Real Estate Transformation Lead Finance Analyst - GL Integration & 3rd Party Management

Job Description Summary

Wells Fargo recently outsourced most of the Corporate Real Estate functions. The Corporate Real Estate Finance Team needs to re-build major components of the finance process to support the transformation and integrate information from third parties as we migrate to a principal model with external Real Estate Management firms.

This is a business aligned finance role focused on segmenting Real Estate expense and reporting by business function (Retail, Office, Data Center, Other), ensuring proper roll-up of cost from the Real Estate sub-ledger into the corporate general ledger to enable efficient segment reporting, and modification of general ledger or financial hierarchy to integrate third party information into the financial reporting process. FAST (Wells Fargo's internal Financial Forecasting System) will be used for reporting of actuals, forecast and budget variance. Segmentation needs to align with and support analysis of strategic decisions (for example: op-ex costs associated with downsizing the Real Estate footprint, renovation of office space, changes in the bank branch network location or configuration).

About this role:

• Today's Real Estate segment reporting is done manually by rolling up information at the building level to create a P&L for each segment. It does not cleanly align to the various ways lines of business want to see the data. Determine how to organize and segment general ledger lines in a way that enables us to use FAST (internal Wells Fargo financial forecasting system) to report actual vs. budget and actual vs. forecast results at the segment level to business groups and enterprise functions

• Modify the financial hierarchy structure in FAST to create the segments by establishing new organization units and roll-up points. Map accounting units to the new organizational units and address any indirect allocation driver changes if there are any expenses that are not pushed out through direct expense occupancy allocations

• Partner with accounting to Implement general ledger changes required to support 3rd party outsourced activity. Establish reporting and tracking of financial information from 3rd parties such as number of employees, cost of activities performed by them, service level agreements for financial requirements, and ensure it aligns to what was agreed upon contractually

• Define requirements for segmentation of Real Estate financial reporting and integration of third-party data
• Implement changes in the financial hierarchy
• Create new Real Estate P&L reporting by segment
• Develop concise executive presentations and interact with business and finance teams in those segments to explain variances to budget and forecast
• Streamline and automate processes to reduce delivery time and improve controls
• Creatively solve problems and find ways to move forward when the path is not clear or obstacles emerge
• Collaborate with cross-functional groups (Accounting, Technology, Data Management, Corporate Finance) to achieve outcomes

• 5+ years of Finance experience, or equivalent demonstrated through one or a combination of the following: work experience, training, military experience, education

• 5+ years hands-on experience in Corporate Real Estate Finance
• 5+ years hands-on lease accounting experience - conversion from cash to P&L basis, long-term forecasting linked to critical assumptions and drivers, deep knowledge of the property construction, management, and lease administration process, understanding of specialized accounting treatment for rent smoothing, and other items required to correctly model cash flows in each of these areas
• 5+ years experience modeling balance sheet and income statements in the Real Estate space, including cash flow projections for capitalized assets over their depreciable life consistent with accounting rules. Experience building assumption-based scenario analysis to project a range of outcomes and to communicate the implications in a simple way to executive leadership.

• Strong collaborator, communicator, organizer and leader adept at defining requirements and outcomes, obtaining buy-in from executive leaders, guiding cross-functional resources to achieve desired outcomes, and providing regular status reports to stakeholders to socialize progress
• Expert problem solver with proven track record of driving results on tight timelines - create accountability for delivery of outcomes, apply critical thinking to resolve blockers and optimize execution, guide team through ambiguity and create clarity if it does not exist so that project goals are understood and remain aligned to desired outcomes
• Prior experience consulting, influencing, and partnering with senior business leaders
• Ability to exercise independent judgment and work within a team to identify/resolve problems
• Proven track record of driving transformation initiatives and automating processes in a disciplined and controlled manner and complying with change management principles

• Health benefits
• 401(k) Plan
• Paid time off
• Disability benefits
• Life insurance, critical illness insurance, and accident insurance
• Parental leave
• Critical caregiving leave
• Discounts and savings
• Commuter benefits
• Tuition reimbursement
• Scholarships for dependent children
• Adoption reimbursement