Financial Controller

2136GB00 Howden UK Brokers Limited; Baildon; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Job summary

Howden seeks a qualified finance leader to run management accounting and financial control. You will oversee month-end close, balance sheet integrity, and the end-to-end audit process, while guiding a team of Management Accountants. The role requires senior stakeholder engagement and a focus on process improvements.

You will drive regulatory reporting to FCA, collaborate with Group Tax, and embed the highest standards of financial reporting accuracy across the function.

Qualifications

• Fully qualified ACA/ACCA with UK GAAP knowledge.
• Strong knowledge of FRS 102 and IFRS.
• Experience leading finance teams and audits.
• Excellent communication with senior stakeholders.
• Proactive in improving processes and controls.

Responsibilities

• Lead month-end and quarter-end close processes.
• Ensure balance sheet integrity and strong control environment.
• Oversee audits with external auditors and sign-off.
• Collaborate with Group Tax for timely tax submissions.
• Support regulatory reporting to FCA and attestation processes.
• Develop and mentor the Management Accounts team.

Skills

ACA/ACCA

FRS 102/IFRS

Leadership

Stakeholder engagement

Financial reporting

Audit management

Process improvement

Education

ACA/ACCA

Job description

Who are we?

Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. 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 24,000 employees spanning over 56 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.

Role Purpose

This role leads the management accounting and financial control function and is responsible for the integrity, accuracy, and timeliness of financial reporting. The position also has line management responsibility for four Management Accountants and plays a key role in maintaining and developing a strong financial control environment.

Key Accountabilities

• Lead month-end and quarter-end process ensuring accurate reporting to agreed timelines.
• Oversee judgemental areas including provisions, non-recurring costs and judgemental accruals, ensuring consistency with accounting policies and standards.
• Review pre-close outputs in collaboration with FP&A and the Finance Director and feed into monthly management reporting and quarterly board reporting.
• Overall ownership and sign-off of balance sheet integrity including review and approval of Balance Sheet reconciliations.
• Support a robust financial control environment, including documentation and evidencing for key controls.
• Oversee cash flow forecasting, providing challenge to cash assumptions and working capital movements.
• Oversight and coordination of the end to end audit process, including review of financial statements, impairment and accounting papers on significant estimates and Going Concern.
• Coordinating with Group Tax for timely and accurate tax submissions.
• Review and approval of regulatory returns to the FCA.
• Support quarterly attestation processes, ensuring completeness and accuracy of submission.
• Lead and manage the Management Accounts team, providing supervision and development.
• Ensure compliance with Group accounting policies and statutory standards.
• Identify and implement improvements to processes to improve financial control and increase efficiency.

Skills & Experience

• Fully qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA)
• Strong technical accounting knowledge (FRS 102 and IFRS)
• A confident leader with proven experience of managing finance teams
• Strong communicator with the ability to challenge constructively and influence senior stakeholders
• Detail-oriented with a dedication to financial accuracy and integrity.
• Experienced in managing audits and working with external auditors.
• Proactive in identifying process improvements and driving efficiencies.
• Collaborative and able to build positive relationships across finance functions.

What do we offer in return?

• 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

Reasonable adjustments

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*.

Fixed Term Contract (Fixed Term)

Howden began in 1994, as just three people and a dog. Now there are 23,000 of us, and we're a leading global insurance group, managing $37bn of premiums for our clients. Our largest shareholder group is us – the people who work in the business – supported by three long-term, minority growth-equity partners who share our vision to build a business to last, one that will never be sold. The owner's mindset is something that's embedded in our culture; our people readily take ownership of their decisions, their actions, and their outputs. They’re invested in every sense. And we all know that by working together to drive the business forward, everyone will benefit from the extraordinary results we can achieve.