Financial Accountant

About the Role

We are seeking a highly motivated and detail-oriented Financial Accountant to join our Finance team supporting the Canadian Branches of Swiss Re, covering Life and Health Reinsurance, Property and Casualty Reinsurance, and Property and Casualty Direct Insurance.

This role offers an opportunity to build hands-on experience in financial reporting under  IFRS 17, and regulatory capital management frameworks, working within a global reinsurance organization. You will support key accounting and reporting processes while collaborating with cross-functional teams across Toronto and international locations including US, India and Europe.

This is an ideal role for candidates to develop expertise in insurance/reinsurance accounting, capital reporting, and financial analysis within a structured and well-controlled environment while working towards a CPA designation.

Key Responsibilities

• Support the preparation of technical (IFRS 17) and non-technical (investments, expenses) financial data for regulatory and internal reporting, including:
• Running reports from key source systems, including SAP subledger and general ledger
• Reconciling & analyzing reinsurance cashflow data (premiums, claims, costs) between key source systems.
• Performing quarterly analyses over non-technical investment results and general & administrative expenses
• Assist in the analysis of insurance results under IFRS 17, including understanding key movements in Balance sheet and P&L items, and gathering explanations for key variances versus prior periods and expectations
• Supporting the preparation of quarterly MD&A presentations and annual year-end financial statements (balances and disclosures).
• Building cross-functional working relationships with Central Finance, Actuarial, Claims, Underwriting, and Operations teams to resolve accounting and data issues.
• Support quarterly capital reporting and forecasting, including data validation and reconciliation
• Ensure data accuracy, completeness, and timeliness of reporting deliverables, including appropriate documentation to support internal controls and audit requirements.
• Perform operational tasks including but not limited to:
• Submission of financial information to various regulatory platforms, such as OSFI, AMF, Statistics Canada, and industry trade associations
• Handling the Canada Finance team's Purchase orders and invoice processing
• Ad hoc cheque deposits and monthly bank reconciliations
• Premium tax filings

• Identify opportunities to improve efficiency and apply automation in financial reporting processes.
• Support implementation of enhancements related to systems, data quality, and controls.

About the Team

The Canadian Finance team is responsible for the accounting and reporting of reinsurance & direct insurance technical balances (premiums, claims, commissions, reserves, together with intra-group reinsurance – "IGR" - thereon), and non-technical balances (e.g., investments, general expenses) for the Canadian Branches of Swiss Re. The team works with various business partners in support of relevant transactions. You will be joining a diverse and inclusive team of finance professionals that come from a variety of backgrounds and experience within the industry. The team works well in a collaborative environment while fostering and developing independent thought.

Experience & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in accounting, finance, or related field
• Actively pursuing CPA designation

Technical Skills

• Advanced Excel skills (PivotTables, lookups, data analysis)
• Experience with financial systems (e.g., SAP, FPSL, Business Objects) is an asset

• Exposure to automation tools or process improvement initiatives is an asset

Core Competencies

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• High attention to detail and data integrity
• Ability to manage competing deadlines in a structured reporting environment
• Strong communication skills and ability to work in cross-functional teams

The base salary hiring range for this new position is CAD $60,000-75,000. The specific base salary offered for this or any given role will take into account a number of factors including but not limited to job location, scope of role, qualifications, complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent, experience, education, and employer budget.  At Swiss Re, we take a "total compensation approach" when making compensation decisions. This means that we consider all components of compensation in their totality (such as base pay, short-and long-term incentives, and benefits offered), in setting individual compensation.