Technical Accountant

Since Aspen was founded in 2002, we have become a leading, diversified specialty insurance and reinsurance company. We respond thoughtfully and creatively to find the best outcomes for our clients and business partners through carefully-tailored solutions. We believe the way we work is just as important as the work we do, and we are guided by our core values of respect, honesty, trust and professionalism. Aspen is a great place to develop your career offering an exciting and challenging environment where achievement is rewarded.

Role Purpose

Responsible for ensuring effective and efficient control activities of all the UK Companies including, but not limited to, effectively evaluating and embedding key process and control changes in respect of US GAAP and ensuring good relationships are maintained for all stakeholders (internal and external) of the UK financial reporting deliverables to deliver timely and accurate financial outputs. Maintain knowledge of UK Regulatory and Lloyd’s reporting requirements, supporting entity closing activities to remain compliant with relevant accounting standards and corporate governance developments. Manage the review and sign-off by external audit of the core financials for Group and UK regulatory reporting.

Financial Processes and Control

• Monitor and design/enhance where necessary appropriate controls over the finance processes and the resulting ledger balances for all UK entities.
• Ensuring compliance with S-Ox control procedures for the UK Companies, enhancing the existing controls as required.
• Work with the UK Finance team and key data providers to ensure that new system and process requirements for the UK Platform are identified and work with the Group Finance team to ensure required system and process changes are implemented within timelines needed for reporting.
• Working with the Finance Systems team and key data providers to communicate UK Finance requirements and ensuring effective testing and efficient delivery of systems changes as needed to remain compliant with Aspen’s policies and procedures.
• Implementation of internal and external audit actions for the UK Companies.
• Represent UK Platform as a key stakeholder on projects that could impact the UK financial and regulatory reporting and MI production.

Key Results Areas

Strategy and Planning

• Contributes to functional strategy development and prioritises operational deliverables and activities of team to support delivery of overall business targets.
• Manages tactical plan and provides support to others to achieve positive results for the business in line with strategy.

Policy, Process and Procedures

• Applies specific expertise to advise and guide others within the team, to ensure accuracy, good practice and adherence to prescribed standards.
• Is responsible for a range of duties and, as an experienced practitioner, completes transactions, within a broader range of value and complexity (making decisions within authority limits) to ensure that operational processes and/or individual transactions are appropriately executed and that files, documentation and related systems are properly maintained.
• Assists in the interpretation of organisation goals and regulatory/legislative requirements; and is proactive, in reviewing, analysing and suggesting how compliance, effectiveness and risk management can be improved.

Technical Performance

• As a senior and experienced finance professional, applies technical knowledge of related accounting principles (such as GAAP) to effectively and efficiently carry out higher value/complex accounting activities and provide relevant advice, guidance, and approval in accordance with delegated underwriting authority limits, to meet business objectives.
• Is responsible for ensuring their team complies with internal and external regulations and guidelines.
• Manages the review and analysis of functional performance to identify and influence progress towards business objectives; contributes to the 'Business Optimisation' agenda, bringing together an array of financial, capital, risk, volatility and historical performance metrics to identify profit opportunities and under-performance challenges.
• Conducts and presents analysis to the senior leadership team (including contributing information and papers to the Board and Executive Committee as required) to provide relevant oversight in relation to Aspen's finances.
• Is a key contributor to the development of Finance technology toolsets to ensure effective and efficient corporate planning and financial solutions are in place.
• Utilises the suite of financial tools to develop and prepare insightful analysis to support commercial decision-making processes.
• Continually develops subject matter expertise and technical knowledge (of self and other team members) by identifying and implementing appropriate learning and development activities.

Knowledge

• Technical understanding of insurance accounting and regulatory requirements.
• Familiarity with Finance systems and chart of account design.

Skills

• Good at building solid working relationships both internally and externally.
• Management reporting and presentation.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.

Experience

• Certified ACA/ACCA/CIMA or equivalent finance professional with significant post qualified experience.
• Significant experience working in Insurance and Reinsurance within and outside Lloyd’s.

At Aspen we know that having a diverse and inclusive workforce is good for our people, good for our business and good for the environments in which we operate. We therefore welcome applications from people which allows us to draw on diverse cultures, perspectives, skills and experiences.