Associate Finance Business Partner

The Associate Finance Business Partner works with the Finance Business Partner in providing financial support to the assigned cluster. This includes providing financial advice in order to help ensure that the cluster achieves its operational and strategic goals in a financially responsible manner.
**Major Responsibilities**:
Provide financial support to the assigned cluster by:
1. On a monthly basis, complete the cluster’s admin expense & headcount variance commentary to submit to the Financial Planning group to be rolled up in the monthly and quarterly management report to senior management. Communicate and help resolve any issues with Finance Business Partner and divisional management.
- Review divisional admin expense variance analysis submitted by the business. Perform analysis (system queries, reasonability analysis/calculations, journal entry analysis, follow-up questions, etc.) to ensure commentary is accurate and complete. Make changes to commentary as required based on analysis performed and communicate results to the business when complete.
- Perform cluster headcount analysis and commentary by comparing actual headcount to budget and prior year for each division by identifying variances and communicating with the business to determine and document the reason.
- Prepare cluster level commentary for admin expense, Review commentaries with Finance Business Partner and make changes as necessary.
- Help present cluster financial results to senior finance management.
- Identify any issues and help resolve any problems with the Finance Business Partner and divisional management

2. On a quarterly basis, provide hands-on assistance to the business in completing their quarterly divisional forecasts and provide commentary to the cluster’s overall forecast. While assisting in the forecasting process, identify and help resolve any issues with the Finance Business Partner and divisional management.
- Prepare templates and support materials for the business.
- Train and educate the business on forecasting materials to ensure they have a proper understanding.
- Drive the process to quantify forecasted headcount, salaries and non-salary expenditures. Enter forecast into budget system for Q1 and Q3 forecasts.
- Perform independent review and analysis of each division’s completed forecast templates (ensure consistency across WSIB; ensure assumptions are reasonable) and suggest changes where applicable.
- Roll up the template’s output into the proper account format for WSIB reporting.
- Review division’s forecast report with senior divisional management if necessary
- Complete a draft commentary of the cluster’s _forecasted_ admin expense & head count variance commentary to the Financial Planning group to be rolled up in the monthly and quarterly management report to senior management.
- Review commentary and forecasts with the Finance Business Partner and make changes as necessary. Help present cluster forecast to senior finance management.
- Identify any issues and help resolve any problems with the Finance Business Partner and divisional management

3. On an annual basis, help complete a draft commentary of the cluster’s administrative expense and head-count _budget_ to submit to the Financial Planning group to be rolled up in the budget report to senior management. Identify and help resolve any issues with the Finance Business Partner and divisional management.
- Assist divisions in developing an annual plan and budget and help ensure that budget assumptions are reasonable.
- Identify any issues and help resolve any problems with the Finance Business Partner and divisional management
- Roll up cluster budget commentary for headcount and administrative expenses

4. On an ongoing basis, provide direction and assistance to the business with the development of business cases:

- Review cost & benefit assumptions for project (ensure consistency across WSIB, challenge project manager where assumptions may be biased, ensure reasonability)
- Quantify expected costs & benefits for project
- Provide business recommendations to project team (identify unrecognized opportunities & risks, consider alignment with WSIB-wide strategy, help predict senior management’s questions/concerns)
- Assist the project manager with ad hoc financial issues as they arise during the course of the project.

5. On an ongoing basis, help identify process improvement opportunities and/or assist in the creation of new processes & tools. Examples in the past have included Monthly accruals training materials & training, Headcount tracking & salary variance tools for the business, and Finance Project Close-out Process & Check-list for PMO.
6. On an ongoing basis, perform ad-hoc requests as assigned or requested by the business, including coordinating system/cost center changes required due to reorganization, creation of cost center/set up budget for approved project fund releases, process documentation, and investigation/research on a