Mutual Opportunities
Life Business Strategic Finance Lead
Boston, Massachusetts; Springfield, Massachusetts
Thank you to our employees for voting us one of the top places to work in Massachusetts for five consecutive years!
Overview
Finance and Accounting is at MassMutual’s core, and our team is ushering in an era of growth. We are looking for bold ideas, creative solutions, and comfort embracing change. We strive to build a diverse team and leverage different points of view to optimize processes and build strong relationships.
Our team is motivated by challenging work that delivers substantial impact in a culture of accountability and collaboration. We treat policyowners and customers fairly and prioritize financial stability. Being part of a mutual company means that our teams can think long-term, and employees can dive deep into the complex structure of products and the organization.
Our finance teams are experts in their field and thrive in fast-paced environments. They balance the needs of the business and invest in the long term, while always putting the customer first. They align their work with our live mutual philosophy and strive to always make the right choice for our policyowners. We are building a team that truly embodies ‘together we move forward.’
“At MassMutual, finance is the heartbeat of our company. Maintaining financial strength and stability and earning trust are key to how we operate. And as a mutual life insurance company, we don’t have shareholders. This means that our finance team can think long-term when choosing the best paths to fulfill our purpose: helping people to secure their futures and protect the ones they love. We’re looking for dedicated, skilled, creative finance professionals to join us in tackling complex challenges. Here, you’ll have the opportunity to grow your career in a place that values your ideas and invites you to challenge the status quo.”
Job Description
Life Business Strategic Finance Lead
Full-Time
Boston, MA or Springfield, MA
The Opportunity
Highly seasoned finance professional with specialized skills/knowledge, which is recognized across the organization for their expertise. Demonstrated potential to take on expanded responsibilities. Influences and makes decisions with significant impact on the organization and/or company. Influences the development of functional strategy. Establish medium to long term work plans for the function and contributes to the development of financial and resource planning needed to achieve department business objectives. Has an established track record of success for driving and accomplishing critical business objectives. Manage, coach and develop one or more direct reports.
The Life Business Strategic Finance Lead will work with business partners in Brand, Product & Affiliated Distribution (BP&AD) and Corporate Finance to provide high quality information and analysis to facilitate assessment and reporting of business performance, identification of options and decision-making. This role will be critical to managing the newly established Life P&L, including distribution, new business and In-force profitability. In addition, this role will oversee Sales for BP&AD (Life, Annuity and Worksite) and the MassMutual Financial Advisors, MMFA channel, including reporting and forecasting of product level sales. The role reports to the Head of BP&AD Strategic Finance within CFO, and will be working directly with the Head of Product and the Head of the MMFA Business on a regular basis.
As the Life business Strategic Finance Lead, you’ll have an opportunity to contribute to helping our businesses grow and become more profitable. You will develop and maintain strong knowledge of products, markets, competitors and key industry metrics. You will utilize your understanding of the business’ challenges and priorities to help drive decision-making. You will partner across Finance to understand the financials, leveraging data platforms to identify key information that will help to tell the story. You will provide support to CFO customers on performance, opportunities for cost efficiencies, benchmarking comparisons, sales, profitability results and considerations for decision-making. You will contribute to engagement for change, innovation and value creation.
The Team
In this role, you will join our BP&AD Strategic Finance team primarily supporting our MassMutual Life and MMFA business, which manufactures and sells protection and annuity products as well as wealth management solutions. The Strategic Finance team is a collaborative team whose members demonstrate accountability, agility, a dedication to be inclusive, strong business acumen, and show courage, even in the most difficult situations. Highly effective communication and influencing skills are key to successful relationship-building and the ability to articulate the reasoning and bases for recommendations and conclusions are imperative. In addition, the ability to influence and challenge assumption in a matrixed organization will be essential. Our team demonstrates an inquisitive approach, asking probing questions to identify issues with specificity.
The Impact:
As the Life Strategic Finance Lead your work will impact strategic decisions made by your business partners; enabling better strategic decisions utilizing the financial data and tools. You will accomplish that through the responsibilities listed below:
Drive and Support Strategic Initiatives:
- Actively participate in driving business financial projects/initiatives. Be a respected thought partner in the development and execution of strategies and initiatives to achieve the enterprise’s strategic aspirations and goals, including active, ongoing involvement in product development and pricing analytics
- Lead the development of the Life P&L, including development of a Source of Earnings view: Insurance Margin, Investment Margin and Fee Margin. Understand and actively influence the expense allocation process to ensure expenses supporting Life are representative of the business.
- Review forecast and initiative assumptions and contribute to cost-benefit analyses to support decision making, including prioritization, in order to pursue the most beneficial initiatives and maximize benefits.
- Inspire, lead and execute on CFO transformation initiatives, including data driven financial analysis, automated reporting, advanced analytics, data governance, and talent strategy.
Model and Analyze:
- Prepare high quality analysis to influence key financial decisions, including developing and employing analytical models. This analysis is also used both with the business and within CFO for management reporting and external reporting.
- Contribute to the development of driver-based forecasts, reviewing and vetting P&L assumption elements and assessing overall reasonableness of earnings forecasts. Ensure that key forecast business driver assumptions are developed in collaboration with business partners
Monitor and Communicate Business Drivers and Results
- Identify and monitor key performance drivers and risks with timely communications of trends and observations. This supports decision making and internal management reporting and external reporting.
