Finance Accounting and Reporting Team Manager (fixed-term)

Finance Accounting and Reporting Team Manager (ZNA FAR TEAM)

Place of work: Cracow

 FIXED TERM - TEMPORARY REPLACEMENT (18 months) 

Job purpose:

The position covers end-to-end aspects—operational, advisory, and management—within the area of Financial Accounting and Reporting in the FS ZNA FAR Team.

As Team Manager, you will lead a team of 12 members, including senior specialists, specialists, and accountants. You will oversee the close process, ensuring that internal and external reporting requirements are consistently met and executed to the highest quality standards.

Your main goal will be to foster team and individual development by providing coaching and support, promoting cross-team collaboration, and initiating actions to improve processes and results. You will encourage a culture of continuous learning and improvement, helping employees to grow and strengthen their skills.

In addition, you will play an active role in local, regional, or global projects, and motivate team members to participate in such initiatives. You will work closely with various stakeholders to identify opportunities for innovation and efficiency, contributing to both the team’s and the wider organization’s success.

This role offers the chance to make a real impact, enabling both the team and Zurich to deliver reliable and insightful financial information, adapt to changing business needs, and support the achievement of strategic objectives.

Responsibilities:

 Team Management:

• Manage team members by providing support.
• Review and assess performance of Team Members.
• Align team and individual objectives to achieve company's goals,
• Act as a contact point on performance and personal issues,
• Build proper motivation, teamwork and knowledge sharing environment within the team,
• Conduct recruitment process,
• Be a role model and lead by example.

Process Management:

• Effectively manage month/quarter end closing and controlling activities to meet the agreed KPIs
• Monitor the closing process and escalate issues when needed. Prepare lessons learnt based on closing periods
• Support performance reporting, expense reporting and data management.
• Identification of financial issues and the drivers behind, support counter-measures definition and track achievement
• Ability to set and monitor the right priorities during closing period,
• Cooperate with various stakeholders (Actuaries, Local Accountants, Group Consolidation, Tax Department, Treasury, Investment Accounting, Zurich Management),
• Actively monitor ICFR controls compliance over all team activities and ensure controls are properly implemented and executed,
• Act as an escalation point of contact for Team Members and local FAR Controller,
• Key contact for process related changes,
• Actively identify areas for improvements, drive the continuous process improvement and standardization,

Additional requirements:

• This position will be dedicated for the US (American) customer and will require occasionally adapting to work according to the US hours as per the team’s shift schedule (9.00-17.00, 11.00-19.00, 14.30-22.30).

Candidate’s profile:

• At least 8 years of relevant accounting experience in F&A area,
• Preferable 1 year of people management experience,
• Practical accounting experience in General Ledger, Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable and financial reporting,
• Finance and Accounting, Economy or equivalent academic degree,
• IFRS or other GAAPs knowledge preferable,
• SAP and internal control experience,
• Strong interpersonal and communication skills with ability to build relationship across various stakeholders,
• Analytical skills and attention to details,
• Problem solving skills and independent,
• Ability to multitask,
• Excellent customer service skills,
• English skills – spoken and written at fluent level (C1).

We offer:

• real life opportunities to develop and grow with us and contribute to the world around us
• competitive salaries, language allowance and an employee benefits package that includes among others medical insurance, life insurance and sport-card
• annual bonus depending on company annual results and individual performance
• wide range of learning programs and personal development opportunities including also possibility to apply for up to 80% of educational trainings reimbursement
• referral awards
• online fitness trainings
• possibility to work from home (min. 40% from the office)
• nice and friendly atmosphere

Who we are:

Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading multi-line insurer serving people and businesses in more than 200 countries and territories. Founded 150 years ago, Zurich is transforming insurance. In addition to providing insurance protection, Zurich is increasingly offering prevention services such as those that promote wellbeing and enhance climate resilience. Reflecting its purpose to ‘create a brighter future together’, Zurich aspires to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world. It is targeting net-zero emissions by 2050 and has the highest-possible ESG rating from MSCI. In 2020, Zurich launched the Zurich Forest project to support reforestation and biodiversity restoration in Brazil. The Group has about 60,000 employees and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN), is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information is available at www.zurich.com.

In March 2016 we established a Shared Service Centre in Kraków, in Poland to support our global strategy. It is from this location that we have created a global shared service platform, focusing on advanced business functions such as financial accounting and reporting, planning and performance management, ICFR testing, financial systems management as well as HR integrated talent management operations.

This role is related to the key area of Zurich’s activity in Kraków. We are committed to complete the recruitment process as soon as possible, however in some occasions it may take up to 6 months and the requirements for the position may be subject to some clarification or modification during the recruitment process.