KIWANI BURROUGHS

**** ***** ***** *, ********** AL 35214

Cell: 205-***-****

adrewu@r.postjobfree.com

PROFESSIONAL PROFILE

Extensive expertise in managing remote and local employees, ensured proficient performance in an operations environment. Highly analytical, deadline-driven, with solid leadership skills, who possess the ability to multi-task and complete job tasks with accuracy and speed. I am experienced in extracting financial data from various reporting systems, in efforts of reconciling general ledger accounts on behalf of the business unit(s). Also proficient in strategizing initiatives, critical thinking, and sound decision making while identifying risks/hurdles that could potentially impact the overall objective. My management experience spans across several areas of the life insurance and financial industry: including compliance, vendor management, and strategic acquisition planning.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE

Protective Life Insurance Company September 2005 to present

Birmingham, AL

Director of Operations - Nov 2017 to present

Manage and oversee the accounting functions within the New Business department, including process improvements that ensure elevated levels of service excellence and customer satisfaction.

Provide leadership for implementations, collaborates, and assist in projects representing the New Business department with a commitment to delivering results.

Responsible for accounting controls, processes, and procedures; ensuring corporate standards and Sarbanes Oxley guidelines are met and procedures are followed. Failure to do so could result in a negative fiscal impact to the company and customers.

Analyze problematic situations and occurrences; provide solutions to ensure future occurrences are resolved timely.

Manage home office employee and offshore team(s) production, as well as quality measurements.

Execute and communicate the company’s business strategies to serve people and build trust amongst Staff Accountants, to attain internal service level agreements.

Collaborate closely with IT, creating appropriate user stories, outlining current processes and future state projections.

Serve as a liaison, while interacting with other departments in providing support to implement projects that impact the departments represented. Oversee various financial processes to ensure all payment practices are industry compliant to include but not limited to:

oAnti-Money Laundering

oRevisions to correspondence letters/email

oPayment Projects

oVOC (Voice of Customer) initiatives

Provide leadership, collaborate with management of various New Business teams and responsible for the integration of acquired pre and post accounting transactions.

oBuilding a sturdy team environment through effective coaching and mentoring

oRegularly hold meetings with department heads to discuss training needs and trends discovered that require immediate attention.

oEstablish and maintain reporting mechanisms to demonstrate adherence to service level agreements.

Travel as needed to participate in acquisition strategies, in efforts of successfully adhering to contractual agreements.

Successfully created business flows resulting in maximum attainable throughput and turn time reduction for existing and acquired business.

Engage in initiatives to successfully establish and implement financially compliant workflows adhering to Payment Card Industry and NACHA standards

Established close relationships with vendors to establish long standing relationships, make purchasing decisions, review, and negotiate cost.

Pursue vendor integration opportunities to maximize vendor services, real time feeds, and minimize discrepancies, which all result in a positive distributor and customer experience

Managing compliance initiatives to ensure state regulated life insurance and financial regs/acts are properly practiced; and internal processes/workflows are established to comply.

Senior Staff Accountant- Jan 2012 to Nov 2017

Generate financial statements and facilitate account closing procedures monthly.

Compile general ledger entries and reconcile daily, weekly, and monthly for Life and Annuities.

Analyze and research reporting issues to improve accounting operations procedures.

Interview potential staff accountants and administer training on accounting principles and company procedures.

Serve as the liaison between the company and outsourced policy print vendors, to include the negotiating of new contracts and onsite auditing.

Assuring the financial functions for the Underwriting department are handled properly. Balancing several General Ledger accts daily, to include inter-company transfers, returned items, write-offs, premium refunds, bank pre-notes, wire processing, and credit card reconciliation.

Monthly completion of Sarbanes Oxley reports, providing thorough explanations of outstanding liabilities for auditing purposes.

Research issues such as but not limited to multiple drafts/charges, imbalanced general ledger accounts, status of customer to determine if they have expired and if funds should be escheated to the state, as well as research and process replacement checks for returned refund payments and stop payment request by searching for most up-to-date address for customers using USPS databases, internet explorer, and retention databases.

