VP, Operational Accounting Leader
About the role
Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd. (Fortitude Re) is one of the world’s leading providers of legacy reinsurance solutions, working with leading insurance companies to execute transformational solutions for legacy Life & Annuity and P&C lines. The company manages a general account of approximately $111 billion across life, annuity, and property & casualty insurance products and is backed by a consortium of institutional investors led by The Carlyle Group and T&D Insurance Group. Fortitude Re’s leadership team has an average industry tenure of over 20 years and a track record of managing complex legacy liabilities.
The Vice President, Operational Accounting Lead plays a key leadership role in ensuring the accuracy, integrity, and timeliness of cash, debt and expense general ledger balances and related accounting across all legal entities and reporting bases. The position involves strategic implementations, AI-enabled process improvements, internal control design and maintenance, and leading a team of accountants. The role reports to the Insurance & Group Controller.
Responsibilities
- Maintain and/or refine the general ledger structure and chart of accounts in collaboration with Strategic Projects Lead, legal entity accounting, consolidation, and intercompany processes, ensuring adherence to GAAP, STAT, SFS, EBS and internal methodologies.
- Oversee FX translations, cash flow statement, and related-party accounting.
- Oversee the development and maintenance of the account hierarchy and ensure internal policy-aligned journal entry execution.
- Prepare SUM and support the SAB 99 process in coordination with Financial Reporting and Financial Controls.
- Develop and maintain robust control procedures, including reconciliations, and drive execution of reconciliations and related controls.
- Support evolving business needs (e.g., new transactions, debt issuances) with timely, accurate and high-quality financial reports.
- Oversee all operational accounting activities including R2R, A/P, A/R, T&E, TPA (including communication of results), corporate expenses, debt, and cash across all legal entities and reporting bases.
- Manage quarterly ledger feeds, new account setups, and ensure accurate legal entity allocations.
- Lead the development and submission of relevant Sidecar accounting packages.
- Monitor and ensure alignment with accounting policies across all operational entries.
- Drive robust execution of reconciliations (including suspense) and other related controls over cash, vendors, and intercompany processes.
- Coordinate related approvals and work with Treasury to settle intercompany balances monthly.
- Identify opportunities to streamline, automate, and standardize operational processes across all legal entities and reporting bases.
- Monitor Prudential and Heritage ledger feed execution and new account setup processes.
- Partner with internal stakeholders to evaluate and implement financial systems and technologies, including AI, to improve efficiency and accuracy.
- Drive standardization and documentation of processes to ensure consistency and compliance.
- Partner with internal and external stakeholders to ensure transparency and audit readiness.
- Lead and mentor a team of accounting professionals, providing guidance, mentorship, and fostering a collaborative, results-oriented culture.
- Promote a culture of continuous improvement, automation, and accountability.
Requirements
- Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field; CPA or CA preferred.
- 10+ years of progressive financial management (public accounting preferred) experience, with at least 5 years in a leadership role.
- Thorough knowledge of Life & Annuity (re)insurance industry accounting principles, financial reporting standards, and regulatory compliance.
- Strong knowledge of US GAAP/US STAT/SFS and EBS accounting rules and requirements.
Qualifications
- Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills.
- Proficiency in financial software, ERP systems (e.g., SAP, Workday) and AI tools (e.g., Foundry, Claude).
- Strategic thinking and problem-solving abilities.
- High level of integrity and dependability.
- Strong analytical skills with the ability to interpret complex financial data and attention to detail.
- Ability to manage multiple priorities and meet tight deadlines.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills with the ability to influence senior leadership.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Office Suite, particularly Excel and PowerPoint.
- Strong process and control orientation, with experience in audits, walkthroughs, and control enhancement.
- External vendor oversight.
- Proven change agent with automation, AI and systems implementation experience preferred.
Pay
The base salary range for this role is $185,000 USD – $200,000 USD, commensurate with candidate experience. Pay ranges may differ based on the cost of labor in the location. All employees are eligible for an annual bonus based on company and individual performance as well as a generous benefits package.