Director, Accounting

Aegon Global Business Solutions Center; Cedar Rapids (IA); On-site; USD 153,000 - 185,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Competitive Pay

Bonus Eligible

Benefits Package

Pension Plan

401k Match

Tuition Reimbursement

Job summary

Transamerica in Iowa seeks a Senior Finance Manager to lead a center of excellence in operational accounting. You will oversee cash and suspense reconciliation, open item aging, and complex financial reporting, partnering with risk, internal controls, and finance teams to ensure accuracy and strong controls.

We value 12+ years in insurance accounting, demonstrated leadership, and the ability to drive process improvements across multiple accounting bases.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting.
• Generally 12+ years of experience in insurance accounting.
• Strong background in insurance, financial services, or investment management.
• Experience leading suspense cleanup and reconciliation improvement.
• Ability to communicate with senior management.

Responsibilities

• Establish and lead an operational accounting center of excellence.
• Ensure integrity, accuracy, and completeness of accounting and financial reporting.
• Drive disciplined monitoring of cash reconciliation open items.
• Identify gaps and improvement opportunities in controls and processes.
• Lead and develop staff, including hiring and performance reviews.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to align operational accounting with enterprise standards.

Skills

Leadership

Accounting expertise

Financial analysis

Communication

Project management

Education

Bachelor's degree in accounting

Job description

Job Family Financial Accounting & Reporting

About Us

At Transamerica, hard work, innovative thinking, and personal accountability are qualities we honor and reward. We understand the potential of leveraging the talents of a diverse workforce. We embrace an environment where employees enjoy a balance between their careers, families, communities, and personal interests. Ultimately, we appreciate the uniqueness of a company where talented professionals work collaboratively in a positive environment — one focused on helping people look forward and plan for the best life possible while providing tools and solutions that make it easier to get there.

Who We Are

We believe everyone deserves to live their best life. More than a century ago, we were among the first financial services companies in America to serve everyday people from all walks of life. Today, we’re part of an international holding company, with millions of customers and thousands of employees worldwide. Our insurance, retirement, and investment solutions help people make the most of what’s important to them. We’re empowered by a vast agent network covering North America, with diversity to match. Together with our nonprofit research institute and foundation, we tune in, step up, and are a force for good — for our customers and the communities where we live, work, and play. United in our purpose, we help people create the financial freedom to live life on their terms.

What We Do

Transamerica is organized into three distinct businesses. These include 1) World Financial Group, including Transamerica Financial Advisors, 2) Protection Solutions and Savings & Investments, comprised of life insurance, annuities, employee benefits, retirement plans, and Transamerica Investment Solutions, and 3) Financial Assets, which includes legacy blocks of long term care, universal life, and variable and fixed annuities. These are supported by Transamerica Corporate, which includes Finance, People and Places, General Counsel, Risk, Internal Audit, Strategy and Development, and Corporate Affairs, which covers Communications, Brand, and Government and Policy Affairs. Transamerica employs nearly 7,000 people. It’s part of Aegon, an integrated, diversified, international financial services group serving approximately 23.9 million customers worldwide.* For more information, visit transamerica.com.

Job Description Summary

Responsible for establishing and leading a high-performing operational accounting center of excellence focused on accounting discipline, process rigor, control effectiveness, and continuous improvement. This role oversees cash and suspense reconciliation governance, open item aging, exposure monitoring, and other operational accounting processes, such as cashiering and billing, while partnering with Finance, Risk, Internal Controls, and Operations to ensure processes are performed completely, accurately, and within the enterprise risk and control framework.

Job Description Responsibilities

Establish and lead an operational accounting center of excellence to drive consistent execution, accountability, governance, and continuous improvement.

Ensure the integrity, accuracy, and completeness of accounting and financial reporting information, with emphasis on cash activity, suspense accounting, reconciliation quality, and open item aging.

Drive disciplined monitoring of cash and suspense reconciliation open items, including aging, exposure, root cause themes, and remediation progress.

Use suspense accounting and reconciliation results to identify operational gaps, control weaknesses, process breakdowns, and improvement opportunities.

May authorize and/or approve legal, regulatory, or company documents.

Review written analysis to propose recommendations to senior management for decision making.

Partner with Operations, Finance, Risk, Internal Controls, and other stakeholders to resolve accounting matters, strengthen controls, and align operational accounting processes with enterprise standards.

Understand and apply technical accounting concepts for multiple bases of accounting.

Drive the development of financial reports and complex models for forecasting, trending and results analysis.

Lead adherence to the Company’s internal control framework, including documentation, escalation, remediation, and ongoing monitoring of operational accounting exposures.

Oversee management staff providing hiring, direction, coaching, and training of staff.

Complete performance appraisals and evaluates overall performance of team.

