Financial Analyst - Strategy and Operations

Guardian Life; United States; Hybrid; USD 88,000 - 144,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual incentive compensation

Comprehensive benefits

Job summary

Guardian Life is seeking a Financial Analyst to join the Operations, Service, Claims & Transformation Finance function. You will deliver financial analytics, executive storytelling, and strategic decision support across Operations, Service, Claims, and Transformation, partnering with FP&A, Actuarial, and senior leadership.

The role emphasizes building business cases, tracking value capture, and driving cost transparency. Hybrid work arrangement with offices in multiple locations.

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Actuarial Science, or related field.
• 4+ years of FP&A, financial analysis, or operational analytics experience.
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with ability to connect financial and operational data.
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint proficiency.
• Ability to synthesize complex data into clear, actionable insights.
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across functions.

Responsibilities

• Financial Analysis & Decision Support · Analyze business performance, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities across Operations, Service, Claims, and Transformation.
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Build and maintain business cases for Claims & Service initiatives, including investments, transformation efforts, and operating model changes.
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Quantify financial impact, including cost savings, productivity improvements, ROI, payback period, and other value drivers.
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Track results against business case commitments and identify variances, risks, dependencies, and financial implications.
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Partner with business leaders to monitor value capture and ensure benefits are realized and sustained.
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce cost leakage, and enhance financial outcomes across Operations, Claims & Service.
• Operational Insights & Executive Storytelling · Develop executive‑ready materials highlighting key insights, trends, risks, and opportunities.
• Operational Insights & Executive Storytelling · Translate complex financial and operational information into clear, actionable insights for leadership.
• Operational Insights & Executive Storytelling · Identify emerging trends in claims experience, service demand, and cost performance.
• Cross‑Functional Partnership · Partner with Operations, Service, Claims, Transformation, Actuarial, Product, and FP&A teams to align financial insights with operational priorities.
• Cross‑Functional Partnership · Support assigned initiatives with financial guidance, decision support, and targeted analysis.
• Cross‑Functional Partnership · Influence outcomes through data‑driven recommendations and thoughtful analysis.

Skills

Advanced Excel

PowerPoint

Tableau

Power BI

Financial analysis

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Actuarial Science, or related field

Tools

Tableau

Power BI

Job description

Is the opportunity to join a culture where “We Do the Right Thing,” and “We Courageously Shape Our Future Together” important to you? If so, Guardian is seeking a resolute motivated individual to join our team as a Financial Analyst. Reporting to the Head of Operations, Service, Claims & Transformation Finance, this role plays a central position within Group Benefits Finance, supporting financial analytics, performance insights, and strategic decision support across all operational areas. Financial Analyst partners closely with Operations, Service, Claims, Transformation, Actuarial, FP&A, and senior leadership to deliver actionable insights, enhance cost transparency, and support business decision‑making. This role combines operational rigor, executive reporting, and forward‑looking analytics to influence financial outcomes and support transformation priorities. This role partners closely with Operations, Service, Claims, Transformation, Actuarial, FP&A, and senior leadership to deliver actionable insights, enhance cost transparency, and support business decision‑making. This role combines operational rigor, executive reporting, and forward‑looking analytics to influence financial outcomes and support transformation priorities.

You will:

• Financial Analysis & Decision Support · Analyze business performance, emerging risks, and strategic opportunities across Operations, Service, Claims, and Transformation
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Build and maintain business cases for Claims & Service initiatives, including investments, transformation efforts, and operating model changes
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Quantify financial impact, including cost savings, productivity improvements, ROI, payback period, and other value drivers
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Track results against business case commitments and identify variances, risks, dependencies, and financial implications
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Partner with business leaders to monitor value capture and ensure benefits are realized and sustained
• Business Case Development & Value Capture · Identify opportunities to improve efficiency, reduce cost leakage, and enhance financial outcomes across Operations, Claims & Service
• Operational Insights & Executive Storytelling · Develop executive‑ready materials highlighting key insights, trends, risks, and opportunities
• Operational Insights & Executive Storytelling · Translate complex financial and operational information into clear, actionable insights for leadership
• Operational Insights & Executive Storytelling · Identify emerging trends in claims experience, service demand, and cost performance
• Cross‑Functional Partnership · Partner with Operations, Service, Claims, Transformation, Actuarial, Product, and FP&A teams to align financial insights with operational priorities
• Cross‑Functional Partnership · Support assigned initiatives with financial guidance, decision support, and targeted analysis
• Cross‑Functional Partnership · Influence outcomes through data‑driven recommendations and thoughtful analysis

You have:

• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, Actuarial Science, or related field
• 4+ years of FP&A, financial analysis, or operational analytics experience
• Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills with ability to connect financial and operational data
• Advanced Excel and PowerPoint proficiency
• Ability to synthesize complex data into clear, actionable insights
• Strong communication and collaboration skills across functions

Preferred:

• Experience in insurance or financial services
• Familiarity with operational metrics such as unit cost, productivity, volume, complexity, and claims drivers
• Experience supporting transformation initiatives, value capture, or business case development
• Experience with Tableau, Power BI, or similar visualization tools

Ability to:

• Analyze variances across actuals, plan, forecast, and prior periods
• Identify key drivers of financial and operational performance
• Translate data into insights, recommendations, and leadership‑ready narratives
• Manage multiple priorities and deliver high‑quality work on tight timelines
• Bring curiosity, ownership, and continuous improvement to recurring reporting and analysis

Location:

Hybrid role - 3 days in a Guardian office located in Bethlehem PA; Hudson Yards, NYC; Holmdel, NJ; Pittsfield, MA; or Boston, MA. 2 days WFH.

Salary Range:

$87,930.00 - $144,465.00 The salary range reflected above is a good faith estimate of base pay for the primary location of the position. The salary for this position ultimately will be determined based on the education, experience, knowledge, and abilities of the successful candidate. In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.

Benefits:

• In addition to salary, this role may also be eligible for annual, sales, or other incentive compensation.
• Benefits apply to full‑time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company benefits.

Our Promise

At Guardian, you’ll have the support and flexibility to achieve your professional and personal goals. Through skill‑building, leadership development and philanthropic opportunities, we provide opportunities to build communities and grow your career, surrounded by diverse colleagues with high ethical standards.

Inspire Well‑Being

As part of Guardian’s Purpose – to inspire well‑being – we are committed to offering contemporary, supportive, flexible, and inclusive benefits and resources to our colleagues. Explore our company benefits at www.guardianlife.com/careers/corporate/benefits.

Equal Employment Opportunity

Guardian is an equal opportunity employer. All qualified applicants will be considered for employment without regard to age, race, color, creed, religion, sex, affectional or sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, marital status, disability, military or veteran status, or any other classification protected by applicable law.

Accommodations

Guardian is committed to providing access, equal opportunity and reasonable accommodation for individuals with disabilities in employment, its services, programs, and activities. Guardian also provides reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants (and employees) to accommodate the individual's known limitations related to pregnancy, childbirth, or related medical conditions, unless doing so would create an undue hardship. If reasonable accommodation is needed to participate in the job application or interview process, to perform essential job functions, and/or to receive other benefits and privileges of employment, please contact [e-mail]. Please note: this resource is for accommodation requests only.

Visa Sponsorship

Guardian Life is not currently or in the foreseeable future sponsoring employment‑based visas (e.g., such as an H‑1B). In order to be a successful applicant, you must be legally authorized to work in the United States, without the need for employer sponsorship/support now or at any time in the future.

Notice Regarding Guardian’s Use of Artificial Intelligence in Recruitment

As part of Guardian’s job application process, Guardian may use artificial intelligence tools (“AI Tools") to automate the sorting and filtering of information provided by applicants as part of its preliminary screening. This preliminary screening may be used to help identify applicant materials and resumes relative to their indication that the applicant meets the requirements for the specific job for which they are applying, as specified in the listing posted on Guardian’s jobs website (Careers at Guardian at https://www.guardianlife.com/careers). At Guardian, we do not use AI Tools to substantially assist or replace human judgment or discretionary decision making in our hiring process. All hiring decisions will be made by Guardian colleagues. Please be aware that if you apply for a specific position with Guardian, you will have the choice of opting out of Guardian’s use of AI Tools during the job application process. If you would like to request an alternative process that does not utilize AI Tools or would like to request a reasonable accommodation, within ten business days of your position application, you must email your request to [e-mail], making sure to provide your name and job requisition identification number. Guardian will retain your applicant materials and resume and all information therefrom in accordance with Guardian’s document retention policy, a copy of which you may request via [e-mail]. Additionally, at applicable times, Guardian will make public the most recent bias audit results for such AI tools, which may be found here.

Current Guardian Colleagues

Every day, Guardian helps our 29 million customers realize their dreams through a range of insurance and financial products and services. Our Purpose, to inspire well‑being, guides our dedication to the colleagues, consumers, and communities we serve. We know that people count, and we go above and beyond to prepare them for the life they want to live, focusing on their overall well‑being — mind, body, and wallet. As one of the largest mutual insurance companies, we put our customers first. Behind every bright future is a GuardianTM. Learn more about Guardian at guardianlife.com.