Financial Systems Analyst Lead (Investments Group) Job Listing at Allstate Insurance Company in Northbrook, IL

Insurance

Description The Role of the Investment Technology Maximis Financial Systems Analyst Lead includes:  developing and aligning the team around overall strategy and mission; providing clear direction and priorities; managing risk, issue, and problem resolution; facilitating IT project delivery and support; providing clear communication; recognizing and removing barriers to progress; identifying improvements; coaching and developing staff technically.   We are looking for a senior level technical team lead with in-depth experience designing and building solutions for the Maximis environment using Oracle/SQL and Informatica ETL within the Investment department.  The Maximis technical lead developer analyzes/reviews requirements, prepares technical designs, develops/reviews code, establishes standards and provides direction around unit testing, programs, functions, services, and other related software components in response to Investment needs of various levels of complexity. The candidate should ensure adherence to established best practices, guiding principles, standards and strategies to create consistency and continuity across the Maximis application environment.     The Lead role will have accountability for providing technical leadership and direction to others regarding the Maximis environment and for helping to set strategy. Identify and drive innovation, develop relationships with IT and business peers, drive change; deliver timely and quality results; mitigate and escalate risks and issues.     Position Responsibilities:

• Maintenance, development, enhancement and administration responsibilities utilizing Oracle PL/SQL and Unix scripting, SQL, Informatica, .Net and related technologies.
• Analyze, design, code, and test highly efficient, robust, scalable integration solutions for approved projects and enhancements using Informatica, Oracle PL/SQL.
• Involvement in all phases of software development life cycle on Maximis projects and initiatives: requirements, analysis, design, development, unit and integration testing, and implementation.
• Initiates and recommends improvements in applications, procedures, processes and documentation within the Maximis environment.
• Develops and aligns team around overall strategy and mission by anticipating future skills, processes, and tools needed to support the team's ongoing success in activities related to analysis and/or development.
• Uses functional, business, and technical knowledge to deliver the best solution.
• Identifies barriers within the team and works with leaders to help remove them in support of delivering projects on time and within budget.
• Works with others to resolve difficult and complex problems with creative and innovative solutions.
• Creates and delivers communication messages that are appropriate based on the message, audience, and content.
• Takes ownership, responsibility and provides direction and solutions on day to day activities and arising issues for the team.
• Develop a positive relationship with the business partners and collaborate to create innovative business solutions.
• Displays qualities of a strong team player and communicates efficiently with the team and business partners.
• Assemble and deliver ongoing business partner and intra-departmental communications.

  Functional Competencies – Proficiency Levels: Business Acumen- Possess fundamental business knowledge demonstrated by the understanding of key roles within the area, and larger organization. Has awareness of business strategy, and alignment of goals to strategy core business drivers (i.e. regulatory, compliance, political).  Accounting knowledge is highly preferred.   Delivery Leadership- Possess a solid understanding of leadership styles as individuals and situations require, demonstrates teambuilding techniques and leadership through examples. Oversees work activities, proactively communicates, anticipates resource needs, set priorities, allocate work, define dependencies, schedule activities, prepare acceptance criteria and organize work, estimate time and costs appropriate to the stage of the task/project.   Self Awareness- Possess a solid understanding of Self Awareness as demonstrated by the ability to focus on continuous learning and self-development, understand and connect with the feelings of others, identify, respect and use the different capabilities and interests of others, recognize how emotions affect performance , enlist cooperation and support, and is sensitive to organizational politics.    Strategic Thinking- Possess a fundamental knowledge of strategic thinking demonstrated by the ability to anticipate basic resource needs, establish objectives, set priorities, and manage work  understanding of Allstate’s strategic direction and core business drivers, various products and services.    Thriving in Change- Possess a fundamental understanding of Thriving in Change as demonstrated by the ability to adapt well to changes in work assignments, policies, procedures and reorganizations, accept changes with a minimal loss in productivity and proactively anticipates the consequences of actions.  Recognize that a positive outlook influences and motivates the attitudes and actions of others. 

Qualifications

• Ability to lead and direct activities of others.
• Highly motivated with good written and oral communication skills. Ability to write clear, concise technical documents and capable of communicating with both technical and business contacts, including the ability to translate between these groups.
• Ability to lead conversations and coordinate activities across multiple internal and external teams.
• Flexibility to adapt to changing priorities and assignments, ability to work well under pressure, as well as ability to work independently with little direction.
• Ability to be accountable for projects of high complexity, high risk, and high visibility; handle multiple projects of varied complexity simultaneously. Effective use of time management is crucial.
• Ability to learn new skills quickly and willingness to challenge yourself.
• Advanced knowledge of Oracle PL/SQL and SQL in Unix environment.
• Mid-level to advanced knowledge of Informatica ETL tool.
• Mid-level to advanced knowledge of batch job scheduling.
• Mid-level to advanced knowledge of .Net and C#.
• Extensive experience in writing detailed design documents.
• Thorough knowledge and experience in software development life cycle.
• Business Knowledge - Fundamental knowledge of capital markets, terminology and key data relationships: Fixed Income, Equities, Alternatives, Derivatives, and Real Estate investment instruments.

Experience Requirements:

• 5 - 6 years of Oracle PL/SQL, SQL in Unix environment experience.
• 5 - 6 years of Informatica ETL tool knowledge.
• 4+ years of .Net, C# experience.
• 4+ years of Batch Job Scheduling knowledge.
• 5 - 6 years Strong UNIX background/scripting skills.
• Advanced data analysis and software debugging and troubleshooting ability.
• 3-5 years Experience in Investment Unit of a financial institution with Investments/Capital Markets knowledge.
• 5-6 years of IT industry experience.
• Active participation on technology projects with a formal SDLC methodology.
• Knowledge of vendor products like Aladdin Trade order management system, Eagle Pace data hub is a plus.
• Knowledge of the Accounting business is a plus.

Education: Bachelor degree or equivalent work experience with focus in MIS, Finance / Business, or Accounting MBA, CFA (or other designations) a plus   The Allstate Corporation (NYSE: ALL) is the nation’s largest publicly held personal lines insurer.  Widely known through its “You’re In Good Hands With Allstate” slogan, Allstate provides insurance products to more than 14 million households. Allstate Investments, LLC manages $100 Billion of assets. Our goal is to provide sustainable, competitive, risk-adjusted investment returns and investment-related services for the benefit of the Allstate Corporation.