Sr. Accounting & Finance Development Program Associate

Unum Group•Chattanooga, TN

About The Position

When you join the team at Unum, you become part of an organization committed to helping you thrive. Here, we work to provide the employee benefits and service solutions that enable employees at our client companies to thrive throughout life’s moments. And this starts with ensuring that every one of our team members enjoys opportunities to succeed both professionally and personally. To enable this, we provide: Award-winning culture Inclusion and diversity as a priority Performance Based Incentive Plans Competitive benefits package that includes: Health, Vision, Dental, Short & Long-Term Disability Generous PTO (including paid time to volunteer!) Up to 9.5% 401(k) employer contribution Mental health support Career advancement opportunities Student loan repayment options Tuition reimbursement Flexible work environments All the benefits listed above are subject to the terms of their individual Plans . And that’s just the beginning… With 10,000 employees helping more than 39 million people worldwide, every role at Unum is meaningful and impacts the lives of our customers. Whether you’re directly supporting a growing family, or developing online tools to help navigate a difficult loss, customers are counting on the combined talents of our entire team. Help us help others, and join Team Unum today! General Summary: The Accounting and Finance Development Program provides Associates with high visibility within the Finance organization, as well as numerous opportunities to develop their career. The objective of the program is to develop and grow the Associate’s financial and business acumen, as well as the leadership skills necessary to prepare them for a Director role in the Finance organization upon successful completion of the Program. Features of the Program Job Rotations The program consists of 3-4 cross functional job rotations within the Finance organization, and occasionally in other business units. Job rotation assignments may vary from 12-24 months depending on the role, complexity, and business needs. Finance rotations may include, but are not limited to, Accounting, Financial & Regulatory Reporting, Planning, Risk, Tax, Internal Audit and Corporate Finance. Participants will be rigorously assessed after each cross functional rotation before moving onto the next phase of the program. Learning and Development This program includes a training and development component that occurs throughout the program. The training is focused on growing your business acumen, financial acumen, and leadership skills. Participants will be assigned a leadership mentor for the duration of the program to support them in their individual professional growth through personalized development plans. Also, as an integral part of this Program, Associates will be expected to assume an active role in managing important aspects of the business related to their specific rotational assignment Certification Support Associates are required to pursue and complete a relevant Accounting or Finance credential (CPA, CFA) prior to finishing the program. To support Associates on their credential path, the Accounting and Finance Development Program provides the Associates with paid study hours, exam materials, and exam registration fees.

Requirements

Bachelors degree in Accounting, Finance or other equivalent relevant specialty with minimum GPA requirement 3.0
Must be CPA eligible and have passed at least 1 part of the CPA or have passed Level 1 of the CFA exam
2 to 4+ years of accounting experience or equivalent relevant work experience.
Proven intent to pursue and achieve relevant Finance credential (CPA, CFA)
Ability to link understanding of business processes, business drivers, and changes to other areas and financial results and trends
Strong understanding of the components of multiple financial statements and how they interact with one another
Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to lead and navigate change
Excellent communication, presentation, and negotiation skills; adept at handling group dynamics
Highly motivated individual that is able to take independent actions to solve business issues with limited direction from managers
Ability to prioritize work while working on multiple projects keeping track of and meeting due dates
Intermediate Excel Skills. Proficient in Word and PowerPoint

Nice To Haves

General ledger systems and reporting tools experience preferred
Meet the standards for this position, as defined in the Talent Management framework
We seek highly motivated individuals with the intellectual curiosity to keep up with the fast pace, ever changing accounting environment.
Our associates are inclusive leaders who are change agents in the work they do.
They are self-starting individuals who enjoy collaboration, deliver innovative results, and possess effective communication skills.

Responsibilities

Successfully complete 3-4 rotations (previous work experience prior to Unum may count as a rotation) as in various parts of the Finance organization and broader business units; outstanding work performance while in the assigned roles; demonstrated ability to work collaboratively and effectively with others; self-directed in completing high quality work within established timelines. Work locations may include Chattanooga TN, Portland ME, Columbia SC, and Worcester MA. It’s strongly encouraged that Associate’s experience rotations on two campuses.
Demonstrate commitment to career development and growing financial acumen by pursuing and achieving a relevant Finance credential (CPA, CFA).
Participate in regular monthly/quarterly financial cycle.
Prepare meaningful and complex financial reports for designated area.
Demonstrate strong understanding of analysis by applying knowledge, anticipating issues, and demonstrating ownership of assigned tasks or processes. Leverage the analysis to make business recommendations.
Continuous assessment of established training and work processes to identify and drive effectiveness and efficiency improvements. Contributes to operating effectiveness through information sharing, suggested process improvements and effective implementation of change.
Maintain a strong and specialized working knowledge in assigned tasks and analysis of Unum’s products, services and business processes including, his/her specific business area, the issues and technical skills required to support the area.
Communicate issues identified, proactively recommend the most appropriate/effective resolutions and present effectively to management and officers
Work on and/or lead special projects that require research and analysis. May involve partnering with other business areas to identify and resolve issues
Serve as informal leader/mentor to more junior level peers.

Benefits

Award-winning culture
Inclusion and diversity as a priority
Performance Based Incentive Plans
Competitive benefits package that includes: Health, Vision, Dental, Short & Long-Term Disability
Generous PTO (including paid time to volunteer!)
Up to 9.5% 401(k) employer contribution
Mental health support
Career advancement opportunities
Student loan repayment options
Tuition reimbursement
Flexible work environments