Cost Operations Manager - 15-Month FTC

Legal & General Group; Cardiff; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Annual bonus

Pension

Healthcare

Job summary

Legal & General Group in Cardiff is seeking a Cost Operations Manager on a fixed-term contract until Q1 2028 to lead cost accounting services across multiple business areas. This role combines people leadership with strong finance expertise to improve efficiency, automation and control in Finance Operations.

You will build a high-performing team, partner with key stakeholders, oversee month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations, and drive process improvements from planning through to

Qualifications

• Qualified accountant or equivalent relevant experience.
• Experience of leading, motivating and developing teams.
• Strong knowledge of cost management activities, including cost allocation, planning, forecasting, financial approvals, expenditure reporting and cross-charging.
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead, motivate and develop a high-performing team with clear direction.
• Build collaborative relationships with business partners and stakeholders to support decision-making.
• Maintain robust financial controls, ensuring cost postings and reconciliations are accurate.
• Oversee day-to-day operational delivery and ensure outputs meet high standards of quality and timeliness.
• Act as subject-matter expert for cost month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations.
• Identify and implement opportunities to automate and simplify processes to reduce risk.
• Lead change initiatives across systems and processes from planning to embedding change.

Skills

People leadership

Stakeholder management

Cost accounting

Process improvement

Automation

Month-end close

Balance sheet reconciliations

Financial analysis

Education

Qualified accountant or equivalent experience

Job description

Company Description

Legal & General (L&G) is a leading UK financial services group and major global investor.

We’ve been safeguarding people’s financial futures since 1836, and strive to build a better society, while improving the lives of our customers and creating value for shareholders.

We are one of the world’s largest asset managers and provide powerful asset origination capabilities. Together, these underpin our retirement and protection solutions: we are an international player in pension risk transfer, in UK and US life insurance, and in UK workplace pensions and retirement income.

Our Group Functions provide the services that all areas of the business need. This requires a talented and diverse team behind the scenes, who enable everyone at L&G to do what they do best.

Joining us means helping to improve the lives of our customers and contributing to the success of the business every day.

PLEASE NOTE THIS IS A FIXED-TERM CONTRACT ROLE UNTIL Q1 2028

Job Description

We’re looking for a Cost Operations Manager to join our Finance Operations team on a fixed-term contract and lead the delivery of accurate, controlled and timely cost accounting services across multiple areas of the business. This is an opportunity to combine people leadership with technical finance expertise, building strong stakeholder relationships while driving greater efficiency, automation and continuous improvement across our cost operations.

What you’ll be doing:

• Leading, motivating and developing a high-performing team, providing clear direction and supporting colleagues to reach their potential
• Building collaborative relationships with business partners and key stakeholders, providing insight and constructive challenge to support effective decision-making
• Maintaining a robust financial control environment, ensuring cost accounting systems, postings and balance sheet reconciliations are accurate and complete
• Overseeing day-to-day operational delivery, managing workloads and ensuring outputs meet high standards of quality, accuracy and timeliness
• Acting as the subject-matter expert for key activities, including the cost month-end close and balance sheet reconciliations
• Identifying and implementing opportunities to simplify, centralise and automate processes, improving efficiency while reducing operational risk
• Leading change initiatives across systems and processes, from planning and impact assessment through to testing, implementation and embedding change
• Creating an inclusive and collaborative environment, empowering colleagues to challenge existing ways of working and contribute new ideas

Who we’re looking for:

• A qualified accountant or equivalent relevant experience, with strong knowledge of accounting principles and processes
• Experience of leading, motivating and developing teams, with an ability to set clear expectations and support individual development
• Strong knowledge of cost management activities, including cost allocation, planning, forecasting, financial approvals, expenditure reporting and cross-charging
• Strong stakeholder management and influencing skills, with the confidence to constructively challenge senior colleagues using data and sound judgement
• A strong understanding of financial controls, reconciliations and risk management, with excellent attention to detail
• Experience of improving processes and delivering change in a fast-paced environment, with a focus on efficiency, automation and continuous improvement
• Strong analytical and advanced spreadsheet skills, including experience designing, developing and maintaining financial models
• Clear and confident communication skills, with the ability to build trusted relationships across finance and non-finance teams

Whatever your role, we reward performance and behaviour with a package that looks after all the things that are important to you. Here are some of the benefits we offer:

• The opportunity to participate in our annual, performance -related bonus plan and valuable share schemes
• Generous pension contribution
• Life assurance
• Healthcare Plan (permanent employees only)
• At least 25 days holiday, plus public holidays, 26 days after 2 years’ service. There’s also the option to buy and sell holiday
• Competitive family leave
• Participate in our electric car scheme, which offers employees the option to hire a brand-new electric car through tax efficient salary sacrifice (permanent employees only)
• There are many discounts we offer – both for our own products and at a range of high street stores and online
• We’re creating net‑zero carbon workplaces by 2030 by investing in our sustainable, modern offices across the UK, all designed to bring people together and elevate the in‑person experience

#LI-AM2

Additional Information

At L&G, we believe it's possible to generate positive returns today while helping to build a better future for all.

If you join us, you’ll be part of a welcoming, inclusive culture, with opportunities to collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds, views, and experiences. Guided by leaders with integrity who care about your future and wellbeing. Empowered through initiatives which support people to develop their careers and excel.

We care passionately about outcomes rather than attendance and are therefore open to discussing all kinds of flexible working options including part-time and job shares.Although some roles have limited flexibility due to customer demand, we accommodate requests when we can.

It doesn’t matter if you don’t meet every single criterion in this advert. Instead, think about what you excel at and what else you can bring in terms of strengths, potential and connection to our purpose.