Allocations & Accounting Lead

Working hours: This role is available on a part-time, job-share or full-time basis

Location: Flexible – The Expenses team is based in Swindon and office presence will be required 1-2 days a week, in addition to adhoc office presence in our other locations (Whiteley/London)

The opportunity: 

The role is a great opportunity to join the PPM team as an Allocations and Accounting Lead, supporting the business to deliver their strategy and financial targets.

We are looking for someone who will play a critical role within the Expenses team, managing the allocation of expenses across the UK business, optimizing cost efficiency by helping to providing clarity on the drivers of the expense base, and providing strategic financial insights to support business decisions.

This is a fantastic opportunity for someone who is adaptable, proactive and has a keen eye for detail and process improvement to ensure your insight and influence will have a material impact on key business outcomes including growth, profitability and customer servicing. You will need to have the confidence in managing large data sets and turning data into insight to influence at all levels to drive achievement of understanding of the drivers of the cost base to help the business to deliver the wider strategic goals.

To be successful in this role, you will need to be confident with complex financial matters and comfortable navigating ambiguity to produce creative and impactful solutions to aid decision making.

Many of our employees work flexibly in a variety of different ways, including part-time, flexible hours, job share, an element of working from home or compressed hours. This is because we want the best people for our roles, and we recognise that sometimes those people aren’t available full-time. Please talk to us at interview about the flexibility you may need.

What will you be doing?  

• Ensuring accuracy and completeness of financial data in P&L reports, ensuring production is fast and efficient, and consistently delivers insight to the teams within PPM and the wider business
• Oversee the allocation of expenses across various departments and projects and in compliance with company policies
• Perform detailed financial analysis to support business decision-making and influence leaders to embed a cost-conscious culture
• Prepare and present financial reports and provide insights to senior management and stakeholders
• Assist in the preparation of the allocated annual budgets and quarterly forecasts, being able to communicate key drivers of material movements and ensuring insight is clear and enables decision making
• Develop, implement, and monitor internal controls to safeguard company assets and ensure financial integrity
• Mentor the wider expenses and PPM teams on the allocations process and outputs to foster a collaborative and high-performance work environment.
• Identify and implement process improvements to enhance efficiency in expense allocation and reporting
• Support the Transformation & Allocation manager in consistently looking for opportunities for continuous improvement, and striving for efficiency in process and delivery
• Work with the expense management partnering team to agree the cost allocation drivers for each cost centre within their remit, including allocations to channel/ product, admin, acquisition and claims handling, and fixed/ variable.

What are we looking for? 

• Experience in building and managing relationships with varied stakeholders at a senior level.
• A strong understanding of financial results, metrics and drivers of the expense base with the ability to present complex financial metrics
• You will be solution focused and a flexible thinker with strong commercial awareness and business acumen
• Curious and creative with the ability to analyse multiple data and information sources to identify progress, opportunities and challenges
• Confident and credible with senior stakeholders, you will be comfortable facilitating, consulting, challenging and advising as appropriate
• Accomplished at delivering both independently and through co-ordinating the activities of others, utilising excellent collaboration, relationship and stakeholder management skills
• Be driven to implement process improvement and be proactive in creating an efficient and high-performing team
• Fully qualified accountant or relevant experience; experience of working with large data sets or systems/data driven roles would be an advantage
• High level Microsoft Office user, experienced with Excel and PowerPoint
• Experience of using data analysis tools such as Power BI / Power Query and/or a willingness to develop skills in this area
• Experience of SAP and IBM Planning Analytics, desirable but not essential.

What happens next?

As an inclusive employer we want to ensure that all candidates feel comfortable and are able to perform at their best during the interview. You’ll have the opportunity to let us know of any reasonable adjustment or practical support needed when you apply.

Who we are: 

At Zurich we aspire to be one of the most responsible and impactful businesses in the world and the best global insurer. Together we’re creating a brighter future for our customers, our people and our planet.

With over 55,000 employees in more than 170 countries, you’ll feel the support of being part of a strong and stable company who are a long-standing player in the insurance industry.

We’ve made a promise to each other and every employee; to focus on sustainable impact, to care about each other’s wellbeing, to use our diverse expertise to be curious and optimistic and to develop the skills needed for our future.

If you're interested in working in a dynamic and challenging environment for a company that recognises and rewards your creativity, initiatives and contributions - then Zurich could be just the place for you. Be part of something great.

Our Culture: 

At Zurich, our sense of community is strong and we’re particularly passionate about diversity and inclusion, which we’ve won numerous awards for. We want our people to bring the whole of themselves to work and ensure everybody is made to feel welcome, regardless of their background, beliefs or culture. We want our employees to reflect the diversity of our customers, and so are committed to treating all of our applicants fairly and with respect, irrespective of their actual or assumed background, disability or any other protected characteristic.

We’ve an environment that places a real importance on our people’s wellbeing from a physical, mental, social and financial perspective. We work with our wellbeing partners and industry experts to provide the best advice and access to a wealth of lifestyle support. We’re also committed to continuous improvement and we offer access to a comprehensive range of training and development opportunities.

We’re passionate about supporting employees to help others by getting involved in volunteering, charitable and community activity. Our charitable arm, Zurich Community Trust, is one of the longest-established corporate trusts in the UK. In that time, we’ve awarded grants and volunteered time to deserving causes in the UK valued at over £90 million. #li_hybrid

So make a difference. Be challenged. Be inspired. Be supported, Love what you do. Work for us.