IT Business Analyst - Production Finance Systems

Please note that this role is based in the United Kingdom. To enable us to meet the statutory and regulatory obligations of the United Kingdom immigration system, you must have the appropriate immigration permission needed to work and reside in the United Kingdom for the duration of the employment.

The Business Analyst, IT - Production Finance (BA ITPF) plays a critical role in bridging Production Finance expertise with IT delivery across Sony Pictures Entertainment’s global Motion Picture and TV Production businesses. This role supports SPE’s production labels and companies by enabling the delivery of business applications and infrastructure services tailored to physical production needs.

As a key point of contact for business stakeholders, the BA ITPF collaborates across all levels of the organisation, including product owners and regional teams, to gather requirements, identify common needs, and drive system and process improvements. The role also liaises with peer IT and corporate teams to develop global best practices and ensure the Production Technology Team is aligned with the evolving needs of physical production.

Success in this role requires a solid background in IT system development and deep subject matter expertise in Production Finance. The BA ITPF is responsible for managing stakeholder relationships, overseeing day-to-day application services, and supporting IT projects from inception through delivery and ongoing support. Strong skills in business analysis and project management are essential, along with the ability to provide hands-on support and contribute to effective project execution.

What you'll do:

• Collect, review, analyse, and manage a backlog of system requirements from business stakeholders.
• Document detailed functional, data, and technical business requirements/user stories, process flows, cost benefits analysis & business cases.
• Work with the Portfolio Architecture & Technical Solutioning team technical leads and Vendors to clarify requirements for development.
• Primary liaison to the Production Finance & Accounting teams, creating test scenarios and assisting in performing UAT.
• Serve as a liaison to peer IT teams in planning, coordination, development, and deployment of multi-team enhancements or projects.
• Ensures delivery of project and enhancement requirements meet the requirements defined by the business customer, raising issues/risks as required.
• Accountable for ensuring training needs are met for new or existing applications and IT Services.
• Facilitate white-glove user support to Production Accountants across active productions, to help ensure timely resolution of production accounting issues

As a specialist in processes and systems in Motion Pictures and Television Finance and accounting, this role is responsible for defining the functional aspects of software development projects/changes. The product should fulfil the business and technology requirements, and be delivered to specification, on time and to a high level of quality.

The role will have a detailed understanding of physical production software solutions or platforms. In conjunction with the latter, they will understand the configuration and integration capabilities of such software, as well as the overall business process knowledge and the industry benefits of these software/platforms.

• Liaison between IT and MPG & TV Physical Production, Finance and Accounting teams, defining business requirements / IT demand and delivering technology to enable and meet business strategy, whilst supporting day-to-day operations
• Build relationships as a trusted business partner with key business executives and be the focal point for the delivery of IT services
• Supporting approved business-driven IT programmes & projects and participation in building their respective business cases, helping to ensure that they deliver business value and assisting in ROI capture and measurement. Assess/report any issues or risks to the project or line manager
• Identifying strategic application of IT and initiating investigation and development of innovative methods of exploiting IT assets, to the benefit of the business.
• Initiating and facilitating open communication and discussion between stakeholders. Captures and disseminates technical and business information across the wider team.
• Leveraging the enterprise’s IT organisation, infrastructure, and technology capabilities to deliver business results.
• Identifying and acquiring new IT services for the business and owning documentation of such to input into the IT Service Catalogue
• Managing demand for application work and prioritising requests for application enhancements and new development across the business portfolio.
• Ensure that all demand from the business enters the IT demand pipeline appropriately and report the status of that demand back to business stakeholders and IT management.
• Providing white-glove support in conjunction with and on behalf of the Global Service Desk, acting as a point of escalation for incidents with high business impact
• May be required to assist with Level 2 and/or 3 support in incident and problem resolution.
• Acting as the primary escalation point for local production accounting issues, working in partnership with IT Production Finance to address high-priority and recurring issues.

What you have:

Knowledge of:

• Motion Pictures and/or Television Physical Production Finance & accounting processes.
• Entertainment Partners Software (Global Vista, Money Penny, Smart Accounting, Smart PO, Smart Start, Movie Magic Budgeting & Scheduling)
• Just TV Production Accounting
• Sargent Disk Payroll
• Software Development Life Cycle
• Agile & Waterfall project management methodologies
• An understanding of Microsoft Office 365, BOX, Jira and Service Now is desirable but not mandatory.

Core competencies:

• Understands the organisation’s vision, values, structure, culture and commercial strategy.
• Applies effective methods to gain support and cooperation from others.
• Builds strong, service-focused relationships with clients, vendors, and peers.
• Manages change and shifting priorities using proven tools and techniques.
• Clearly conveys and interprets ideas and information using appropriate methods.
• Encourages original thinking and applies it to evolving challenges.
• Driven to exceed expectations and foster continuous improvement.
• Understands and meets customer needs through high-quality service delivery.
• Identifies and resolves problems using analytical and creative approaches.
• Leads and contributes effectively within team environments.

How we take care of you:

• Competitive salary, with annual bonus eligibility.
• A choice of comprehensive health plan options that fit your lifestyle, including private medical insurance.
• Rest and recharge during a week off during the winter holidays, in addition to the 25 days of paid annual leave.
• Participate in extensive learning & development opportunities at all levels, including curated instructor-led classes and high-impact online resources.
• Build your community by joining our Employee Business Resource Groups, and/or Sony Pictures Action – our racial equity and inclusion strategy.
• Access to an employee online store filled with a variety of discounted Sony products.
• Watch the newest movies and TV shows at our exclusive employee screenings at work.
• Entitlement to apply for an interest-free season ticket loan.
• Automatic enrolment in the Company’s Pension Plan
• Free counselling and advisory service.
• You will be automatically enrolled in the Company’s Life Insurance and Group Income Protection Plans, subject to any applicable service requirements.
• The opportunity to attend various social events in our state-of-the-art offices in Paddington.

In addition to the above, we have a range of other optional discounted benefits that are reviewed regularly (e.g., gym memberships, travel insurance, activity passes, car leasing, experience days and many more!)

If you require any reasonable adjustments with any part of the recruitment process, including the application or interview process, please contact us at uk-peopleandorganisation@spe.sony.com. Please put Reasonable Adjustment Request in the subject line of the email.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is committed to equal opportunity in all its employment practices, policies and procedures. No worker or potential worker will therefore receive less favourable treatment due to their race, age, creed, sexual orientation, colour, nationality, ethnic origin, disability, religion, gender, marital status or Trade Union membership (if applicable).

#LI-TD1

Hi, we’re Sony Pictures Entertainment

We are in the business of creativity … making some of the most beloved film and television of all time for every platform in the world. As the most creative and proudly independent studio, our future is boundless.

Sony Pictures Entertainment is a division of Sony Corporation, a creative entertainment company built on a foundation of technology. Along with our sister companies, we make movies, television, music and games that engage billions of people, connecting creators and audiences around the globe.

We are looking for innovators to join us as we forge the future of entertainment!