Align staff goals, project priorities, cleanup initiatives, and process improvement objectives with business priorities and risk reduction goals.

Collaborate effectively to provide input on organizational strategy and policy while managing risks.

Develop strategic direction for the department/business unit.

Responsible for departmental budget.

Embod[e] a culture of accountability, innovation, teamwork, and customer centricity.

Qualifications

Bachelor’s degree in accounting.

Generally 12+ years of experience, including required insurance accounting experience and a strong background in insurance, financial services, or investment management.

Required experience leading suspense cleanup, reconciliation improvement, aging reduction, exposure management, or related operational accounting remediation initiatives.

Demonstrated management/leadership experience.

Extensive knowledge of applicable accounting and business areas.

Ability to communicate orally and in writing to all audiences.

Ability to lead a large group of employees to ensure business goals are met.

Forward thinker able to anticipate future needs/challenges.

Strong organizational, prioritization, and project management skills, with the ability to manage competing cleanup, control, and operational improvement priorities.

Effective judgment and decision-making skills.

Preferred Qualifications

CPA/advanced degree.

Salary

The Salary for this position generally ranges between $153,000 - $185,000 annually. Please note that the salary range is a good faith estimate for this position and actual starting pay is determined by several factors including qualifications, experience, geography, work location designation (in-office, hybrid, remote) and operational needs. Salary may vary above and below the stated amounts, as permitted by applicable law. Additionally, this position is typically eligible for an Annual Bonus based on the Company Bonus Plan/Individual Performance and is at the Company’s discretion.

What We Offer

• Competitive Pay
• Bonus for Eligible Employees
• Benefits Package
• Pension Plan
• 401k Match
• Employee Stock Purchase Plan
• Tuition Reimbursement
• Disability Insurance
• Medical Insurance
• Dental Insurance
• Vision Insurance
• Employee Discounts
• Career Training & Development Opportunities
• Health and Work/Life Balance Benefits
• Paid Time Off starting at 160 hours annually for employees in their first year of service.
• Ten (10) paid holidays per year (typically mirroring the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE) holidays).
• Be Well Company holistic wellness program, which includes Wellness Coaching and Reward Dollars
• Parental Leave – fifteen (15) days of paid parental leave per calendar year to eligible employees with at least one year of service at the time of birth, placement of an adopted child, or placement of a foster care child.
• Adoption Assistance
• Employee Assistance Program
• Back-Up Care Program
• PTO for Volunteer Hours
• Employee Matching Gifts Program
• Employee Resource Groups
• Inclusion and Diversity Programs
• Employee Recognition Program
• Referral Bonus Programs
• Inclusion & Diversity

Company Culture & Inclusion

We believe our commitment to diversity and inclusion creates a work environment filled with exceptional individuals. We’re thrilled to have been recognized for our efforts through the Human Rights Campaign Corporate Equality Index, Dave Thomas Adoption Friendly Advocate, and several Seramount lists, including the Inclusion Index, 100 Best Companies for Working Parents, Best Companies for Dads, and Top 75 Companies for Executive Women.

To foster a culture of inclusivity throughout our workforce, workplace, and marketplace, Transamerica offers a wide range of diversity and inclusion programs. This includes our company-sponsored, employee-driven Employee Resource Groups (ERGs), which are formed around a shared interest or a common characteristic of diversity. ERGs are open to all employees. They provide a supportive environment to help us better appreciate our similarities and differences and understand how they benefit us all.

Giving Back

We believe our responsibilities extend beyond our corporate walls. That's why we created the Aegon Transamerica Foundation in 1994. Through a mix of financial grants and the volunteer efforts of our employees, the foundation supports nonprofit organizations focused on the things that matter most to our people in the communities where we live and work.

Transamerica’s Parent Company

Aegon acquired the Transamerica business in 1999. Since its start in 1844, Aegon has grown into an international company serving more than 23.9 million people across the globe.* It offers investment, protection, and retirement solutions, always with a clear purpose: Helping people live their best lives. As a leading global investor and employer, the company seeks to have a positive impact by addressing critical environmental and societal issues, with a focus on climate change and inclusion and diversity.

* As of December 31, 2023 At Transamerica, hard work, innovative thinking, and personal accountability are qualities we honor and reward. We understand the potential unleashed by leveraging the talents of a diverse workforce. We embrace an environment where employees enjoy a balance between their careers, families, communities, and personal interests. Ultimately, we appreciate the uniqueness of a company where talented professionals work collaboratively in a positive environment — one focused on helping ...

Transamerica is a part of Aegon, an integrated, diversified, international financial services group. The Aegon companies employ over 21,500 people and have approximately 31.7 million customers.* For more information, visitwww.transamerica.com.

* As of December 31, 2022 For more information about Transamerica’s privacy practices, click here.