Head of Financial Planning & Analysis

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 mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 18,000 employees spanning over 100 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.

As Head of FP&A you will help continually improve financial performance and decision-making through reporting, analysis and planning, ensuring all responsibilities are completed in accordance with company policies.

You’ll be responsible for leading the Finance Planning & Analysis team in Howden UK & Ireland Employee Benefits & Welling business. The business has a turnover of £75m with over 500 employees is growing over 20% per annum organically and continuing with its acquisition strategy.

The Head of FP&A will be a key contributor to strategy setting and performance management of the pillar, holding the FP&A function to high standards and addressing the needs of a large and varied group of stakeholders, including but not limited to the Employee Benefits & Wellbeing CEO & FD, Divisional Heads and Department Managers.

You’ll focus on providing high touch business partnering across the pillar and providing an adept budgeting, forecasting and reporting service. Furthermore, you will drive continuous improvement and process improvement initiatives, including driving the implementation of Anaplan into the Employee Benefits & Wellbeing business.

Key Accountabilities

• Reporting to Employee Benefits & Wellbeing Group Finance Director.

• Partners with the Business and Exec Team to develop business strategy and goals, and translates this into an aligned and integrated financial plan and strategy with the ultimate responsibility for delivery of:

  • Annual budget

  • 3 Year Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP)

  • 6+6 reforecast

  • Monthly flash income report

  • Monthly trading report for pillar leadership & business units

  • Synergy tracking

  • Strategic initiative tracking

• Support FD and pillar senior management in creation & delivery of pillar strategic & financial objectives.

• Line management of FP&A Manager Commercial and FP&A Manager Consumer.

• Provide commercially focused insight into performance against pillar objectives, identifying early warning signs of poor performance and assisting in creation of corrective action plans.

• Provide decision support to standalone business MDs for strategic initiatives. Supports the successful integration of any strategic business/product acquisitions from a financial perspective.

• Contribute to projects including Broker System consolidation and business transfers.

• Ad-hoc reporting requirements from pillar leadership, HUKI & Howden Group.

Person Specification

• Qualified Accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA).

• Experience of leading FP&A teams.

• Experience of Finance Business Partner.

• Experience working in Insurance Broker or similar financial services industry.

• Highly numerate with the ability to convert data into actionable insights to inform proposals and influence finance matters to solve business challenges or opportunities.

• Experience working with multiple accounting & reporting systems.

• Advanced Anaplan skill.

• Advanced Microsoft skill including Excel & PowerPoint.

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*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

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

Permanent