Feras Shabaneh

• Providing strategic assistance to the CEO for setting guidelines, establishing concrete objectives for operational execution, and formulating plans for anticipated company growth.
• Heading the finance and commercialization functions by determining financial objectives and designing and implementing systems, policies, and procedures to facilitate internal financial and process controls and cost management.
• Assessing and evaluating cash flow needs and cycles, controlling the cash position throughout the company, and maintaining the integrity of funds through rigorous documentation, paper trails, and digital footprints.
• Conceptualizing and implementing short term and long term budgets based on strategic objectives and conservative projections, and comparing the company’s actual performance with estimates.
• Designing business plans and strategies that maximize profitability and revenue generation.
• Handling the complete planning and management activities of internal and external audits to ensure timely completion and cost management.
• Approving all agreements concerning financial obligations, such as contracts for raw materials, IT assets, and services, and other actions requiring a commitment of financial resources.
• Analyzing company shareholder policies, procedures, and information programs, including the annual and interim reports to shareholders and the Board of Directors, as well as recommending to the CEO new or revised policies, procedures, or programs when needed.
• Executing all administrative functions and coordinating between internal departments for smooth functioning.

• Managed utilization of Governance, Risk, and Internal Control (GRIC) team members, while developing and implementing staffing strategies that maximized use and minimized unassigned time.
• Proposed assigned staff with current or near availability to assignments that align with their skills, professional goals, and staffing preferences.
• Collaborated effectively with the GRIC team to ensure that scheduled and resource request data was current, complete, and accurate at all times.
• Actively maintained one-on-one relationships with assigned staff to develop a comprehensive understanding of their goals and preferences, as well as to provide deployment-related career coaching.
• Recommended appropriate and relevant training to support staff and business goals, including cross-training opportunities to increase utilization.
• Analyzed reporting for GRIC staff.
• Managed usage and downtime for GRIC staff.
• Worked with cross-functional teams to help with resource needs by assigning GRIC members to assist with consulting, external auditing, training, or recruiting needs.
• Planned and conducted independent internal audits and reviews in support of the GRIC annual audit plan, including leading and participating in a wide variety of governance, accounting, and operational audits.
• Developed audit test programs and executed audit tests to evaluate the design and operating effectiveness of internal controls.
• Developed and maintained effective business relationships and partnerships with the Subject Matter Experts (SMEs) on scheduled audits to ensure mutual understanding of audit scope, procedures, and fieldwork deliverables.
• Prepared audit findings and recommendations that clearly communicate risks, in terms of impact to the business and root cause, and key audit issues from a senior management and Audit Committee perspective.
• Met with clients/auditees to communicate audit results and recommendations.

• Established audit standards and methodologies used in assessing, measuring, reporting, developing, and implementing the target objectives of the Quality Assurance (QA) function.
• Designed and deployed individual audit programs tailored to meet regulatory agency requirements and investor guidelines.
• Gained an understanding and applied established regulatory requirements to corporate policies and procedures within the internal operations manual management system.
• Collaborated with business partners in developing process improvements, automation, and standardization.
• Managed performance monitoring and business oversight procedures for special audit projects to ensure successful implementation of new business development objectives.
• Assisted in the planning, organization, and execution of loan-level testing for Servicing and Default related processes to determine compliance ratios with applicable laws, regulatory, and investor guidelines.
• Managed the Quality Control (QC) oversight process over the company's first line of defense (FLOD) and third-party vendor management (VM), which ensures testing satisfies regulatory and investor requirements and delivers accurate quality information for senior management consideration.
• Conducted preliminary meetings with management to understand operational processes and provided outlines of QA audit scope reviews to set expectations for fieldwork execution.
• Recommended changes to business processes, policies, and procedures to close compliance gaps with regulatory and investor requirements.
• Utilized audit task-based schedules to ensure all audits are completed timely, within budget, and as per the QA annual audit plan.
• Performed independent QC reviews of audit work performed by other business functions.
• Demonstrated a strong sense of urgency by responding immediately to escalated issues and rapidly changing priorities.
• Assisted management with the training and development of Staff Auditors in audit methodology and departmental standards.

• Assisted in the planning, organization, and execution of Quality Assurance (QA) audit work as well as developed and implemented the objectives of the QA function.
• Conducted and performed operational, financial, and compliance audits to assess the adequacy of internal controls and to identify opportunities to streamline processes.
• Developed a thorough understanding of business processes, evaluated controls, made recommendations of improvement of controls, and assisted in the preparation of draft audit reports.
• Executed detailed audit procedures including reviewing transactions, documents, records, and reports for accuracy and effectiveness.
• Created work products (i.e. test of transactions, audit analysis, audit reports, etc.) that document the audit procedures performed, the findings/observations noted and the results of those procedures.
• Established and managed remediation plans with the business to ensure compliance with company guidelines, regulatory and investor requirements.
• Managed time effectively and efficiently to ensure work is completed within scheduled time.
• Utilized technology to enhance the effectiveness of deliverables and create efficiencies.
• Accomplished departmental goals and implemented innovative ideas.

