SWSA – Head of Finance

SeaWorld is seeking a nimble, analytical, and action-oriented professional to serve as Head of Finance for its San Antonio location. The successful candidate will lead financial efforts for the park, providing insight for all operating departments, marketing, and park accounting functions for SeaWorld and Aquatica in San Antonio. Ultimately, s/he will ensure financial controls and accounting procedures are followed resulting in financial statements accurately depicting performance. In addition, this individual will be expected to safeguard organizational assets and act as an instrumental liaison for key facets of the park such as purchasing, tax, payroll, and IT.

The Head of Finance will work closely with SeaWorld’s corporate and centralized resources using best practices gleaned from all SeaWorld locations to inform and revise strategy. This is a critical role for SeaWorld, and the Head of Finance will be a major contributor in shaping the financial function and the overall future growth and success of the San Antonio park.

Position Responsibilities

The responsibilities for the Head of Finance will include, but are not limited to:

• Developing creative and successful financial strategies and tactical plans, including revenue and expense budgets, forecasting, and admission pricing;
• Driving price value, retail positioning, offers, and communication of offers while leveraging best practices and consulting with identified pricing SME for best retail position of offers to drive incremental volume and demand;
• Defining, enhancing, and increasing value through financial best practices;
• Thinking creatively to mentor and challenge team members to drive continuous growth and improvement;
• Providing strong leadership to the on-site teams across lines of business as well as other key stakeholders to accomplish objectives;
• Superior execution of strategic and tactical financial plans complimented by fostering a positive, inclusive culture centered on mentorship and growth;
• Effectively assessing complex information to provide the best direction to the business in a highly visible role; monitoring metrics and feedback in a fast-paced environment, course correcting and optimizing as necessary to ensure proper utilization of resources;
• Leading development of high-level presentations addressing financial and park plan topics, financial performance, market updates, etc.;
• Creating and managing a significant budget while aligning budget resources with prioritized business strategies and tactics, adjusting as needed;
• Actively engaging with peer group, specifically park senior leaders and corporate colleagues, to develop strong and collaborative relationships that drive the overall business growth and success.

Requirements and Education

The successful candidate will have a minimum of 7 years’ experience in positions of increasing responsibility overseeing on-site finance for a consumer products or services business. Other relevant experiences include:

• Executive level oversight of multiple departments, including finance, purchasing, tax, payroll, information technology, and/or data and analytics;
• Unparalleled people leadership with a results-driven mentality, high energy level, strong bias for action, financial savvy, and an ability to see issues or solutions through cold numbers;
• Ability to simplify and communicate complex business challenges to drive alignment of impacted stakeholders;
• Superior multi-tasking, competing priority management, and speed to execution designed for a fast-paced, nimble, and demanding environment;
• Effective tactical execution including alignment, identification, and prioritization of resources with superior analytical aptitude combined with strong bottom-line orientation;
• Experience developing and managing complex budgets;
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including polished oral and visual presentations;
• Respectful of all colleagues and partners; a leader of impeccable integrity.
• An undergraduate degree in finance, accounting, or a related field is required; an MBA or CPA is desirable.