Finance Transformation & Operations Excellence Consultant

Job Summary

The Balance Sheet Substantiation COE – Senior Finance Analyst will ensure the accuracy and compliance of balance sheet accounts, enhance reconciliation processes, and support financial reporting requirements.

Working with Regional Offices and Business Units, the role is expected to achieve the business objective of an improved balance sheet substantiation process by providing governance and oversight on process performance and efficiency.

The Finance department currently has different teams in MGS.  The key responsibilities are Finance Controllership, Accounting period close activities, financial reporting, GL and suspense reconciliations, expense reporting and analysis, management reporting and financial planning & analysis.

Role and Responsibilities

• Accountable to the BSS COE Manager in MBPS, the role will drive standard balance sheet substantiation process and will be primarily accountable for:
• Perform accurate balance sheet account reconciliations (including insurance-related accounts).
• Provide timely, accurate and insightful balance sheet substantiation commentary to facilitate business review meetings, business decisions and to drive finance accountability. 
• This requires working with regional teams and local Business Units to ensure that the information is sufficient.
• Ensure transactions and account balances are stated accurately in accordance with IFRS17, GAAP and Company policy.
• Identify, investigate, and resolve noted account reconciliation discrepancies by collaborating with Finance partners and Business Units.
• Timely escalate unresolved account reconciliation issues to Manager.
• Actively participate during governance meetings with Business Units and other stakeholders.
• Maintain accurate documentation and records of all reconciliation activities, ensuring a clear audit trail.
• Share best practices and implement process improvements for reconciliation efficiency and accuracy.
• Partner with key stakeholders to identify process pain points and resolve issues.
• Streamline reconciliation processes while ensuring compliance with internal controls and relevant regulations and policies.
• Identify appropriate tool (Anaplan, Alteryx, PowerSuite, Workiva) to implement process improvements.
• Utilize Enterprise Data Lake as main source of data for reconciliation and analysis.
• Act as process owner of the end-to-end balance sheet substantiation process.
• Provide necessary guidance and training to junior team members.
• Participate in Regional priority and strategic projects as assigned or other ad hoc activities. 

Special Projects

Special projects will arise from time to time that will require strong financial knowledge, strong analytical and organizational skills, and an innovative mindset. The role will be responsible for ad-hoc projects as required by senior management pertaining to new services and processes.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting or Finance; accounting designation (CPA) is an advantage.
• 5+ years of progressive accounting operations and/or financial reporting experience; insurance industry experience is preferred.
• Strong stakeholder management requiring persuasion, relationship building and negotiation skills.
• Prior experience of working in shared services/offshore team is an advantage.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving capabilities.
• Strong technical accounting skills with a solid understanding of the accounting environment.
• Advanced Excel skills; experience with PowerBI is an advantage.
• Self-starter, detail-oriented, willing to take ownership and accountability.
• Able to cope in a fast paced and dynamic work environment, with the mindset of continuous improvement and aiming for excellence.
• Strong oral/written communication skills required to interact with senior officers and representatives from other Divisions and functional departments.
• Strong project management skills is an advantage.

• Strong presentation skills.
• Professional attitude and client service orientation; collaborative and results-oriented.
• Strong organizational and time management skills with the ability to be flexible to changing environments.
• Ability to work independently and willing to collaborate with other teams for a project with huge scale benefits.

When you join our team:

• We’ll empower you to learn and grow the career you want.
• We’ll recognize and support you in a flexible environment where well-being and inclusion are more than just words.
• As part of our global team, we’ll support you in shaping the future you want to see.

About Manulife and John Hancock

Manulife Financial Corporation is a leading international financial services provider, helping people make their decisions easier and lives better. To learn more about us, visit https://www.manulife.com/en/about/our-story.html.

Manulife is an Equal Opportunity Employer

At Manulife/John Hancock, we embrace our diversity. We strive to attract, develop and retain a workforce that is as diverse as the customers we serve and to foster an inclusive work environment that embraces the strength of cultures and individuals. We are committed to fair recruitment, retention, advancement and compensation, and we administer all of our practices and programs without discrimination on the basis of race, ancestry, place of origin, colour, ethnic origin, citizenship, religion or religious beliefs, creed, sex (including pregnancy and pregnancy-related conditions), sexual orientation, genetic characteristics, veteran status, gender identity, gender expression, age, marital status, family status, disability, or any other ground protected by applicable law.

It is our priority to remove barriers to provide equal access to employment. A Human Resources representative will work with applicants who request a reasonable accommodation during the application process. All information shared during the accommodation request process will be stored and used in a manner that is consistent with applicable laws and Manulife/John Hancock policies. To request a reasonable accommodation in the application process, contact [email protected].