Who are we?
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 mind-set, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 15,000 employees spanning over 100 countries.
Our people are our biggest asset as well as our largest shareholder group and are everything that makes us unique; our inclusive culture, the quality service we offer our clients, and our continued growth, all come from our people-first approach. There's no such thing as individual success. We all need to play our part, contributing our skills and experience to make a true difference. That's Howden.
Why work at Howden?
We have always been employee-owned and driven by entrepreneurial spirit. Right from the beginning, we've focused on employing talented individuals and empowering them to make a real difference to the company, whilst building successful and fulfilling careers at the same time. Simply put, we hire talented specialists and give them what they need to make a difference for clients. Always have, always will.
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 disappointed head-hunters for years. Whatever your priorities - work/life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering - you'll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.
Howden, Corporate & Commercial are on the hunt for a Finance Assistant to be responsible for maintaining accurate financial records and supporting the business with ad-hoc information requests whilst adhering to the finance team's controls and procedures.
Please note this is a full-time, permanent opportunity. You will be required to attend our Edinburgh office on a Thursday as this is when the full team is in.
Overview:
- Maintain and reconcile cashbooks daily.
- Provide explanations for movement in daily bank balances to the CEO and Head of Finance.
- Reconcile remittances and cash received from Finance Providers.
- Allocation of client payments made by credit/debit card.
- Credit control duties - phoning and writing to clients to chase outstanding debt, detailed review of debtor's reports, weekly meetings/calls to discuss debtor position.
- Insurer/introducer reconciliations, query resolution and payment requests.
- Full account's payable function, logging invoices/expenses in Unit 4, submitting for approval and settling on a timely basis.
- Preparation of journals including prepayments, depreciation, accruals.
- Preparation of month-end reconciliations, Monthly P&L Analysis.
- Daily banking of client cheques at bank.
- Prepare/review RBS Bankline payments for insurers/clients/suppliers/introducers.
- Review client refund requests.
- Liaise with auditors as and when required.
- Sorting and distribution of incoming mail.
- Ad hoc analysis/reporting.
Knowledge:
- Experience in a FCA regulated business, ideally in insurance broking accounting (IBA).
- Producing monthly bank reconciliations.
- Supplier reconciliations and maintaining an accurate purchase ledger
Skills:
- Self-motivated and shows initiative.
- Financial and numerical skills including high levels of accuracy and analytical skills.
- Excellent communication skills - verbal & written.
- Ability to work under own initiative and as part of a team.
- Good organisation skills and an excellent attention to detail.
- An ability to manage time effectively and have a pro-active approach to work.
- Experience using Unit 4 general ledger system or a similar ERP system.
- Strong Excel skills are required (SUM, COUNT, VLOOKUP, IF, LEFT/MID/RIGHT and Pivot Tables).
Qualifications:
- GCSE Maths and English (or equivalent).
Who we're looking for
At Howden we value diversity - there is no one Howden 'personality 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
What do we offer in return?
A career that you define.
Our business succeeds by allowing our people to make a mark in the areas they care about most: personal development, volunteering, and fundraising for charity, or creating new insurance products that address society's greatest challenges.
And we know that separate home and work lives don't really exist. If you're happy and healthy at home, you're more likely to be happy and fulfilled at work - and vice versa. That's why we do our best to support our people in every aspect of their lives.
Diversity and Inclusion
At Howden, we consider our people our chief competitive advantage and as such we treat colleagues, candidates, clients, and business partners with equality, fairness, and respect - regardless of age, disability, race, religion or belief, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, or family circumstances.
Our sustainability promise
We're on a life-long journey to become an ever-more sustainable group. It's a commitment to taking care of our people and the world we live in, to doing good business, and to making a positive impact wherever we can. Our governance processes, company policies, and review systems are all geared towards our goal of making a positive impact in the world. You can read more about our sustainability work here.
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