Monthly processing of bank fees including write-offs, credit card settlements, credit card charge backs, incoming and outgoing wire transfers.

Creating Excel spreadsheets to compile fees, returns, receipts for internal and external use, and 1099 reporting the following year. Composing correspondence via Word to external customers providing explanations for researched requests and/or letters of apology, as well as internal memos to Executive management. Complete the renewal of the company’s annual PCI (Payment Card Industry) compliance, which is required for all businesses that accept debit/credit cards.

Responsible for Identifying training needs relative to team accounting processes and administering team, as well as individual accounting training as needed.

Analyze operational issues that impact underwriting and accounting department and identify improvements, as well as lessons learned after implementing new processes. Serve as a key contact on projects relative to the underwriting department, system, and process changes, as well as those projects specifically related to accounting functions. Conducted interviews for potential employees, as well as dismissals of employees when needed.

Completion of various system request to assure all home office and remote direct reports are functional.

Underwriting Department- Issue Mgr. - Sept 2005 to Jan 2012

Successfully managed a team of up to 20 local and 65 internationally remote processors, who Issue and Submit life insurance contracts, adhering to the corporate SLAs of 98%

Administered annual performance and compensation reviews for direct reports.

Established productivity reporting which eventually led to the implementation of an automated business intelligence Dashboard tool, which increased efficiencies and aided in addressing operational issues more expediently and accurately.

Successfully built staffing models to determine staffing needs.

Monitored quarterly and annual budgets for the business unit, to include forecasting of the upcoming year projections.

Established training needs and provided feedback to employees who required coaching and/or assistance in becoming more proficient in completing their assigned job tasks.

Increased efficiency by evaluating team performance, training, and clearly identifying roles and responsibilities.

Complete various projects, that promote process improvement, aligning with the company strategy of

“Simplifying Everything.”

Handled escalated complaints from field representatives, as well as customers providing resolutions that include but are not limited to verbal and written letters of apologies.

Lead strategic outsourcing and supplier management activities, by establishing relationships with multiple Vendors which ultimately:

oMitigated business risk and positioned a successful Business Continuity Plan

oIncreased effectiveness and inspired an enhanced level of engagement of home-office employees.

SouthTrust Bank

Birmingham, AL February 1999 to September 2005

Teller Supervisor/Assistant Branch Manager- September 2001 to August 2005

Interviewed and Hired potential branch employees.

Scheduled staffing for the teller line and conducted weekly staff meetings.

Organized and removed banking files no longer in use and/or outside the allotted retention.

Pulled daily branch reports.

Processed Vault and ATM audits

Answered telephone inquiries on banking products including checking, savings, loans, and lines of credited.

Monitored and reconciled branch general ledger accounts

Increased monthly staff retention by implementing new training programs.

Ensured friendly and professional customer interactions branch wide.

Complied with and ensured all branch employees were in compliant of regulatory requirements to include but is not limited to the Bank Secrecy Act and Anti Money Laundering

Teller Supervisor- Feb 1999 to Sept 2001

Balanced daily cash deposits, teller drawers, and bank vault inventory

Placed cash orders for the bank from the Federal Reserve weekly

Processed cash withdrawals and deposits

Trained employees on cash drawer operations to include securing the teller drawer and robbery protocol.

Adhered to bank security and audit procedures performing surprise cash audits as needed.

Researched daily NSF reports to determine if NSF transactions should be paid or unpaid. Contacted VIP and business customers to inform of any account discrepancies and waived fees as needed.

Researched and resolved customer issues on personal savings, checking and lines of credit accounts.

Entered member transaction data into the online banking software.

Electronic funds transfers, to include the processing of daily electronic transactions from and to Savings and Checking accounts; wire transfers; and financial instrument purchasing.

Reported daily averages and shortages to the operations department.

Delivered prompt, accurate and excellent customer service suggesting new products to customer.

EDUCATION

The University of West Alabama

Master of Education with a concentration in Student Affairs, 2019-current

Livingston, AL Unites States

Miles College

Bachelor of Science: Environmental Science, 2011-2016

Fairfield, AL, Unites States

University of Alabama at Birmingham

Business Management, 1996-1998

Birmingham, AL, United States

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