Finance Associate
The Finance Associate at Confidential Client supports client invoicing, budget reconciliation, and financial record management to ensure accurate and timely financial operations. This role partners with senior finance team members to resolve billing inquiries, generate reports from multiple financial systems, and contribute to process improvements and special projects within a fast-paced, collaborative agency environment.
About Careertakes
👉 Important disclosure: Careertakes is a third-party recruiting platform supporting this hiring process. If selected, you will be employed directly by our client, a creative communications agency (Marketing & Advertising).
Applicants for this role may also receive access to additional matched opportunities through the Careertakes platform.
About the Confidential Client
Confidential Client is a culture-driven creative communications agency that produces integrated, client-facing work across marketing and advertising. The finance team supports client billing, project reporting and internal financial controls to ensure clear financial visibility for both the agency and its clients.
What You’ll Do
As a Finance Associate you will support client-facing finance operations and internal reporting to keep projects on budget and billing accurate.
- Support the client invoicing process: prepare, review and process invoices accurately and on time.
- Reconcile client budgets with internal financial data to ensure accurate reporting and visibility.
- Maintain accurate financial records and support day-to-day financial management of client accounts.
- Respond to client finance inquiries and resolve billing questions in partnership with senior finance staff.
- Generate and pull reports from systems such as Harvest, Cognos and JDE to meet business and client needs.
- Keep financial data consistent and up to date across multiple systems.
- Manage the Harvest email alias and support project setup and creation workflows.
- Assist with documentation, reconciliations and audit preparation.
- Translate financial data into clear, actionable summaries for internal stakeholders.
- Partner on special projects, process improvements and ad hoc financial analyses.
What You Bring
- 1–2 years of experience in finance, accounting or a related field (internships, co-ops or entry-level roles).
- Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics or a related discipline.
- Strong attention to detail and organizational skills; ability to manage multiple priorities while maintaining accuracy.
- Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel or Google Sheets, including formulas, pivot tables and data analysis.
- Experience or exposure to financial systems such as JDE, Cognos, Harvest, Tungsten or similar ERP/reporting platforms.
- Strong communication skills and a collaborative mindset.
- Experience in or interest in client finance, agency or professional services environments.
- A desire to build a career in finance (FP&A, accounting, or client finance).
Compensation, Benefits & Perks
Salary: $55,000 - $65,000 (range reflects minimum and maximum; final offers depend on experience, skills and qualifications).
Benefits & perks include:
- Comprehensive health care coverage
- Employee Stock Ownership Plan (ESOP)
- 401(k) with company match
- Flexible Time Off (FTO)
- 18 company holidays and Flex Fridays
- Wellness stipend and Rebalance Day
- Employee Assistance Program (EAP)
- Paid parental leave and fertility support
- Training, learning and professional development programs
- Employee Resource Groups (ERGs) and other culture programs
Interview Process & Timeline
Our process typically takes 4–6 weeks and may include:
- Application review (confirm location requirements)
- Phone screen (≈30 minutes)
- Team interview (30–60 minutes)
- Leadership interview (≈30 minutes)
- Short take-home exercise (client-agnostic; stipend provided)
- Offer
Target start date: August 2026
Location & Work Model
This listing is associated with Chicago, IL. The role has remote flexibility indicated in the original posting; candidates should review any location-specific requirements in the application guidance. Confirm eligibility to work in the required geography before applying.
Keywords & Skills (for applicants)
- Client invoicing and billing
- Financial reporting and reconciliations
- JDE, Cognos, Harvest (ERP/reporting systems)
- Advanced Excel / pivot tables
- Entry-level finance / accounting
Equal Opportunity & Hiring Transparency
Careertakes and our client are Equal Opportunity Employers committed to building a diverse and inclusive workforce. We prohibit discrimination or harassment of any kind. To support a fair and efficient hiring process, AI tools may be used to assist with application review or resume screening. These tools do not replace human decision-making. Final hiring decisions are made by people.
If you have questions about how your data is used, please contact us directly.
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