Title:                      Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer

Department:          Accounting & Finance

FSLA Status:          Exempt

Reports to:            President/CEO

Summary

The Chief Financial Officer and Treasurer (CFO) is responsible for ensuring the financial sustainability and integrity of WEA Member Benefits (Member Benefits) and its related entities, including the WEA Tax Sheltered Annuity Trust (TSA), WEA Investment Services, Inc. (WEA IS), WEA Member Benefit Trust (WMBT), WEA Financial Advisors, Inc. (WEA FA), WEA Property & Casualty Insurance Company (P&C), and WEA Member Benefit Foundation (the Foundation).  The CFO serves as a member of the executive staff and as such, is expected to attend meetings of the Board of Trustees and related functions.

Objectives 

30% Promote the long-term financial success of Member Benefits as follows:

• Recommend, implement, and direct an ongoing process for the maintenance of a long-term financial program for Member Benefits, in accordance with the investment and financial policies and goals set by the Board and the President/CEO.

• Prepare financial objectives, the annual budget, and the financial plan.

• Manage cash flow and liquidity to maximize funds available for investment while maintaining adequate liquidity to meet obligations promptly.

• Manage the investment of reserves, surplus, and short-term cash deposits.

• Recommend, implement, and manage a competitive employee compensation and benefits package.

• Plan and manage assets strategically for effective business development and member growth and retention objectives; maintain sufficient reserves and surplus to meet the short- and long-term obligations of the enterprise, satisfy all regulatory requirements, and permit significant growth.

• Serve as a fiduciary member of the Retirement and Investment Services investment committees.
• Systematically assess and manage risks to the enterprise.

20% Ensure management has sufficient information to make sound financial decisions as follows:

• Prepare or review, generate, finalize, and distribute financial reports, monthly financial statements, and ledgers and journals for P&C, TSA, WMBT, WEA FA, WEA IS, and the Foundation.

• Assure financial records are accurate and compliant with regulatory reporting requirements.

• Verify fixed assets are properly approved and recorded.

• Analyze the expense structure and activities of all entities to make an accurate allocation of the shared expenses among all organizations.

• Design and implement accounting and financial reporting systems for new agreements, contracts, products, and services.

• Establish and administer accounting systems, policies, and procedures in accordance with generally accepted accounting practices, associated regulatory requirements, and objectives for Member Benefits financial relationship with customers and vendors.

10% Ensure Member Benefits compliance with applicable regulatory reporting requirements as follows:

• Monitor, research, and interpret all changes as they apply to financial reporting requirements that may affect Member Benefits. 

• Develop processes to capture and report needed information to regulatory agencies. 

• Prepare and submit annual, quarterly, and other financial statements required by the Financial Industry Regulatory Authority (FINRA). 

• Prepare and submit the annual Form 990 and all other regulatory filings required by the IRS and the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions to maintain the charitable organization status of the Foundation.

• Serve as a fiduciary member of the retirement plan committee and oversee the administration of Member Benefits’ 401(k) retirement plan in conjunction with payroll. 

• Assure the accurate filing of the P&C quarterly and annual statements with the Officer of the Commissioner of Insurance (OCI) and the various income tax, payroll tax, and informational tax filings for the six entities.

10% Oversee Member Benefits efficient use of external professional services as follows:

• Maintain the organization’s relationship with the external auditors retained to audit the accounting procedures and records with respect to the TSA, WEA IS, WEA FA, WMBT P&C, and the Foundation and oversee the preparation of all requested work papers relating to the audits.

• Work with the outside recordkeepers of both the TSA and IRA programs as well as Member Benefits’ employee retirement plans.

• Work with the P&C Company’s investment managers, actuaries, reinsurers, and outside payroll provider.

25% Provide competent, effective management^[1] and development of three exempt and two nonexempt employees who:

• Are responsible for the general accounting, financial reports and filings, and the tax and regulatory filings of all Member Benefits entities.

• Are responsible for compliance with appropriate regulatory financial requirements, such as FINRA, the OCI, and the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

• Are responsible for processing P&C premiums and all other miscellaneous cash receipts of the various Member Benefits entities.

• Are responsible for processing and maintaining accounts payable for the various Member Benefits entities, including compliance with all use tax and 1099 reporting requirements.

