial model: Active users → sessions → impressions → fill rate → eCPM → revenue, split by format and placement
• Understand the Ads strategy deeply: programmatic vs direct sales priorities, key advertiser segments, inventory monetization roadmap, technology platform evolution
• Validate multi-year growth plans: stress-test assumptions on inventory growth, fill rates, eCPM improvement, and sales team productivity - challenge aggressive targets when they lack operational foundation
• Quantify inventory allocation risk: model impact of expanding ad placements on user experience metrics and core product engagement
• Commercial challenge: if the plan assumes doubling revenue in 12 months, does the sales headcount, advertiser pipeline, inventory availability, and technology roadmap support it?

• Partner with financial controllers on revenue recognition policies for complex ad deals (barter arrangements, revenue share agreements, rebates, contra-revenue structures)
• Document finance guidelines for non-standard deals: recognition timing, fair value methodology, ASC 606 compliance considerations
• Establish standardized partner/reseller financial framework: assess proposed revenue share ranges, payment terms, and commercial structures from a market fairness and compliance perspective - this framework will serve as the reference standard for all existing and future partner/reseller/agency deal renewals and negotiations
• Validate monthly Ads actuals before consolidation: ensure reported revenue matches impression delivery, rate cards, and contractual terms
• Build financial frameworks for new deal structures: establish templates and governance for future complex arrangements
• Work with controllers to ensure Ads P&L accurately reflects business economics

• Model new ad product launches: build ROI templates for new placements, formats, and targeting capabilities
• Partnership due diligence: evaluate unit economics for potential ad network partnerships, demand-side platform integrations, or advertiser collaborations
• Business case development: quantify financial impact of strategic initiatives including new advertiser verticals, geographic expansion, and technology platform upgrades
• Work with central finance to setup efficient payment setup and collection processes for new and existing partners

• Build marketing ROI measurement framework: link marketing spend to user acquisition, engagement, and cross-sell into Ads inventory
• Track cross-vertical performance: measure how user engagement across ride-hailing, groceries, and couriers impacts available ad inventory and monetization
• Product-driven growth modeling: quantify revenue impact of in-app features and the upcoming loyalty program that drive engagement and ad impressions

• Automate all Ads forecasting and reporting into Workday; build Tableau dashboards for Ads leadership and Growth Businesses executive team
• Prepare monthly Ads P&L narrative: growth drivers, risks, opportunities, and strategic recommendations for senior management review
• Support investor and board materials: Ads growth story, margin improvement roadmap, competitive positioning
• Translate complex ad tech metrics (fill rates, eCPM, CPM vs CPC, viewability, completion rates) into language non-technical executives understand

Qualifications

• 4–5 years experience in FP&A, commercial finance, or finance business partnering, ideally in digital advertising, marketplace monetization, or ad tech businesses
• Ads industry background strongly preferred: you should understand how digital advertising works operationally, not just financially - programmatic vs direct sales mechanics, ad serving technology, advertiser buying behavior, inventory management
• Strong business partnering capability: proven ability to build trusted relationships with cross-functional business teams (product, sales, operations, technology). You will be embedded within the core Ads team and need to operate as their finance partner - this requires curiosity about the business, proactive engagement, and the credibility to be consulted on strategic decisions
• Strategic and commercial mindset: you think beyond variance reporting to understand what drives advertiser demand, how to scale efficiently, and where the biggest opportunities and risks lie as the business grows rapidly
• Proven experience owning annual budgets and multi-year forecasts - you should be comfortable building growth models from first principles
• Strong driver-based financial modeling skills
• Experience with digital advertising economics (impressions, fill rates, eCPM, CPM, CPC, programmatic vs direct sales, ad tech platforms) is essential
• Familiarity with marketing ROI measurement and attribution concepts
• Proven ability to work independently and build financial infrastructure where none exists - this is a greenfield role with significant autonomy
• Comfortable challenging senior stakeholders with data: the business expects financial pushback on aggressive targets when operational reality doesn't support them
• Strong communication skills: ability to translate ad tech jargon into clear business language for non-technical audiences and present to senior leadership
• Experience with Workday, Tableau, or similar BI/planning tools is preferred but not required
• Self-starter who can operate with ambiguity in a fast-scaling business vertical
• Fluent English required. Additional languages are a plus given our operating markets

Why join us

• Help us challenge injustice by creating fair choices for millions of people across 1100+ cities in 48 countries.
• Develop your professional skills with access to mentoring, career consulting, and learning programs.
• Collaborate with teams around the world and gain international experience through our Global Talent Exchange Program.
• Engage in company-wide challenges, awards, sports activities, employee-led social impact and volunteering projects.
• Work alongside people who take initiative, speak openly, and challenge themselves to grow.
• Improve your language skills through co-financed courses and internal speaking clubs.