Lead Expense Analyst

Guardian Life; United States; Hybrid; USD 101,000 - 167,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company seeks a Lead Expense Analyst to join their Individual Markets Expense Management team. This high visibility role demands experience in financial planning, operational efficiencies, and analytical skills, dealing with complex data systems. As a pivotal member, you will help shape financial strategies and contribute to operational improvements across various business lines.

Benefits

Flexible work environment

Skill-building opportunities

Leadership development

Qualifications

• 7+ years of financial analysis and planning experience.
• Expert in Oracle's general ledger system.
• Strong collaborative skills and ability to work independently.

Responsibilities

• Develop multi-year financial expense plans and improve operational efficiencies.
• Support monthly financial expense reporting and variance analysis.
• Coordinate with teams to track headcount and salary costs.

Skills

Analytical Thinking

Communication

Operational Efficiency

Project Management

Education

Bachelor’s degree in finance

Tools

Oracle Planning & Budgeting

Microsoft Excel

PowerPoint

Job description

Overview

The Lead Expense Analyst will be a key member of IM’s (Individual Markets) Expense Management team and will be responsible for developing multi-year financial expense plans and improving operational efficiency.

Additionally, this position will support IM’s monthly and quarterly financial expense reporting process, highlighting expense variances, providing insight into future trends, and analytical support to senior management. Candidate should possess an analytical mind, an ability to communicate complex ideas across all levels as well as demonstrate a thorough understanding of Guardian’s Oracle general ledger system and reporting environment.

This is a high visibility position in the IM business providing an opportunity to work across a range of areas as part of a team supporting a diverse and interesting set of expense analytics and improvement initiatives.

You have:

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, or relevant business experience
• 7+ years of financial analysis and planning experience, demonstrating depth of business expertise and analytical aptitude in a complex environment. Insurance industry experience is a big plus.
• High degree of intellectual curiosity and enthusiasm for discovery; actively seeks to build breadth and depth of subject-matter-expertise.
• Strong collaborative skills, proactively seeking to learn from and share with others.
• Ability to work independently and hold self and others accountable for meeting deadlines, reliability of work, managing projects, and solving problems.
• Expert knowledge of Microsoft Excel, PowerPoint and Oracle Planning & Budgeting / Smart View.

You will:

• Be responsible for three distinct lines of business within Individual Markets Business as well as additional responsibility for consolidation of Total IM Business results
• Develop/prepare annual expense plans/reforecasts and help formulate templates that will help shape the information and explain the story of expenses as it relates to Guardians overall strategic direction
• Work collaboratively with IM business teams/leaders to develop plans focusing on increasing operational efficiencies while supporting the company’s long-term strategic goals. Check and challenge where appropriate and ensure we fully understand the information given to us and the financial impact.
• Support the monthly/quarterly financial expense close process and provide detailed variance explanations of actual versus plan and prior periods, highlighting impacts of key drivers. Proactively support the accrual process and monitor our results.
• Develop and maintain a deep understanding of specific IM functions and processes and prepare analysis for business leaders. Develop action plans, when necessary, to mitigate current/future plan variances.
• Coordinate with HR and track headcount movements by business and ensure a clear linkage and understanding related to our Salary costs. Focus on tracking movements and linkage to financial plan.
• Lead and support planning, analysis and tracking for IM expense-related efficiency projects. Complete ad-hoc analysis and special projects as they emerge.
• Demonstrate broad technical expertise and capabilities in Guardian’s Oracle general ledger system and related reporting tools and continually seek opportunities to streamline and automate processes.
• Possess the ability to collect, synthesize, and report large amounts of data in an efficient way that helps tell the story.

Location

• Three days a week at a Guardian location in New York, NY, Holmdel, NJ. Pittsfield, MA, Stamford, CT. or Bethlehem, PA.

Salary Range:

$101,180.00 - $166,220.00

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.

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 . Benefits apply to full-time eligible employees. Interns are not eligible for most Company 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] .

Current Guardian Colleagues: Please apply through the internal Jobs Hub in Workday.