FB&R Transformation Solutions Lead

Our client operates in the Financial sector, with its headquarters rooted strongly in the United States. It has its branches spread to more than 160 countries, providing employment to more than 200k people all over the world. They fall in the Top 15 largest Banks in the United States. Its core business is to provide various Banking and Financial services to its clients. It is known to have one of the biggest balance sheet banks in the world (among others) aiding it to offer 360-degree financial services to its clients.

Role Description:

• The Financial Books & Records (FB&R) Transformation Initiative has been established under the wider Finance Transformation and comprises three pillars - Accounting, Ledgers and Close, and associated global platforms, processes, and governance.
• The program includes standardizing and reducing risk across current FB&R processes and establishing the next iteration of ledger strategy to adopt and implement global standard SaaS/ Cloud based accounting and ledger platforms.
• The outcome will be a robust global process, governance, and controls to ensure consistent and materially accurate, complete, and timely ledger data and results. 
• The FB&R Transformation Solutions Lead will support the delivery of Cos Finance Transformation priorities (including the Strategic Accounting & Ledger Program).
• This is a dynamic role within Cos Finance transformation that will provide significant exposure to senior management, and will require an ability to partner extensively with stakeholders across many lines of businesses and functions.
• Ideal candidates are proactive problem solvers with in-depth knowledge of accounting and FB&R processes, possess an ability to work under pressure to meet tight deadlines and have excellent communication /interpersonal skills.
• The position provides both program delivery and thought leadership in improving effectiveness by supporting end-to-end solutions that drive efficiency and repeatability.
• The Strategic Accounting & Ledger Program implements a new platform with enhanced technical capability and supports our finance transformation strategy and realization of our Target Operating Model (including global and local processes).
• Thus, a proven track record in large-scale complex programs, change management, process simplification & re-engineering and technology enabled (SaaS/Oracle) implementation are preferred. 

Responsibilities:

• Drive the successful execution & timely completion of the Strategic Ledger Program to achieve business outcomes, including the identification and resolution of issues with proactive risk management, mitigation planning, and resolutions
• Participate in identifying areas of improvements to drive simplified products, create repeatable processes, implement the Target State systems, improve the customer experience, reduce issues and streamline the control environment
• Facilitate strategic ledger governance meetings and manage deliverables within Integrated Project Plan
• Execute the FB&R workstream strategy for Process, Close Reporting or Controls
• Manage workstream communications, prepare and present FB&R updates to senior management forums
• Collaborate with existing Product Owners and End users to identify key user stories for integration into Target State platforms
• Partner with other Product Owners (Accounting, Ledger, Close, Operating Model, Process, or Controls) to coordinate priorities and ensure consistency of deliverables and artifacts across all workstreams
• Provide workstream level metrics and business cases including risk reduction and efficiency measures
• Participate in testing, deployment of system modules and provide inputs to defining the future state service delivery and sustainment model
• Manage workstream intra- and inter-dependencies across stakeholder groups including System Integrators
• Build strong relationships with Program Office Leaders, Program Sponsors and Technology Leaders as well as stakeholders in other Cos-wide initiatives (Finance Data initiative, Consent Order), Product Control, Financial Control, and operational stakeholders (FRSS) to identify further transformation opportunities  
• Work with multiple stakeholders, including process and product owners to identify and prioritize improvement opportunities and oversee implementation of Finance Transformation initiatives
• Lead process standardization, assessing current state processes, identifying key metrics for tracking performance of core processes and driving process improvements
• Design processes solutions, leveraging best-in-class business process management tools and Cos Enterprise Architecture Methodology (CEAM), to measure performance and drive Target Operating Model implementation

Requirements:

• 10+ years of relevant experience, in financial services with a focus on transformation and program delivery (full project lifecycle, from conception through rollout and ongoing support)
• Requires a comprehensive understanding of multiple areas within a function and how they interact in order to achieve the objectives of the function.
• Previous experience in Finance and/or Accounting
• Work experience in Controllers and/or Shared Services (FRSS) areas supporting Controllers is preferred.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills; ability to present ideas to audiences at all levels.
• Skills to engage with senior management while also engaging product owners and SMEs
• Organizationally savvy; understands systems, management processes, knows where to go for information and how to interpret.
• Franchise player; ability to operate both broad and deep, critical thinker, self-motivated; comfortable working with ambiguity.
• Strong business analysis competency with measurable success in shaping opportunities via conceptual thinking.
• Understanding of the regulatory and control requirements around Cos ledgers including ICOFR and SOX (Accounting roles focus).
• Self-motivated with the ability to make decisions in the absence of detailed instructions.
• Advanced Microsoft Office skills.
• In depth knowledge of banking products / systems highly preferred.
• CA or CPA preferred.

Education:

• Bachelors degree, potentially Masters degree in Business,Technology or a quantitative discipline or equivalent work experience.