Senior Manager International Digital Royalties
1 day ago
London
About Sony Music Publishing At Sony Music Publishing (“SMP”), we believe every voice matters. We are the #1 global music publisher, advancing the artistry of the world’s greatest songwriters and composers for over 25 years. We keep songwriters at the forefront of everything we do, and design our suite of services to amplify opportunities, build connections, and defend their rights. Our roster benefits from an international team committed to providing support at every career stage. From classic catalogues to contemporary hitmakers, history is always being written. We are a part of the Sony family of global companies. Learn more about SMP here. About the Department Global Administration is dedicated to excellence in international administrative services, with a focus on accurate and timely digital royalty reporting, insight generation, and process optimization. About the Role Please note this is a 12-month fixed-term contract. As Senior Manager, International Digital Royalties, you will lead one of SMP’s most critical operational functions. Digital royalties represent the largest income stream to SMP, and this role carries significant responsibility for ensuring accurate, timely, and compliant royalty processing across global markets. The role carries great responsibility due to the monetary significance and vast data volumes associated with centrally licensed digital royalty reporting. You will own end‑to‑end digital royalty workflows, lead and develop team members, partner with affiliates and internal stakeholders, and drive continuous improvement across systems and processes. What You’ll Do: International Digital Royalty Operations • Oversee all international digital royalty processes ensuring accurate, compliant calculation and distribution of global royalties. Digital royalties are SMP’s largest income stream; errors directly affect financial results and rightsholder trust. This stewardship delivers reliable operations and insight that enables senior management to act on revenue trends, risks, and market shifts., • Ensure timely receipt, processing, and reconciliation of digital income to maintain a predictable and accurate revenue pipeline. Delays or inaccuracies disrupt global reporting and planning. Timely revenue flow and accompanying insight help senior management anticipate variances and adjust priorities., • Maintain strong operational controls and compliance to protect SMP from financial, legal, and reputational exposure. Weak controls lead to audit findings, disputes, and revenue loss. Strengthened governance and clear control insights support senior management’s risk‑mitigation decisions., • Resolve complex royalty issues and discrepancies to address high‑value or high‑risk matters quickly and accurately. Complex discrepancies can materially impact revenue and stakeholder confidence. Resolution outcomes and escalation analysis inform senior management’s actions on systemic issues. Reconciliation, Queries & Issue Resolution • Lead and improve workflows for ingestion, analysis, reporting, and statement production ensuring end‑to‑end digital royalty operations are efficient and scalable. Inefficient workflows increase cost, risk, and error rates. Enhanced processes and insight‑driven recommendations support senior management’s transformation decisions., • Oversee reconciliations, royalty queries, and audit activity to maintain transparency and accuracy across revenue and distribution cycles. Reconciliation and audit findings directly affect financial accuracy and compliance. Clear findings and analysis help senior management address root causes and strengthen controls., • Ensure documentation, controls, and reporting frameworks are fit for purpose to support operational resilience and future growth. Outdated documentation increases training gaps and error rates. Scalable frameworks and related insight guide senior management’s decisions on standardisation and capability building. Analysis, Reporting & Insight • Lead and improve workflows for ingestion, analysis, reporting, and statement production ensuring end‑to‑end digital royalty operations are efficient and scalable. Inefficient workflows increase cost, risk, and error rates. Enhanced processes and insight‑driven recommendations support senior management’s transformation decisions., • Oversee reconciliations, royalty queries, and audit activity to maintain transparency and accuracy across revenue and distribution cycles. Reconciliation and audit findings directly affect financial accuracy and compliance. Clear findings and analysis help senior management address root causes and strengthen controls., • Ensure documentation, controls, and reporting frameworks are fit for purpose to support operational resilience and future growth. Outdated documentation increases training gaps and error rates. Scalable frameworks and related insight guide senior management’s decisions on standardisation and capability building Cross‑Functional & Commercial Collaboration • Partner with Finance, Legal, Licensing, and other teams to ensure alignment across all revenue‑impacting functions. Misalignment leads to reporting discrepancies and operational inefficiency. Cross‑functional analysis supports senior management’s revenue governance decisions., • Act as a subject‑matter expert on international digital royalties to ensure decisions reflect accurate royalty logic and industry practice. Incorrect interpretation can materially affect revenue and compliance. Expert guidance and insight summaries support senior management’s commercial and operational decisions., • Support discussions with external partners and DSPs to strengthen commercial relationships and reporting accuracy. DSP reporting quality directly affects SMP’s income. Insights from external engagements inform senior management’s negotiation and partnership strategies. Process, Systems Improvement & Affiliate Enablement • Guide affiliate partners on digital royalty matters to build capability and consistency across global markets. Inconsistent practices create errors and inefficiencies. Affiliate performance insight helps senior management target support and standardisation., • Lead system and process enhancement initiatives to improve efficiency, accuracy, and data quality. Legacy processes cannot scale with modern digital revenue volumes. Recommendations and implementation outcomes inform senior management’s technology roadmap., • Contribute to technology and transformation programmes to ensure operational needs are represented in system design. Poorly designed systems create long‑term operational debt. Operational insight helps senior management evaluate system performance and prioritise enhancements. Stakeholder Management & Ad Hoc Initiatives • Act as a central liaison between internal stakeholders and external partners to ensure smooth communication and alignment. Miscommunication leads to delays, disputes, and inefficiencies. Stakeholder insight supports senior management’s partnership and operational alignment decisions., • Contribute expertise to ad hoc projects and global initiatives to support broader organisational goals and transformation efforts. Digital royalties are central to SMP’s global revenue strategy. Project outcomes and insight help senior management evaluate progress, risks, and next steps. People Leadership • Lead, manage, and develop team members to build a high‑performing team capable of supporting SMP’s largest revenue stream. Team capability directly affects accuracy, timeliness, and operational resilience. Performance insight helps senior management assess resourcing, succession, and development needs., • Deliver coaching, guidance, and performance feedback to strengthen team capability and engagement. Skilled, motivated teams deliver higher accuracy and efficiency. Leadership insight informs senior management’s talent and organisational design decisions., • Align team priorities with departmental goals and timelines to maintain operational focus and delivery discipline. Misaligned priorities create bottlenecks and missed deadlines. Priority and capacity insight supports senior management’s planning and resource allocation. Who You Are: • Minimum of 3 years of experience in digital royalties management, preferably in the music industry, with a strong understanding of international royalty processes and regulations., • Strong understanding of digital royalty accounting principles, contract interpretation, and royalty software systems. Knowledge of international copyright laws, royalty collection societies, and digital distribution platforms., • Expertise in royalty accounting principles, royalty contract interpretation, and royalty software systems., • Proficiency in Microsoft Excel to an advanced level, data analysis tools such as Microsoft Power BI and Altair Data Prep Studio., • Knowledge of SQL and Python for data manipulation, querying/scripting, automation, and database management., • Strong attention to detail, analytical mindset, and problem-solving skills, with the ability to identify issues, propose solutions, and drive process improvements., • Proven track record in process improvement, project management, and system implementation., • Excellent communication and interpersonal skills, with the ability to build and maintain relationships with stakeholders at all levels. As well as effectively collaborate with internal and external partners across different regions and cultures., • Leadership qualities, including the ability to mentor and motivate team members, and the capacity to thrive in a fast-paced, dynamic environment., • Bachelor's degree from an accredited university in Finance, Business Administration, or related field and/or advanced degree or professional certification., • Any other language is desirable.