Senior Manager

At American Equity we offer leading annuity products that help empower our clients to fulfill their needs and wants in retirement. Our success comes from hiring high-energy individuals who embody the beliefs that drive our unique culture. We currently fund over half a million retirements nationwide, and have been headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa, for over twenty-five years with satellite offices in Charlotte, NC and New York, NY.

GENERAL PURPOSE OF THE JOB:   

The Senior Manager, Accounting Strategy & Execution is responsible for leading strategy and execution of significant transformational accounting programs and projects, systems and data.

 **This position is based out of West Des Moines, IA and will work an on-site hybrid schedule** 

ESSENTIAL DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES:

• Works with all appropriate stakeholders and staff to transform accounting processes, procedures, data and systems, enhancing accurate data driven decisions and reporting.
• Leads the accounting functional requirements gathering, development and implementation of various systems, such as our Policy admin systems, ERP and other applications that impact our financial statements, etc.
• Serves as Accounting subject matter expert in specifically liaising with Technology and IT project manager, translating and prioritizing accounting business requirements for data, processes, systems and resources.
• Contributes to finance and accounting strategy and execution, as well as broader company wide initiatives and programs which may impact finance and accounting.
• Prepares and represents Accounting program and project status updates in collaboration with other Accounting leaders.
• Defines the scope of each project milestone and deliverable in collaboration with internal stakeholders and/or external consultants.
• Researches and acquires deep working knowledge of current accounting processes in order to serve as primary subject matter expert on accounting impacts and requirements for broader company wide initiatives (i.e. implementation of administrative system, new product launches, etc.)
• Creates a detailed work plan which identifies and sequences the activities needed to successfully complete assigned projects.
• Determines the resources (time, money, equipment, etc.) required to complete assigned projects.
• Develops a schedule and detailed timeline for project completion that effectively allocates the resources to the activities; reviews and adjusts the project schedule with management and all stakeholders.
• Determines the objectives and measures upon which the program will be evaluated.
• Leads the progression of assigned projects and adjusts as necessary to ensure the successful completion of the project.
• Establishes a communication cadence to update stakeholders on project progress.
• Reviews the quality of the work completed with the project team on a regular basis to ensure that it meets expected standards; maintains related SOX controls throughout project life cycle.
• Ensures that the project deliverables are on time, within budget and at the required level of quality.
• Communicates with business users and development teams on project requests.
• Partners with financial reporting and operations leaders and staff on all related accounting process, data and systems activities.
• Reviews and interprets accounting and reporting regulations and applies that knowledge to data, systems and other processes.
• Performs other related work as assigned.

SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:

Direct Reports:

None

General Description of Indirect Reports (2 and 3-downs):

None

EDUCATION AND/OR EXPERIENCE:  

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance or related field of study; plus seven (7) years of progressively responsible related accounting experience; or equivalent combination of education and/or experience.
• Prior supervisory experience preferred.
• Experience overseeing the design, development, and successful completion of accounting focused transformation projects.
• Insurance industry experience a plus.

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, PROFESSIONAL DESIGNATIONS:

Certified Public Accountant (CPA) preferred.

KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

• Excellent verbal and written communication skills with ability to effectively present information to clients and respond to questions from groups.
• Strong customer service orientation.
• Excellent interpersonal skills.
• Analytical skills with ability to think critically.
• Strong problem-solving skills with ability to define problems, collect data, establish facts, and draw valid conclusions.
• Mathematical skills with strong attention to detail.
• Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.
• Ability to work on multiple projects simultaneously.
• Ability to work cooperatively and successfully with employees, customers, and other outside third parties.
• Ability to successfully handle pressure and meet deadlines in a fast-paced work environment.
• Proficient in the use of Microsoft Office Suite including Word, Excel, Visio, Microsoft Project and Outlook.

#LI-SG1

#LI-Hybrid