• Led and completed assigned audit segments in the following business units: Vendor Management (VM), Investor Reporting (IR), Investor Accounting (IA), Servicemembers Civil Relief Act (SCRA), Escrow Accounts (EC), Foreclosure (FCL), REO, Custodial Bank Accounts (CBA), Bankruptcy (BR), Accounting (ACCT), Reverse Mortgages (RM) and Vendor Oversight (VO).
• Developed risk assessments and audit programs to test, evaluate, and conclude on the design, adequacy, effectiveness, and efficiency of established internal controls and procedures.
• Initiated kick-off meetings, performed complete process walkthroughs, documented key processes and controls, researched industry, regulatory & investor standards and updates for process development purposes and generated new process flows where needed.
• Led and managed Employee Training (ET) audit procedures for all scheduled audits to ensure compliance with applicable company guidelines, regulatory, and investor requirements.
• Communicated directly with the Compliance Department (CD) and HR to maintain up to date ET guidelines for Quality Assurance purposes.
• Maintained a proactive approach with audit reporting procedures by scheduling in-person meetings and following-up with different business units to clarify and remediate audit findings timely.
• Ensured fieldwork documentation is adequately reflective of audit findings, and audit evidence is sufficient.
• Maintained respectful and effective communications and relationships with management and staff of areas under review.

• Performed full accounting and bookkeeping services, including recording journal entries, month-end closing, account reconciliations, and financial statements preparation.
• Performed a detailed account analysis and review of the following business units: operating business accounts, operating expense accounts, bank statements, fixed assets, employer's benefit costs, accruals, and prepaid expenses.
• Outlined problem areas for compliance, accuracy, and productivity.
• Established business billing, accounting, and reporting improvement options.
• Audited and verified the accuracy of balance sheets, income statements, statement of cash flows, and QuickBooks accounts.
• Developed and implemented accounting procedures by analyzing current processes and recommending changes.
• Processed all required State income, Federal income, and franchise tax returns for various personal and business clients.
• Trained new staff on bookkeeping and business tracking methods to create a higher level of accuracy during final report reviews.

• Audited, updated and deployed company accounting & reporting manual with management approval.
▪ Manual was organized by identifiable business units - Finance Department, Cash Management, Payroll and Employee Related Costs, Payables and Accruals, Expenses, Accounts Receivable, Budgetary Process, General Accounting, Periodic and Year-End Reporting, Revenue, Property Plant and Equipment, Inventory Management and Investment Management.
• Worked directly with management to create an organizational risk assessment workbook and developed an audit schedule based on targeted goals.
• Established audit programs and drafted budgets through initial walkthroughs of the identifiable business units mentioned above and obtained management approval.
• Initiated kick-off meetings, performed complete process walkthroughs, executed fieldwork and documented findings.
• Scheduled regular management and staff meetings to present audit results, recommend solutions for findings and establish remediation plans.
• Managed remediation plans through risk assessment, resource management, and time restrictions.
• Led and completed the following audits based on audit program & scope: payroll, cash, bank reconciliations, revenue, PP&E, and inventory.
• Performed financial statement analysis focusing on independent revenue-generating units and ensuring Quality Control standards were in place or established as needed based on asset values, liabilities, revenues, and expenditures.
• Reason for leaving: moved back to the U.S. permanently as wife’s employment contract ended.

• Worked with management to make sure a system is in place that ensured all major risks are identified and analyzed.
• Accountable for reviewing and verifying records, external financial statement auditing, compliance with policies, procedures and standards.
• Hired and managed a wide array of different construction contractors and sub-contractors.
• Carried out special investigations into allegation of fraud, waste, and abuse, also personal matters at the request of management.
• Monitored and audited the transactions conducted between the companies and its representatives.
• Identified company’s misallocations and improper recording of assets.
• Reason for leaving: relocated with wife as she received a lucrative 2.5 year contract with a firm in Qatar.

• Responsibilities included identifying, planning and testing controls; recommending actions to management and present findings.
• Spoke with employees using a positive and clear speaking voice as well as listened attentively to understand requests.
• Examined and evaluated the adequacy and effectiveness of internal controls over the Contracts and Grants operations.
• Prepared internal audit reports and work papers on different accounts for accuracy.
• Documented all the audit work using PwC TeamMate Audit Software.
• Kept record of complete files documenting audit procedures used and provided audit committee and management with an opinion on the internal controls in the Contracts and Grants department.