Senior Financial Compliance Analyst

Overview

The Senior Financial Compliance Analyst position reporting to the Financial Compliance Manager will be responsible for identifying financial and/or internal control risks and trends that enable Unit and/or University leadership to make informed decisions. This position will be responsible for the development of financial analysis and reporting to assist senior leadership, including the Officers and the Yale Corporation Finance Committee, in monitoring the key financial risk areas of the University. This position will be responsible for monitoring activity on the analytical dashboards to identify outliers, trends or other anomalies and designing procedures to investigate based on such findings. This position will also lead the implementation of new internal control monitoring strategies, potentially incorporating artificial intelligence. Position manages a QA coordinator who will be responsible for executing on procedures as a result of monitoring analytical dashboards. Position is also responsible for communicating and escalating results as necessary including reinforcing training opportunities and referring results of work to other departments.

Required Skills and Abilities

1. Demonstrates exceptional analytical capability-able to synthesize information into clear insights; identify patterns, drivers, and root causes; and translate data into well-reasoned recommendations.
2. Comprehensive knowledge of financial and internal control concepts, analysis integrating multiple pieces of financial information to identify themes, trends, and issues with the ability to develop response plans and manage execution of that plan.
3. Experience in analyzing internal control objectives and procedures related to significant financial processes.
4. Demonstrated ability to assess and identify risks within a process and determine impact to financial statements. Demonstrated ability to design and help implement effective processes or controls responsive to identified risks.
5. Experience in designing and executing procedures to investigate potential areas of risk within an organization.

Preferred Skills and Abilities

1. A proven capability to handle multiple priorities, with the ability to delegate responsibility and to ensure timely follow through with implementation
2. Excellent written and verbal communication skills and detail oriented.
3. Exceptional analytical and problem-solving abilities and experience with electronic management and data analytic tools.
4. Extensive proven knowledge of common business software applications (spreadsheet and database).

Preferred Education & Experience

Demonstrated application of financial, accounting, risk assessment and internal control concepts.

Principal Responsibilities

1. Financial modeling, forecasting and internal controls: Organizes information from a variety of sources to establish data banks for use in analyzing, enhancing or developing internal controls and creating future enhancements. Guides and collaborates with all levels of management, centrally and within business units, to gather, analyze, summarize, prepare, and present recommendations regarding financial internal control plans, trended future requirements, and/or similar complex financial matters. Researches and evaluates information to resolve issues and/or influence decisions. Conceptualizes, develops and executes multi-variable complex financial internal control.
2. Financial methods and systems:  Influences, plans, and designs methods to improve practices, processes and systems.  Leads and partners with all levels of internal and external contacts to execute departmental and/or institutional level goals. Provides a high level of service that cultivates and maintains strong working relationships and effectively communicates information; takes ownership and accountability for timeliness, accuracy and relationship management. Implement and manage a data analytics program to support financial quality assurance. Primarily responsible for outreach to the University business units, to provide guidance on internal and operational financial controls.
3. Strategic Resource:  Translates department internal control finance strategies into goals. Anticipates, identifies, and raises potential financial opportunities, issues, risks, ideas and solutions. Employs judgment and expertise in identifying the appropriate stakeholders to include in consultations, communications, approvals or buy-ins for designing and implementing changes.
4. Financial Analysis and Reporting:  Analyzes and synthesizes information and designs and creates accurate and timely internal control reports. Designs internal financial control reporting to meet the compliance needs of internal and external users. Extracts and consolidates data from multiple sources. Prepare, analyze and review internal control reports and procedures and performing data analytics over key financial compliance areas.
5. Compliance and risk management:  Establishes, implements and/or maintains strong internal controls in areas of assigned responsibility to provide reasonable assurance of effective and appropriate resources use, accurate financial information, and adherence to contractual obligations and agreements, policies, procedures, and external regulatory requirements. Recommends implementing policy and procedure changes as appropriate.
6. Supervise staff as necessary providing the outreach, training and corrective efforts.
7. Provides expertise and support to leadership.
8. Provides a high level of service that cultivates and maintains strong working relationships and effectively communicates information; takes ownership and accountability for timeliness, accuracy and relationship management.
9. Perform other miscellaneous financial compliance duties, analyses and special projects as assigned.

Required Education and Experience

Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Business, Economics or Finance.  Six years of related experience or an equivalent combination of advanced education and experience.