Financial Planning & Analysis Analyst

At Northwestern Mutual, we are strong, innovative and growing. We invest in our people. We care and make a positive difference.

Summary

Support the Company's overall expense management process, focusing on ensuring optimal use of Company resources and ultimately protecting or maintaining product value and financial strength either at the corporate level or for an assigned function / department.

Develop timely and accurate expense reporting and provide value-added expense management consultation and analysis. This includes consulting with business partners and building financial models to evaluate strategic decisions, providing financial analysis, developing forecasts and budgets, comparing expectations to peers and / or internal expectations, evaluating and presenting options and prioritizing solutions within the department.

May interact with executive officers, department heads, and other members of senior management to provide meaningful expense management consultation and analysis, and presents recommendations to aid in decision-making.

Primary Duties and Responsibilities

Identifies issues for routine casework and participates in discussions to resolve those issues across departments. Makes decisions on more complex casework after consulting with higher level staff.

Supports managers and directors to understand department operations and resulting cost structure.

Coordinates monthly reporting of all expenses to meet financial reporting needs of the department.

Monitors spend, develops forecasts and budgets and analyzes expense results.

Applies creativity and innovation in identifying process improvements and other opportunities for the departments to better manage expenses or reduce spend.

Builds financial models to predict and understand the business as well as actual results.

Understands cost drivers, internal metrics, unit costs and benchmarking for tracking and comparing results.

Challenges assumptions made in forecasts and projections.

Assures that all expense activity follows the appropriate accounting controls, policies and procedures and is appropriately accounted for on the general ledger in compliance with statutory and / or GAAP accounting standards.

May be responsible for maintaining aspects of the financial reporting systems (Such as PeopleSoft, IBM TM1 system, Apptio, or Project Portfolio Management).

May be responsible for corporate expense projections, metrics, fixed assets, accounting for payroll, fixed assets and intercompany charges between NM and its subsidiaries, and procure to pay process or other corporate processes.

Supports special projects and assignments related to expense management, product line allocations, financial reporting, process improvements, or other projects as requested by division leaders.

May collaborate with other enterprise resources in Human Resources, Corporate Strategy or Planning Coordinators.

Qualifications

Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, business administration, or related degree with accounting emphasis preferred.

Typically three or more years of financial management experience and / or financial planning and analysis experience.

Analytical, planning, organization, budgeting, problem solving, negotiation, oral and written communication skills are essential to this role.

Ability to develop and interpret financial models for analysis.

Ability to maintain confidentiality and manage multiple assignments concurrently while effectively prioritizing.

Ability to develop and present recommendations to management.

Ability to communicate clearly with peers and at different levels of management within finance and across the company.

CPA or CMA designation is preferred.

Skills-Proficiency Level :

Accounting - Advanced

Budgeting - Basic

Cost Forecasting - Basic

Expense Management - Basic

Financial Analysis - Advanced

Financial Modeling - Intermediate

Financial Reporting - Intermediate

Financial Reporting Systems - Intermediate

Negotiation - Basic

Reconciliations - Intermediate

LI-Hybrid

Compensation Range : Pay Range - Start :

Pay Range - Start : $55,020.00

$55,020.00

Pay Range - End : $102,180.00

$102,180.00

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