IBA Manager

Howden Group Services Limited; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 60,000; Full time

Job summary

Howden Group Services Limited is seeking an IBA Manager in Milton Keynes to lead a multi-site Finance Technician team, driving accurate accounting, cash matching and timely entries within IBA systems.

You will reconcile ledgers with insurers and clients, manage performance and absence, and maintain strong relationships with business units and suppliers, ensuring regulatory compliance and high customer service standards.

Qualifications

• GCSEs (or equivalent), including English and Maths.
• An AAT qualification or other relevant accounting qualification is desirable.
• Strong written and verbal English and numeracy relevant to the role.

Responsibilities

• Lead, empower and develop an IBA team across multiple sites, ensuring team proficiency, appropriate training and effective performance management.
• Deliver accurate and timely accounting administration services within agreed service standards.
• Lead all aspects of cash matching, IBA payment requests and entries within IBA accounting systems.
• Reconcile accounts with insurers, markets and clients, investigating and resolving queries promptly.
• Build and maintain positive relationships with Business Units, underwriters, trading venues and suppliers.
• Respond to stakeholder requirements expertly and deliver high levels of customer service.
• Ensure adherence to company policies, procedures and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor team performance and operational metrics, providing management information, reporting and analysis.
• Lead team meetings and contribute to wider IBA management, projects and change initiatives.
• Support business growth through operational efficiency, continuous improvement in execution and the sharing of best practice.

Skills

Finance Technician

Ledger balancing

Staff supervision

Performance management

IBA protocols

Cash matching

Payment processing

Customer service

Cross-functional collaboration

Insurance market knowledge

Education

GCSE English

GCSE Maths

AAT qualification

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.

The role

The IBA Manager is a manager’s position supervising operations related to Insurance Broking Accounts (IBA), responsible for managing a team of Finance Technicians handling retail insurance markets. The role combines people leadership, operational management, technical IBA expertise, collaborator management, reconciliations, aligning cash flows and ongoing improvement of processes.

What you'll be doing

• Lead, empower and develop an IBA team across multiple sites, ensuring team proficiency, appropriate training and effective performance management
• Deliver accurate and timely accounting administration services within agreed service standards
• Lead all aspects of cash matching, IBA payment requests and entries within IBA accounting systems
• Reconcile accounts with insurers, markets and clients, investigating and resolving queries promptly
• Build and maintain positive relationships with Business Units, underwriters, trading venues and suppliers
• Respond to stakeholder requirements expertly and deliver high levels of customer service
• Ensure adherence to company policies, procedures and regulatory requirements
• Monitor team performance and operational metrics, providing management information, reporting and analysis
• Lead team meetings and contribute to wider IBA management, projects and change initiatives
• Support business growth through operational efficiency, continuous improvement in execution and the sharing of best practice

Who we're looking for

• Previous experience as a Finance Technician or similar accounting role
• Experience balancing ledgers and accounts
• Experience supervising or leading staff
• Performance and absence management experience, with the ability to drive accountability and results
• Strong understanding of IBA protocols and guidelines
• Ledger reconciliation, cash matching and payment processing knowledge
• A customer-focused approach and strong interpersonal skills
• Ability to establish links across multiple business areas
• Understanding of insurance market processes and procedures is desirable

Qualifications

• GCSEs (or equivalent), including English and Maths
• An AAT qualification or other relevant accounting qualification is desirable
• Strong written and verbal English and numeracy relevant to the role

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*.

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

Permanent

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.