Senior Finance

Cardiff Full-time Finance

Company Description

Legal & General (L&G) is a leading UK financial services group and major global investor. We have been safeguarding people's financial futures since 1836, and strive to build a better society, while improving the lives of our customers and creating value for shareholders. We are one of the world's largest asset managers and provide powerful asset origination capabilities. Together, these underpin our retirement and protection solutions: we are an international player in pension risk transfer, in UK and US life insurance, and in UK workplace pensions and retirement income. Our Group Functions provide the services that all areas of the business need. This requires a talented and diverse team behind the scenes, who enable everyone at L&G to do what they do best. Joining us means helping to improve the lives of our customers and contributing to the success of the business every day.

Job Description

We are recruiting for a Senior Finance & Data Analyst to join us on a 12-Month FTC basis. In this role, you will work closely with and support the Group Functional Business areas, Group Finance, Group COO and other key stakeholders, to ensure robust reporting and understanding of the Group cost base to enable informed business decisions. This role will have a strong focus on continuous improvement for financial reporting processes, working with various data sources to deliver streamlined outputs and improve current processes. This will include proactive use of your analytical skills and experience, drawing on your ability to use Excel, Power BI and other Technology Business Management tools to streamline reporting processes, better analyse the costs base and the key drivers to be able to articulate the impact of the business decisions on the finances. Your outputs will directly support the role of the Senior Finance Business Partner. You will help to ensure that month end and forecasting reporting is accurate, timely and appropriately reflects risks and opportunities within the relevant business area. You will also ensure the financial outputs are aligned with business expectations with reasons for variances clearly explained and agreed with the relevant functional lead.

To be successful in the role, you will need to have a passion for data and analysis, a natural ability to challenge and improve processes and an ability to clearly and confidently communicate with a broad range of stakeholders. You will also bring experience of prioritising outputs and delivering to plan within a fast-paced environment.

What you'll be doing:

• Identifying weaknesses and areas for improvement in current process and participate to implement enhancements working with the various teams and seeing your ideas through to completion. These improvements and efficiencies will enable more value insights for stakeholders and reduce the resource overhead currently required to deliver reporting outputs.
• Conducting FP&A reporting, including taking a leading role in the rolling monthly and quarterly forecasting processes and annual planning cycle for your functional areas.
• Assisting in the planning processes with each pillar within the function to ensure financial reporting is in line with expectations and that numbers and any movements are clearly understood.
• Leading the month end process for your functional areas to ensure that all costs are correctly reflected in the financials, and corrective journals are posted pre-close. You will clearly narrate your monthly position to the Senior Finance Business Partner and support other reporting outputs.
• Maintaining and monitoring robust accounting standards, policies and financial controls in all activity to ensure compliance with the Group Standards, statutory requirements and the control framework.
• Ensuring all processes and financial transactions are compliant with internal and external audit requirements.
• Leading on monthly reporting analysis and ad hoc analysis using tools such as Excel, Power BI (including building Power BI models) and other tools to provide the transparency required to enable decision making by the Leadership team. This will include proactively identifying areas requiring additional analysis and producing products to a quality ready to use by seniors across the organisation.
• Working closely with the cost centre owners and other stakeholders to ensure costs are appropriately captured in financial plans for the teams you have responsibility for.
• Supporting transformation workstreams for your functions, acting as a key enabler and critical friend to emergent plans.

Qualifications

Who we're looking for:

• Part Qualified Accountant or Qualified, ACCA, CIMA, ACA with commercial experience (preferable).
• Excellent Excel skills with the ability to summarise analysis using charts and infographics.
• Experience of using and building Power BI models or other business intelligence platforms like Apptio.
• Continuous improvement mindset - proactive and keen to find more efficient ways of working and see initiatives through to delivery.
• Highly numerate with strong analytical skills.
• Previous experience in analytical roles.
• Experience of financial reporting process improvement.
• Personable / good communication skills, including experience of clear briefing to senior stakeholders.
• Excellent attention to detail, organisation and time management skills.

Whatever your role, we reward performance and behaviour with a package that looks after all the things that are important to you. Here are some of the benefits we offer:

• The opportunity to participate in our annual, performance-related bonus plan and valuable share schemes.
• Generous pension contribution.
• Life assurance.
• Healthcare Plan (permanent employees only).
• At least 25 days holiday, plus public holidays, 26 days after 2 years' service. There's also the option to buy and sell holiday.
• Competitive family leave.
• Participate in our electric car scheme, which offers employees the option to hire a brand-new electric car through tax efficient salary sacrifice (permanent employees only).
• There are many discounts we offer – both for our own products and at a range of high street stores and online.
• In 2023, some of our workspaces were redesigned. Our offices are great spaces to connect and collaborate and have your wellbeing at the heart.

Additional Information

At L&G, we believe it's possible to generate positive returns today while helping to build a better future for all. If you join us, you'll be part of a welcoming, inclusive culture, with opportunities to collaborate with people of diverse backgrounds, views, and experiences. Guided by leaders with integrity who care about your future and wellbeing. Empowered through initiatives which support people to develop their careers and excel. We care passionately about outcomes rather than attendance and are therefore open to discussing all kinds of flexible working options including part-time, term-time and job shares. Although some roles have limited flexibility due to customer demand, we accommodate requests when we can. It doesn't matter if you don't meet every single criterion in this advert. Instead, think about what you excel at and what else you can bring in terms of strengths, potential and connection to our purpose.