Group Financial Accountant

Howden is a collective – a group of talented and passionate people all around the world. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Contract Type: FTC 6-9 Months

The Role:

We are actively looking for a Group Financial Accountant to join the Group Finance Team for at least 6 months. Following the acquisition of A-Plan and Aston Lark by Howden Broking Group, Howden UK & Ireland Retail has been formed to bring together the businesses under six pillars, where the specialisms align to ensure we optimise skills, knowledge and products to bring the best offering to our clients as the “biggest and best UK and Irish insurance broker”.

The Group Financial Accountant role is an important cornerstone of the new HUK&I Group Financial Control team, providing a central hub of financial expertise while supporting the pillar finance teams, ensuring robust controls and regulatory adherence.

About You:

· Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA) with at least 2 years PQE.

· An accomplished technical accountant with a strong understanding of reporting standards (mainly FRS102).

· Builds effective and productive working relationships with internal stakeholders and clients across the Group at all levels of the organisation

· Highly numerate with the ability to convert data into actionable insights to inform proposals and influence finance matters.

· Highly collaborative with the ability to adapt your style, think on your feet and have a can-do mentality.

· Robust and pragmatic, with the ability to manage conflicting demands across a number of different areas and to prioritise own time effectively.

· Maintain a culture of pace, entrepreneurial thinking and enthusiasm.

· Role models expected behaviours and Group values.

Responsibilities:

· Work with external and internal auditors to agree audit timetable, communicate to pillar finance teams and provide audit support where necessary.

· Working closely with the pillar finance teams, coordination and production of all Group statutory accounts.

· Working with pillar finance teams to drive continuous controls improvements and a ‘best practice’ controls environment.

· Coordinate with pillar finance teams to ensure statutory and regulatory requirements are met on an accurate and timely basis.

· Provides technical accounting expertise.

To Succeed in this role, you will also have:

· Experience of working with internal and external auditors.

· Experience of both internal financial reporting and production of external financial statements.

· Strong analytical and numerical skills with a keen eye for detail.

· Excellent relationship skills - able to operate effectively at all levels of the organisation and with external stakeholders and partners.

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new

• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges

• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs.  Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.