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Job Summary

The Senior Financial Partner - Financial Planning and Forecasting is responsible for the consolidation of CN's Operating forecast, operating performance to C-suite, and other Executives as well as preparation of various Board presentations. The role acts as a key liaison between the functional financial partners and the Financial Planning Forecasting team as well as the Vice-President (VP) Financial Planning and CFO. The incumbent prepares financial scorecards which are sent to the Executive Committee to inform and drive change through financial information. The role fosters a culture of cost consciousness, control, simplification, and continuous improvement. The position supports the C-suite and Executive leadership team with key financial insights and operational analytics. The incumbent identifies and addresses deviations from the plan, enabling immediate action when needed and promotes behavioural change.

Main Responsibilities

Consolidated Results and Financial Information Dissemination

Prepare monthly consolidated financial scorecards, which are issued to the Executive Committee and act as liaison with financial partners representing various functions

Prepares the "CFO Report" presentation for the Audit Committee of the Board and related CFO supporting package, which highlights the expected balance of annual financial performance

Produce weekly "Flash" Income statement view of CN consolidated performance, directly distributing to CFO

Provide Financial Planning leadership team with insights concerning corporate financial performance, establishing causal links between business behavior and financial outcomes

Ascertain revenue tracking versus preview and communicate to CFO and Marketing team

Provide support in advance of monthly CFO meeting to discuss consolidated earnings variances of results versus preview

Manage the consolidation of the monthly Year End Outlook (YEO) with variance analysis versus prior submission

Support the Investor Relations and Strategy teams with ad hoc requests

Budget and forecast the bonus accrual and related Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) control

Provide CFO andVP Financial Planning with Board and C-suite-related matters

Manage time sensitive Board level material production, often juggling other deliverables at the same time

Review, streamline, improve and automate deliverables and processes to make them relevant and meaningful to the audience

Ad Hoc Analyses

Perform ad hoc analyses supporting the C-suite including Chief Executive Officer (CEO), CFO as well as VP Financial Planning and the leadership team as required

Leverage an understanding of CN business, correlation of operating Key Performers Indicators (KPIs) and financial information, Financial Planning data systems and available time to create analysis on underlying subject matter

Provide visibility on controllable and actionable cost levers, trend analysis, and performance to enable CN leadership team in effective decision-making

Highlight impact of non-controllable macro variables including foreign exchange, fuel prices as well as lag impact and retailer gap analysis to show financial results on actual, adjusted and neutral basis

Identify gaps and provide recommendations to strategically enhance financial performance and business opportunities including issuing financial solutions

Ensure dashboard KPIs are dynamic, appropriate, and that management actions result from analysis through translating management information into recommendations

Respond to ad hoc executive requests, and leverage judgment and skills by providing insights with either a rapid, logic-based analysis or a deeper, more thorough approach

Financial Partner, HQ Common, Interest Expense and Other Income

Develop, implement, and maintain comprehensive financial forecasts for HQ Common, Interest Expense, and Other Income

Provide informed estimates for use in the financial scorecard and 3-year Financial Plan

Direct and translate corporate business plan into operating expense budgets and ensure buy-in by key stakeholders on budgets

Direct and validate preparation and distribution of monthly and quarterly reports on expenditures and KPIs, including various analyses as required

Monitor, analyze and explain monthly operating results against budget

Oversee the preparation and distribution of financial reports

Spearhead the preparation of financial outlooks and financial forecasts

Control changes and transfers within operating budgets

Drill down on unexpected variances to provide explanations to key stakeholders and establish corrective actions through dialogue with senior management

Ensure stakeholder buy-in, including VP Treasury, VP Accounting and their delegates on previews and budgets concerning key elements and assumptions

Advise and inform the senior management team on the merits and risks associated with the forecast and keep Financial Planning abreast of changes to the YEO

Working Conditions

The role is performed in a combination of office and work-from-home environment with a regular workweek from Monday to Friday. The role may require being available outside these hours in certain circumstances. Due to the nature of the role, the incumbent must be able to meet tight deadlines, handle pressure, and stress.

Requirements
Experience

Financial and Accounting

Between 5 to 7 years of experience in financial or accounting roles

o Experience with systems, Board material preparation, ad hoc financial analysis

o Experience building financial data models to extract, condense and analyse various financial items

o Demonstrated excellence in analytical experience relating to CN

Education/Certification/Designation

Bachelor's Degree in Commerce

Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or other professional Accounting Degree

Master of Business Administration (MBA)

Any designation for these above would be considered as an asset

Competencies

Shows initiative and empowers others to raise CN's collective game

Shares timely information within and across functions to get things done effectively

Makes informed and timely decisions to get things done with good, clear and concise rationale

Influences by translating expertise into practical business outcomes

Is agile in responding to the rapidly evolution of the industry and technology

Collaborates with others

Deals with pressure and change by staying calm to quickly adapt to changes

Strong time management and prioritization skills

Ability to self-review and ensure thorough accuracy of final product without sacrificing speed of execution and delivery

Ability to challenge people across the organization in terms of provided variance explanations, causal relationships, and scale of impact

Applies analytical thinking to make recommendations in a concise, summarized format for executive consumption that support sustainable performance and support CN's strategic agenda

Fluently bilingual both written and verbal (English, French)

Any skills/attributes for these above would be considered as an asset

Technical Skills/Knowledge

Advanced knowledge of Microsoft Suite (Excel, PowerPoint, Word)

Continuously learn and investigate financial outlook evolution to the root cause

knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting and cost control principles including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and regulations

Knowledge of rail transportation and logistics industry

Knowledge of CN's financial and accounting reporting system

Knowledge of relevant systems such as Systems Applications and Products (SAP), Essbase and Business Warehouse (BW)

Knowledge of Accounting, Auditing and Financial Planning concepts and processes

About CN

CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canada's Eastern and Western coasts with the Southern tip of the U.S. through a 19,500 mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship. At CN, we work as ONE TEAM, focused on safety, sustainability and our customers, providing operational and supply chain excellence to deliver results.