Senior Business Partner, Economics And Strategy

At CN, everyday brings new and exciting challenges. You can expect an interesting environment where you're part of making sure our business is running optimally and safely―helping keep the economy on track. We provide the kind of paid training and opportunities that long-term careers are built on and we recognize hard workers who strive to make a difference. You will be able to thrive in our close-knit, safety-focused culture working together as ONE TEAM. The careers we offer are meaningful because the work we do matters. Join us!

The Senior Business Partner, Economics and Strategy 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 business plan models and collaborates cross-functionally. The incumbent facilitates discussions with senior leaders including the Vice-President (VP) Strategic and Financial Planning (S&FP), Vice-President Treasury, Assistant Vice-President (AVP) Taxation, and Chief Financial Officer (CFO).

Main Responsibilities

Develop Financials for Business Plan

• Develop consolidated income statement, balance sheet and cash flow statement including incorporate operating, investing, financing, and shareholder return plans and targets
• Use Financial Model and Module which receives operating revenues and expenses from Operating Model or Module
• Ensure Financial Model has slots to incorporate purchase of companies (e.g. asset or equity) into Plan (Information Coefficient (IC), Benefit Cost Ratio (BCR), Working Capital (WC), (CFQ), General Ledger Transaction (GLT), EJE etc.)

Free Cash Flow Budget, Forecasting and Monitoring

• Oversee monthly Business Performance Monitor (BPM) and Financial Model
• Update Year End Outlook (YEO) monthly
• Review explanations of variances to the prior year provided quarterly
• Liaise with Finance to ensure consistency of forecasts

Taxable Income Forecasts

• Ensure Financial Plan is consolidated for CN and taxes are incurred by the subsidiaries in the different tax jurisdictions on a legal entity basis
• Ensure consolidated U.S. Generally Accepted Accounting Principles (GAAP) income and selected cash flow items are split among the major companies
• Ensure that certain Canadian entities (e.g. CNR Co., CNXL, BCR Partnership Income) are converted to Commodity Trading Advisor (CTA) GAAP
• Oversee GAAP conversions and consolidating adjustments
• Carry out projections to support Taxation in determining the appropriate basis for the monthly tax remittances

Determine Expected and Actual ROIs

• Determine expected and actual targets in relation to annual bonus and 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

Additional Responsibilities

• Carry out projections for and valuations of various U.S. subsidiaries and consolidation levels in support of the internal financing
• Carry out projections of income on a Short-Term Borrowing (STB) basis to assist in planning for future property tax payments
• Carry out annual estimates to validate and support a change in the rates used in the Costing System or Capex analysis
• Provide advice and guidance on appropriate discount rates, approach to analysis, cost of capital, Network Strategies, etc.
• Provide estimates of the appropriate range for use in the BPM and the Financial Plan

Working Conditions

The role has standard working conditions in an office environment with a regular workweek from Monday to Friday.

Requirements

Experience

• Finance
• Minimum 5 years in a Finance or numbers-oriented role
• Experience in modeling
• Demonstrated excellence in analytical experience relating to CN

Education/Certification/Designation

• Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration
• Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA) or other professional Accounting degree
• Master of Business Administration (MBA)*

*Any designation for these above would be considered as an asset

Competencies

• Inspires others with impactful communications and adapts to the audience
• Initiates and drives organizational changes to enable business transformation
• Collaborates with key internal stakeholders to enable higher productivity
• Influences by translating expertise into practical business outcomes
• Knows the business and stays current with industry trends to elevate expertise and work
• Applies analytical thinking to make recommendations that pursue sustainable performance
• Makes informed and timely decisions to get things done
• Time management and organizational skills
• Fluently bilingual both written and verbal (English, French)*

*Any skills/attributes for these above would be considered as an asset

Technical Skills/Knowledge

• Solid knowledge of financial statements and the linkages between them
• In-depth understanding of how financial statements work
• Solid knowledge of modeling and advanced Excel skills
• Able to take an issue or event, model it and incorporate it seamlessly into the business plan with relatively short delay

About CN

CN is a world-class transportation leader and trade-enabler. Essential to the economy, to the customers, and to the communities it serves, CN safely transports more than 300 million tons of natural resources, manufactured products, and finished goods throughout North America every year. As the only railroad connecting Canada's Eastern and Western coasts with the Southern tip of the U.S. through a 19,500 mile rail network, CN and its affiliates have been contributing to community prosperity and sustainable trade since 1919. CN is committed to programs supporting social responsibility and environmental stewardship. At CN, we work as ONE TEAM, focused on safety, sustainability and our customers, providing operational and supply chain excellence to deliver results.

At CN, we are dedicated to building North America's safest, most inclusive and sustainable railroad, which includes reflecting the communities in which we operate. Research shows that candidates from underrepresented groups often don't apply unless they feel they fit the job posting at 100%. Even if you don't see yourself in every job requirement listed in a posting, we still encourage you to apply. If you require an accommodation for the recruitment process (including alternate formats of materials, accessible meeting rooms or other accommodations), please reach out to our team at cnrecruitment@cn.ca.

As an equal employment opportunity employer, all qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, disability, protected veteran status, and other protected status as required by applicable law. We thank all applicants for their interest, however, only candidates under consideration will be contacted. Please monitor your email on a regular basis, as communication is primarily made through email.