• Are responsible for the accuracy and timeliness of all payroll functions, including compliance with the payroll tax requirements of the IRS and the state of Wisconsin, and payroll-related employee benefits administration.

5% Lead and participate in special projects assigned by the President.

^[1]  Effective supervision is defined in the attached Paradigm of Supervision.

Qualifications required for appointment

To be considered for this position, the applicant must demonstrate the following:

• Commitment to excellence in customer service and other Member Benefits values.

• Bachelor’s degree in accounting, business, finance, or related degree and an interest in pursuing additional education in accounting and financial management.

• CPA designation.

• Effective leadership and supervision that results in achievement of desired goals, including collaboration and team building; establishment and implementation of ambitious yet achievable objectives, standards, and project work plans; frequent assessment of individual and group performance and continuous feedback communication; and development of staff’s leadership and management capabilities.

• Experience in accounting (both GAAP and SAP) and financial management with responsibility for ongoing account balancing or reconciliation.

• Experience in selecting, measuring, and monitoring investment manager performance.

• Excellent written communication skills, including the ability to compose clear, concise, and persuasive correspondence and narrative reports to both internal and external audiences that communicate messages consistent with Member Benefits policies using appropriate tone, grammar, and word usage.

• Excellent verbal communication skills, including the ability to effectively and persuasively communicate with individuals and groups and to listen effectively.

• Ability to identify problems, research and analyze issues from different perspectives, organize information, reach sound conclusions, and make appropriate decisions.

• Ability to effectively utilize personal computer software necessary to perform job duties.

• Ability to independently establish, monitor, and achieve work goals.

• Excellent organizational skills, including the ability to effectively and competently handle multiple priorities simultaneously and the flexibility and ability to quickly adapt to changes.

• Flexibility to work the number and schedule of hours needed to accomplish regular and ad hoc job responsibilities.

• Excellent performance in present and past positions.

Preferred qualifications

The following qualifications are preferred for appointment to the position:

• Current FINRA Series 7, 24, 27, and 63 security licenses.

Qualifications required for successful performance

For successful performance, the incumbent must demonstrate the following:

• Current FINRA Series 27 and 63 security licenses if not possessed upon appointment.

• Understanding of the mission and the political context of the work of Member Benefits.

• Ability to improve effectiveness and efficiency within the domain of the incumbent’s assigned responsibilities.

• Commitment to continued learning in all areas relevant to the responsibilities of this position.

• Excellent performance in all the foregoing assigned duties.

Physical Demands and Work Environment

These physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job.  Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable an individual with disabilities to perform the essential job responsibilities.

• Work is primarily performed in an office environment with minimal exposure to injury.
• Must be able to lift and move up to 25 pounds.
• Ongoing daily use of computers and telephone.
• Walk, sit, stand, bend, climb, and use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop; talk; hear; read; count; and write.
• Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, peripheral vision, depth perception, and the ability to focus.
• Must be able to work with frequent interruption.
• Low to moderate noise level.

To Apply

To apply for this position, please send your cover letter and resume as well as the completed employee application to apply@weabenefits.com.

• Employee application (Word doc)
• Employee application (PDF)

Print, sign, and scan your application document and attach it to the email with your resume. OR mail your employee application separately to:

The Employer Group
c/o Mike Beringer
1000 Solar Ct.
Verona, WI 53593

EFFECTIVE SUPERVISION: A PARADIGM

OBJECTIVE

The objective of supervision is to achieve the quantitative and qualitative goals assigned to the supervised work group.

EFFECTIVE SUPERVISION REQUIRES:

• Knowing the work assigned to the group and understanding its purpose with respect to the organization’s objectives.

• Knowing organizational and departmental policies and procedures.

TO SUPERVISE IS TO DO THESE THINGS WELL:

• Plan work assignments and communicate them effectively to all employees to maximize both work results and their satisfaction.

• Observe and listen to employees in order to be continuously aware of their skills, achievements, attitudes, work plans, limitations, and needs.

• Solve problems that impair the work performance of the group or any of its individuals.

• Eliminate all expenditures of time, energy, and money that are nonproductive with respect to Member Benefits and its mission.

• Communicate with each employee as often as necessary to ensure continuous awareness of the adequacy of performance.

• Guide employees correctly in both their performance and their relationship to the organization.