Manager Financial & Strategic Planning-CA

Job Summary

The incumbent is responsible for developing, updating and communicating forecasted financial statements, producing entity-level splits of forecast for Taxation, and determining actual and expected Return on Investments (ROIs). The position maintains and enhances multi-year business plan models and collaborates cross-functionally. The incumbent facilitates discussions with senior leaders including the Vice-President (VP) Financial Planning (FP), Vice-President Treasury, Assistant Vice-President (AVP), Investor Relations, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Main Responsibilities

Develop Financials for Business Plan

• Develop consolidated income statements, balance sheets and cash flow statements including incorporate operating, investing, financing, and shareholder return plans and targets
• Craft key deliverables of the business plan, including annual management bonus targets and long-term incentive plan (LTIP) targets
• Ensure the Financial Model has capability to incorporate purchase of companies (e.g., asset or equity) into the Plan
  
  

Forecasting and Strategic Analysis

• Ensure the consolidated United States (U.S.) Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) income and selected cash flow items are split among the different tax jurisdictions on a legal entity basis
• Carry out projections for various U.S. subsidiaries and consolidation levels in support of internal financing and tax planning
• Act as expert on CN's Profit and Loss (PandL), including revenues, operating expenses, net income, operating ratio, and Earnings per Share (EPS) and execute ad hoc analyses
• Produce the external financial guidance summary including key assumptions to be disclosed in the Management Discussion and Analysis (MDandA), as well as supporting documentation
  
  

Free Cash Flow Budget, Forecasting and Monitoring

• Update Year End Outlook (YEO) monthly
• Review explanations of variances to expectations and prior year and propose corrective action if needed
• Liaise with Treasury to ensure consistency of forecasts
  
  

Process Improvement

• Create insightful ad hoc reports and dashboards supporting CN's goals
• Leverage technology and competitive insight for continuous improvement with the creation of enhanced forecasting tools, process designs, and data visualizations
• Review, streamline and automate deliverables and processes to make them relevant and meaningful to the audience
• Validate information and improve quality to remain relevant and add value
• Ensure reports are timely and information is accurate and intact
  
  

Determine Expected and Actual ROIs

• Determine expected and actual targets in relation to annual bonus and Performance Share Units (PSU) incentive plans
• Update outlook quarterly to permit proper accruals
• Adjust ROIs for Accumulated Other Comprehensive Income (AOCI), one-time charges for tax enactments, and accounting changes
• Ensure adjustments reflect Pension adjustments and other items beyond the control of management
  
  

Working Conditions

The role has standard working conditions in an office environment with a regular workweek from Monday to Friday and is eligible to participate in CN's hybrid work model. The role may be required to be on call outside of regular working hours. The role involves managing priorities and delivering work within established timelines, with support from the team to ensure sustainable and effective workload management.

Experience

Finance and Accounting

• Minimum of 7 - 10 years in a finance or accounting role
• Experience in modelling
• Experience with systems, Board material preparation, ad hoc financial analysis
• Experience building financial data models to extract, condense and analyze various financial items
• Demonstrated excellence in analytical experience relating to CN
• Candidates with an equivalent combination of education, training, and experience will be considered.
  
  

Education/Certification/Designation

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration/Commerce
• Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA)
• Master Degree in Business Administration (MBA)*
• Candidates with equivalent practical experience, education, or training will be considered.
• Any requirement marked with (*) will be considered an asset (not mandatory).
  
  

Competencies

• We Care About Each Other
• We Strive for Excellence
• We Succeed Together
• We Lead Responsibly
• Business acumen
• Financial acumen
• Depth of analysis
• Prioritization
• Planning
  
  

Technical Skills/Knowledge

• Knowledge of financial statements and the linkages between them
• Knowledge of finance, accounting, budgeting and cost control principles including Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) and regulations
• Knowledge of modelling and advanced Excel skills
• Knowledge of relevant systems such as Systems Applications and Products (SAP), Essbase and Business Warehouse (BW), Power Business Intelligence (BI), Tableau*
• Any requirement marked with (*) will be considered an asset (not mandatory).