Financial Analyst Python Freelance Jobs in Waukee, IA

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Purpose:

The VP of Actuarial Modeling will lead the design, execution, and governance of Athene's actuarial model production processes supporting quarterly and monthly closes across GAAP and Statutory financial reporting. Reporting to the Vice President of Corporate Actuarial Modeling, this role is responsible for ensuring timely, controlled, and auditable model runs that feed financial reporting, risk metrics, and business planning cycles. The role requires deep operational expertise in actuarial production environments combined with the ability to partner across Actuarial IT, Financial Reporting, FP&A, External Audit, and actuarial leadership to continuously improve production infrastructure and controls.

Accountabilities:

Production Leadership & Process Execution

• Own end-to-end model production for quarterly and monthly closes for GAAP and Statutory financial reporting.
• Oversee and maintain the production schedule across all reporting workstreams, including Risk Metrics, CFT, EBS, FP&A, and financial close processes.
• Drive execution discipline, ensuring model runs are completed on time, with full traceability and auditability.
• Serve as the primary escalation point for production issues, coordinating rapid resolution across technical and business teams.

Controls & Governance

• Establish and enforce governance standards for model inputs, run configurations, output validation, and version control.
• Partner with Financial Reporting, Internal Audit, and External Audit to support controls documentation, testing, and sign-off processes.
• Serve as a key actuarial point of contact for external auditors, facilitating walkthroughs, providing documentation, and responding to audit inquiries related to model production processes and controls.
• Ensure production processes meet regulatory and internal audit standards, with clear control ownership and evidence retention.

Process Design & Continuous Improvement

• Lead the design and ongoing improvement of production workflows, tooling, and scheduling infrastructure.
• Partner with Actuarial IT and the broader organization to modernize production pipelines, reduce manual touchpoints, and improve run efficiency and reliability.
• Identify bottlenecks and implement process improvements that reduce close cycle time without compromising control quality.
• Document production processes, run books, and control procedures to support scalability and knowledge transfer.

Cross-Functional Partnership

• Collaborate with Financial Reporting, FP&A, Risk, and Capital teams to align production outputs with downstream reporting and analytics needs.
• Partner with Actuarial IT on system upgrades, infrastructure changes, and platform enhancements that impact the production environment.
• Engage with actuarial leaders across the organization to anticipate model changes and incorporate them into production schedules with appropriate lead time.
• Communicate production status, issues, and capacity constraints clearly to senior leadership.

Leadership & Talent Development

• Lead and manage a team of analysts and actuaries, building a culture of operational excellence and accountability.
• Build cross-functional relationships that position the production team as a trusted partner across the actuarial organization.
• Promote a continuous improvement mindset and invest in team capability around automation, controls, and actuarial systems.

Qualifications and Experience:

• Bachelor's degree (or equivalent professional experience), with 10+ years of actuarial experience, including direct involvement in model production, financial reporting, or actuarial operations, and 5+ years of direct or indirect leadership experience.
• ASA (or equivalent: ACIA, AIA) required; FSA (or equivalent: FCIA, FIA) preferred.
• Deep familiarity with GAAP and Statutory valuation processes and the model production environments that support them.
• Experience designing or executing SOX and/or MAR controls in an actuarial or financial reporting context.
• Experience interfacing with external auditors on model-related controls, documentation, and walkthroughs.
• Strong understanding of actuarial systems and production infrastructure; experience with MG-ALFA, Aon PathWise, and/or Python preferred.
• Proven ability to manage complex, multi-workstream production schedules under tight close deadlines.
• Proven people management experience, with the ability to develop and retain actuarial and analytical talent.
• Strong communication skills with experience engaging senior stakeholders across actuarial, finance, IT, and audit functions.

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