Group Accountant - 12 Month FTC in Birmingham

Location: Birmingham, London

Division: Finance

Reports To: Group Reporting Lead Accountant

Key Relationships: Group Reporting Lead Accountant, Group Operational Lead Accountant, Group Financial Controller, External Auditors, Actuarial Team.

Job Summary

The Group Accountant will play a key role within the Group Reporting team (IFRS 17 BAU), working closely with a wide range of stakeholders across the business. The role is responsible for delivering quarterly and annual reporting outputs, analysing results produced by the IFRS 17 calculation engine, supporting external audit activity, and contributing to ongoing process and control enhancements.

Key Responsibilities

• Group Reporting & IFRS 17 Delivery
  • Support the Group Reporting Lead Accountant in producing high quality quarterly and annual Group reporting outputs, ensuring accuracy, consistency, and adherence to reporting timelines.
  • Execute IFRS 17 reporting processes, ensuring correct application of the standard and alignment with internal and external requirements.
  • Prepare IFRS 17 compliant financial statements, notes, and disclosures for inclusion in the Beazley plc interim and annual reports.
  • Support the preparation of IFRS 17 analytical reviews, including movement analyses, key drivers of results and variance commentary.
• Analytical Review & Reconciliations
  • Perform analytical reviews across the Group P&L, balance sheet and cash flow, identifying unusual trends or variances requiring further investigation.
  • Carry out detailed reconciliations between source data, calculation engine outputs and ledger balances, ensuring completeness, accuracy, and traceability.
  • Investigate variances and work collaboratively with actuarial, FP&A and local finance teams to resolve data or accounting issues.
• Controls, Documentation & Process Improvement
  • Maintain and enhance existing documentation, process notes and control frameworks, ensuring compliance with quarterly IFRS control requirements.
  • Contribute to continuous improvement initiatives across the reporting cycle, driving efficiency, control robustness and data quality.
  • Assist in maintaining the IFRS 17 chart of accounts structure, including oversight of ledger postings and mapping changes.
• Audit Liaison
  • Act as a key point of contact for external auditors during interim and year end cycles, supporting audit requests, sample walkthroughs, and technical discussions.
  • Ensure timely preparation and submission of audit deliverables, including supporting documentation, reconciliations and variance explanations.
• Ad Hoc & Wider Team Support
  • Support the delivery of reporting governance packs, internal management reports and technical papers as required.
  • Contribute to project work and ongoing enhancements related to IFRS 17, finance systems, automation or reporting transformation.
  • Collaborate with colleagues across Group Reporting, Actuarial, FP&A, Finance Operations and Finance Change to deliver end to end reporting outcomes.

General

It is important that within all your interactions both internally and externally you adhere to Beazley’s core values - Being Bold, Striving for Better, and Doing the Right Thing – as they contribute to an internal environment of teamwork and promote a positive brand image and experience to our external customers.

We also expect Beazley employees to:

• Comply with Beazley procedures, policies and regulations including the code of conduct which incorporates the PRA and FCA Conduct.
• Undertake training on Beazley policies and procedures as delivered by your line manager, the Culture & People or assurance teams (compliance, risk, internal audit) either directly, via e-learning or the learning management system.
• Display business ethics that uphold the interests of all our customers.
• Ensure all interactions with customers are focused on delivering a fair outcome, including having the right products for their needs.
• Comply with any specific responsibilities necessary for your role as outlined by your line manager, the Culture & People or assurance teams (compliance, risk, internal audit) and ensure you keep up to date with developments in these areas.
• Carry out additional responsibilities as individually notified, either through your objectives or through the learning management system.

Personal Specification

Essential Criteria

• Qualified general insurance accountant – ACA/ACCA/CIMA
• Experience of IFRS17 and other regulatory accounting standards
• Experience liaising with third party consultancies such as EY and PwC
• External audit experience either as part of an audit team or as part of a finance team

Skills and Abilities

• Builds and maintains strong relationships at all levels
• Ability to see the big picture while ensuring that details are not overlooked in delivery
• Ability to make recommendations for improvements to processes and outlining potential solutions to challenges faced within the project
• Ability to work at both detailed and summary level
• Strong communication skills both verbally and in writing
• Ability to work under pressure, and to tight deadlines

Knowledge and Experience

• Agile delivery / project delivery

Aptitude and Disposition

• Outcome focussed, self-motivated, very flexible and enthusiastic
• Professional approach to successfully interact with senior management and colleagues
• Technically innovative, a problem solver and solution builder
• Confident to articulate your views and influence peers and management
• Adaptable in a fast moving environment
• Proactive approach

Competencies

• Computer skills – Power Query, SQL Excel and MS office
• Good interpersonal and communication skills
• The ability to manage time, meet deadlines and prioritise
• Must be able to work as part of a team
• Attention to detail
• Emotional intelligence
• Ability to challenge and influence decision