Head of Finance Transformation

The Opportunity
MassMutual is seeking an experienced finance executive to spearhead a multi-year transformation of the finance organization by standing up and leading a newly established Finance Transformation team, delivering transformation outcomes as quickly as possible while minimizing risk and disruptions, and driving sustained behavioral change. Reporting directly to the CFO, this mission-critical leader will be key in enabling Finance’s ability to achieve its long-term ambition of becoming a trusted business partner and steward of long-term value creation for policyowners.

The Team
This leader will be accountable for building and leading a Transformation team that can execute on a multi-year transformation journey.  This team will include direct and indirect reports who are the business line experts, managing and/or supporting significant financial applications, technology and financial data domains used within Corporate Finance. In addition to focus on transformative technology, this team will enable Corporate Finance’s transformation by maintaining relationships with key partners in ETX/SP&D and leveraging the project management expertise of the Corporate Function’s PMO (CFPMO); by managing our outsourcing/offshoring strategy; and by providing critical support of the CFO and the Corporate Finance organization (e.g. departmental effectiveness, strategic planning and communication, etc.)   

Impact

Key accountabilities for this role include: 

–    Identify, prioritize, mobilize against and oversee results delivery of Finance Transformation initiatives 

• Partner with FP&A, Controllership, Treasury, Actuarial and other Finance sub-functions  to define strategies that maximize the impact of technology on business operations; this includes identifying transformation initiatives and creating detailed business plans, including developing success KPIs, budgeting, coordinating approvals, and determining scope and timelines
• Develop an integrated view of investment requirements for transformation initiatives and support ROI analysis and financial decisions
• Oversee overall results delivery by surfacing interdependencies across finance teams and teams outside finance, designing and executing delivery risk mitigation plans, and proactively reporting on initiative progress to the CFO and other overseeing stakeholders. Leverage the CFPMO/SP&D cross-organization process when required.

–    Drive buy-in for transformation initiatives across key stakeholders

• Lead and influence strategic and operational planning to achieve accounting and finance digitization goals for process innovation and finance system modernization, including the implementation of solutions that meet business objectives, fulfill data governance requirements, and satisfy internal financial controls
• Manage a two-way feedback loop with both peers within finance and stakeholders outside of finance
• Create alignment across key stakeholders with competing priorities to ensure shared understanding and mutual collaboration

–    Lead change management and continuous improvement efforts supporting transformation in the Corporate Finance organization

• Permeate a culture of change management and adaptability to achieve sustained behavior; providing support to the organization through all phases of transition (engagement, design, monitor, feedback, etc.)
• Build and enable/execute our change agenda across the Corporate Finance organization and other key stakeholders as appropriate, including the establishment and measurement of continuous improvement goals and the communication in place to support
• Oversee the team that works across Corporate Finance to map current processes/documentation.  and facilities redesign efforts.  Ensure continuous improvements best practices and proper change management is in place to support efforts

–    Serve as Finance’s primary liaison with Enterprise Technology and Experience (ETX), Corporate Function’s PMO, and Strategic Planning & Delivery (SP&D) to ensure budget requirements are validated/met, and for technical and PMO resourcing and enablement

• Oversee and support the creation of a holistic Finance technology architecture vision and roadmap that is fully integrated across enterprise systems, with the support of ETX
• Partner with ETX to integrate finance system target state architecture within overall MassMutual technology roadmap
• Drive centralization of finance technology decision-making, spend and value tracking  
• Drive Finance alignment with enterprise project management standards

–    Lead  Finance’s outsourcing/offshoring strategy 

• Define and execute a long-term target operating model for outsourcing and offshoring within Finance, aligned with cost efficiency, controls, and performance requirements
• Establish robust SLAs, KPIs, and governance processes to monitor outsourcing partner performance and enforce accountability across processes
• Partner with internal process owners to ensure outsourcing needs are met and seamless coordination between internal teams and external vendors
• Influence transformation decisions at the enterprise level to deploy best in class processes and systems across Finance.
• Lead process mapping/documentation and operational redesign efforts across core Finance processes to identify incremental improvement opportunities

–    Act as a strategic right hand to the CFO, coordinating critical internal leadership communications, activities, and events

• Coordinate Corporate Finance Leadership Team priorities to ensure consistent communication and alignment across Finance functions, support the CFO with preparations for key meetings and events, and lead ad-hoc strategic efforts on behalf of the CFO, aligning closely with key partners such as Strategic Communications

–    Build and lead a Finance Transformation team

• Design and build a transformation team that can execute on a multi-year transformation journey
• Team includes direct reports as well as matrixed reports who drive transformation within their respective areas of Corporate Finance (e.g. Controllers, Treasury, Actuarial, etc.) 
• Work with HR to ensure critical talent needs are met, supporting the staffing, onboarding, and coaching of Finance Transformation working team members
• Expected leadership behaviors: 

–    Lead both direct and indirect reports, focused on talent development, building an inclusive team and environment, and role modeling an agile mindset through change and ambiguity. 

–    Inspire others and drive culture of continuous improvement, curiosity, open communication, feedback, and accountability

–    Develop the next generation of leaders who can build strategic partnerships with internal and external stakeholders to facilitate knowledge transfer and talent mobility
–    Create structures and processes for enterprise mindset
–    Promote collaboration and an enterprise mindset 

MINIMUM REQUIREMENTS

• 15+ years of leadership experience as a finance or accounting leader at a major financial institution
• Deep working knowledge of accounting, finance, and treasury operations, commercial banking products, and finance technology needs for large financial institutions. 
• Distinguished record of standing up and leading/overseeing the successful implementation of large scale finance transformation projects
• Proven and demonstrated leadership skills including relationship building, change management, and collaboration skills with a clear ability to influence, gain buy-in and negotiate with partners and peers
• Strong strategic and execution skills with ability to influence, collaborate, and work across the organization
• Undergraduate degree in business administration or related field including finance and accounting.  

IDEAL REQUIREMENTS

• Prior leadership experience in driving transformation – preferably within in a Finance Organization 
• Prior leadership within FP&A, Treasury, or Controllership, ideally within an insurance company or financial services organization 
• Prior experience leading a matrixed organization
• Outstanding written and verbal communication skills
• Master’s degree and CPA designation or Actuarial background preferrable

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MassMutual is an Equal Employment Opportunity employer Minority/Female/Sexual Orientation/Gender Identity/Individual with Disability/Protected Veteran. We welcome all persons to apply. Note: Veterans are welcome to apply, regardless of their discharge status.

If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.