- Develop Sales Forecast scenarios, in close partnership with MMFA, monitor and assess trends and leading indicators; be able to substantiate and evaluate sales trends
- Analyze Margin, expenses, PTOI, AUM, unit costs, VNB, capital consumption and other financial business drivers, used by business partners and the CFO organization
- Influence, lead and educate on financial-related elements of the strategic and tactical success of the businesses
Collaborate, Communicate and Influence:
- Develop and maintain strong working relationships and collaborate with business partners and CFO co-workers to, among other outcomes, continuously improve CFO processes.
- Use business acumen and communication skills to draft and contribute to commentary which enables readers to quickly understand why and how performance is impacting financial results. Communicate complex information and analysis in clear, understandable terms with appropriate context, focused on actionable content.
- Address and drive solutions for financial-related issues and opportunities, including influencing cross-functional actions and collaboration.
- Optimize our talent by hiring and developing a direct report to support in analytics and production within the Life Business and MMFA.
The Minimum Qualifications
- 10+ years experience in finance or actuarial
- Experience using data and information to analyze and communicate (in writing, orally and visually) the implications of business unit activity, leveraging business intelligence applications (Alation, Microstrategy, SQL queries etc.)
- Experience with financial forecasting and quarter closes
- Intellectual curiosity to continue learning and adding breadth and depth to understanding.
- Demonstrated ability to partner with, challenge and influence senior business leaders and peers in using financial information and tools to identify options and make decisions across a matrixed organization
- Excellent communication skills, including the ability to convey complex information in readily understandable terms
- Exceptional relationship building and influencing skills
- Proven ability to lead across a matrixed organization
- Ability to work well under pressure and manage multiple deliverables
- Ability to lead and manage one or more direct reports
The Ideal Qualifications
- FSA, CFA or MBA designation a plus
- Knowledge of U.S. GAAP and statutory financial reporting requirements relating to life insurance products a plus
What to Expect as Part of MassMutual and the Team
- Regular meetings with the team
- Focused one-on-one meetings with your manager
- Networking opportunities including access to Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, African American, women, LGBTQ, veteran, and disability-focused Business Resource Groups
- Access to learning content on Degreed and other informational platforms
- Your ethics and integrity will be valued by a company with a strong and stable ethical business with industry leading pay and benefits
#LI-LC1
MassMutual is an equal employment opportunity employer. We welcome all persons to apply.If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.
MassMutual will accept applications on an ongoing basis until such time as a candidate has been offered employment. The job description includes the main duties of this position, which may evolve over time. You may be required to perform other duties not listed.
It is unlawful in Massachusetts to require or administer a lie detector test as a condition of employment or continued employment.
Salary Range: $159,800.00-$209,700.00
Hiring Process
Explore
Explore our open jobs by clicking 'search jobs' to find a position that aligns with your experience and skills. You may also consider joining our Talent Network.
Apply
Click the “apply” button on that job posting to complete and submit your application. Your application will be reviewed by a recruiter, which, due to the volume of applications received, may take some time as we carefully consider each application.
Screen
After your application has been reviewed, if you meet the qualifications for the role, a recruiter will reach out to you to start a conversation.
Interview
If you are invited for an interview, you will be scheduled to meet with the hiring manager and hiring team.
Offer
If you are extended an offer to join MassMutual and accept, your start will be contingent upon a satisfactory background check.
Hire
If you accept the offer, we will be so excited to welcome you to the MassMutual community!
If you need an accommodation to complete the application process, please contact us and share the specifics of the assistance you need.
By the numbers*
- 88% of employee respondents say they are proud to work at MassMutual
-
90
% of employee respondents say they feel encouraged to bring forth new ideas - 86% of employee respondents say MassMutual cares about and supports the well-being of their employees
*Source: 2024 MassMutual employee engagement survey
Award-Winning Culture
MassMutual is guided by a single purpose: We help people secure their future and protect the ones they love. As a company operated for the benefit of our members and participating policyowners, we are defined by mutuality and our vision to provide financial well-being for all Americans. It’s more than our company structure — it’s our way of life. We are a company of people protecting people. Our company exists because people are willing to share risk and resources and rely on each other when it counts.
We strive to build a thriving community where everyone is valued, included, and feels that they belong.
At MassMutual, we Live Mutual.
How We Work
MassMutual’s flexible workplace approach combines the importance of connecting in person and the flexibility of working remotely. Our hybrid model puts collaboration first with employees coming in at least three days per week to our spectacular campus settings and also enjoying the flexibility of remote Fridays, company-wide remote weeks, and a bank of flexible remote weeks to use throughout the year.
Benefits for the whole you (and your loved ones)
There’s more to your life than your job and there’s more to your aspirations than a paycheck. We take a holistic view of compensation and benefits that provides the flexibility to create a healthy balance in your life for work, family, and community. We offer the benefits you’d expect, like medical, dental, 401(k), and generous vacation time, but we also offer ones you might not expect, like three paid days for volunteering, a $1,250 annual Well-Being Wallet, and up to 320 hours of caregiver leave.
Explore some of our offerings below. Benefit details can be found here.
where we work
Springfield Office
1295 State Street, Springfield, MA
Boston Office
10 Fan Pier Blvd, Boston, MA
New York Office
2 Park Ave,
New York, NY
Virtual
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