We’re First Central Insurance & Technology Group (First Central for short), an award-winning innovative insurance and technology organisation, delivering market-leading motor insurance, underwriting, distribution, finance, technology and legal services.
We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Senior Finance Business Partner to join our Finance team in Haywards Heath, West Sussex.
As a key member of the Finance Pillar Leadership Team, you'll be embedded within the business providing financial and strategic direction. Representing finance as a trusted advisor, you'll drive value by proactively influencing business decisions and strategy through the provision of key information and challenge.
With a broad skill-set, including stakeholder management at multiple levels, commercial acumen, problem solving, presentational skills and change management, you'll be the mastery of the trading KPIs, and have responsibility on a daily, weekly and monthly basis, extrapolating performance and the financial impact.
To be successful in this role, you’ll need to:
Hold a Degree Qualification and be a Qualified Accountant holding ACA, CIMA and/or ACCA
Have extensive PQE, ideally within the insurance industry
Demonstrate significant Finance Business partnering experience at a senior level
Responsibilities
Strategic and Commercial Acumen
Identify and understand business strategy and provide highly relevant insight into business performance
Develop a deep understanding and knowledge of key business performance (KPI’s) drivers and be able to draw conclusions from the suite of KPI’s available
Add value through support and challenge of the business in all commercial decision making, providing financial analysis support as necessary
Stakeholder Management
Create excellent relationships with key stakeholders across the business and within the pillar
Partner with the senior leadership teams to deliver accurate financial information to aid decision making to maximise shareholder value and return
Performance Monitoring and Challenge
Drive the monitoring of the business performance against the market cycle model on a monthly basis
Have mastery of the trading KPIs. Understanding all trading KPIs on a daily, weekly and monthly basis and extrapolate that performance to the financial impact influencing options to mitigate any shortfall
Act as a key stakeholder in the decision-making process through the provision of financial information and analysis
Review monthly reporting of financials and key metrics, including achievement versus budget and forecast highlighting areas of concern
Provide insightful analysis and value-add variance commentary in relation to both income and expenditure across
Work cross functionally with business managers to align targets and challenge business performance
Benchmark internal performance; attend external conferences to gain insight to best practice and future state for insurance and finance
Planning and Forecasting
Drive the creation of the annual Budget and quarterly reforecast for the business, gathering relevant data and helping to determine assumption development across the plan period
Ensure the change initiatives are correctly reflected in the budgets and forecasts
Ensure the internal IT development for the initiatives is correctly reflected in the budgets and forecasts
Business Initiatives and Tracking
Drive business improvements and contribute to the success of the business. Act as a catalyst in driving forward initiatives critical to delivering the strategy
Facilitate the development of cost benefit analysis for initiatives and assist in developing presentations to Exco
Ensure the benefits of initiatives are accurately tracked and presented on a monthly basis and challenge where appropriate
Link into Finance
Ensure the business receives appropriate support from all relevant Finance functions including Treasury and Capacity planning.
Provide business expertise into accounting processes
Be an ambassador for the finance function
Leadership
Deputise for the Retail Finance Director when required
Act as point of contact for the business partner team in absence of the Retail Finance Director
Run team meetings as required
Dotted line direct report – Business modeller/Junior BP for Retail
Job Specific Competencies:
Experience
Degree educated
Qualified Accountant (ACA, CIMA, ACCA)
Extensive PQE, ideally within the insurance industry
Significant Finance Business partnering experience at a senior level
Competencies
Strategic thinker and ability to look at the bigger picture
Excellent Stakeholder management skills and ability to communicate and appropriately challenge senior management
Excellent communication and presentation skills including verbal, and written
Excellent numeracy skills
Excellent negotiation and influencing skills;
Very Commercially aware and focused
Driven and pro-active, self-starter, and enthusiastic
Ability to work with ambiguity or to make broad assumptions to make a recommendation
Team player and ability to forge relationships at all levels within the organisation
Deadline driven
Strong analytical skills with an eye on details
Willingness to roll up sleeves and get involved in the detail if necessary
Good excel skills
So, if you’re up for the challenge and would like to join our vibrant and busy team, we want to hear from you today.
What can we do for you?
We believe we can offer you a great working environment as we’re so passionate about our people. Here are just some of the benefits and perks that we offer…
- Fantastic training and development opportunities
- Employee benefit packages to suit your lifestyle
- Flexible working
- YOUday – we give you an extra day off to celebrate a special day
- The opportunity to take a paid day off each year to do charity work
- A health cash plan
- Help with travel expenses
- The opportunity to buy additional holiday
- Company pension scheme
- Group life assurance
- Enhanced maternity and paternity pay
- Professional subscription fees paid
Employee wellbeing is high on the agenda here too. We provide a weekly free fruit delivery, discounted membership at a local health club and access to an Employee Assistance Programme, which promotes physical and emotional wellbeing at work and at home. In addition, we provide wellbeing events throughout the year to support physical and mental health.
For further information on what we can offer and to learn more about this role, feel free to contact our dedicated Recruitment team.
