Financial Planning Analyst at Bellforte Consulting

Job Level: Middle Management Level

Description of Role

• The Finance team is seeking a Financial Planning Analyst to add to the team to provide decision support and management accountability through the development and maintenance of financial reports, analyses, plans/ budgets, and forecasts that inform leadership of the overall health of the business portfolio
• Manages the planning, development, and implementation of operational and strategic analyses to aid division operations in long-range planning, with a focus on optimizing performance. Leads the forecasting, modeling, reporting, and predictive analytic efforts for the line
• Focuses on profit, growth, and/or loss analysis in collaboration with other Finance units and key business partners.

Primary Responsibilities
Reporting and Analysis:

• Support monthly close process. Lead efforts in consolidation of quarterly / annual results. Prepare reports and summaries as required for inclusion in other financial reporting.
• Interpret and evaluate monthly/quarterly/annual analyses of business current and past trends (profit, growth, expense, and loss performance results), including budget and prior year variances of financial results and Key Performance Indicators to identify areas of risk and opportunities and provide recommendations.
• Work closely with the Finance team to prepare management & subsidiary reports for internal and Board of Directors use.
• Assess product/branch/customer profitability and drive profit optimization.
• Track industry and peer metrics to develop insight on competitor trends
• Manage the development of business performance metrics and reporting packages or dashboards for Product Management, Underwriting, and/or Claims; establish appropriate metrics for each area and helps govern metric use.
• Participate in divisional or corporate initiatives to improve analytic systems; collaborate with ICT and CFO on system enhancements to meet data and analytical needs.
• Act as subject matter expert representing the line in projects or initiatives sponsored by other divisions (e.g. changes to performance measures, assessing impact from data or organizational changes, etc.).
• Secure the required training, tools, and technologies required to meet business needs and expectations.
• Identify and lead the effort to implement routine means of measuring progress against Profit and Growth initiatives.
• Develop follow-up reporting for projects to determine whether implementations met expectations and operational goals.

Budgeting, Planning and Forecasting:

• Work closely with the Head of Strategy & Planning to develop financial models and analysis to support and update the Strategic Plan.
• Lead the annual financial budgeting and the quarterly forecasting processes. Enhance the planning model to appropriately reflect the key variables in the business. Coordinate with departments to determine assumptions, and establish key benchmarks.
• Consolidate and analyze the annual budget and long-range financial plans.
• Review short-term cash flow analysis and forecasting.
• Assess and enhance expense allocation methodologies.
• Assess capital requirements, develop capital plan and provide recommendations on capital allocation.
• Deliver accurate output in a timely manner. Demonstrate a deep understanding of the Company’s business, including its risks and opportunities in its competitive environment.
• Serve as the finance business partner to support the financial operations of various departments in the organization.
• Drive continuous process improvement in operational planning, forecasting and financial analysis across the company, including annual budgeting process.

Decision Support:

• Partner with, and participate in, divisional senior leadership team/meetings contributing to the creation of goals, strategies and priorities; prioritise, align, and communicate impacts of strategy to the Finance team.
• Lead the collaboration with peer divisions and business partners to obtain, develop, and build complex and predictive datasets (top and bottom line), enabling the development of short- and long-term strategies to drive business results.
• Manage high-level business analysis, using analytical methods such as segmentation, trend analysis, statistical modeling, and data mining.
• Lead the development of models to evaluate performance and financial impacts under various scenarios; work closely with Claims, Underwriting, and Product stakeholders to estimate financial impact of projects and initiatives, ensuring that analysis results are interpreted correctly during decision-making.
• Assess the impact of strategic financial decisions and present recommendations to leadership.
• Lead the design, development, implementation, and maintenance of recurring financial reports and models (e.g. revenue, branches, retention, loss costs, expenses, products, distribution channel, etc.).
• Maintain an active awareness of the Company’s business environments, corporate culture, and structure to support key decision-making.
• Assist with special projects as requested.

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's Degree in Accounting, Finance, Economics or Business Administration required. MBA is a plus.
• ICAN, ACCA a requirement.
• Experienced professional with at least 7 years of relevant accounting and FPA experience.
• Previous Insurance or related experience is highly preferred.
• Demonstration of key finance competencies and qualifications. Financial acumen required.

Key Traits of a Successful FPA:

• High competency on computer based programs and applications.
• Analytical.
• Self-motivated and proactive with the ability to work unsupervised.
• Detail oriented with strong organizational skills.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to interact effectively with staff, clients, and subsidiaries.
• Proven written and oral communication skills and client service orientation.
• Efficient time management and demonstrated ability to multi-task.
• Adherence to compliance regulations.
• Ability to take initiative, eagerness to learn and continuously improve.
• Willingness to learn how to use new tools, techniques, and skills.

Skills/Knowledge/Abilities:

• Strong financial planning & analysis skills and general accounting / finance background required for this position.
• Experience with budgets, planning and forecasting of P&L's.
• Strong quantitative, analytical, critical thinking and problem solving skills
• Strong computer skills, proficient with word processing, spreadsheet and presentation software, e-mail and meeting management software
• Expert level Microsoft Excel skills are required
• Experience with Microsoft Access or other database experience is a plus.
• Ability to analyze and synthesize data that is visually appealing and effectively tells a clear story.
• Strong verbal and written communication skills, strong interpersonal skills and conflict resolution skills required.
• Ability to interact with individuals at all levels within the organization and be able to work independently as well as within a variety of teams
• Must be able to handle all types of personalities and relate to people at all levels of the organization.
• Must have solid business acumen and understanding of a variety of functional areas within the business.
• Prior experience with ERP is a strong plus.
• Ability to manage multiple competing priorities.

Physical Demands:

• While performing the duties of this job, employees are regularly required to:
  • Sit, walk and stand.
  • Talk and hear, both in person and by telephone.
  • Use hands repetitively to operate standard office equipment.
  • Reach with hands and arms.
  • Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision and the ability to adjust focus.