Finance Graduate

Location:

- Haywards Heath
- Salary:

- £28,000 plus Excellent Benefits
- Department:

- Finance

We’re First Central Insurance & Technology Group (First Central for short), an innovative, market-leading insurance company. We protect the things customers love so they can get on with what matters to them in life.

Data drives us. It fuels our outstanding distribution, finance, technology and legal services. Our underwriting skills built on data expertise; it creates the insights we need to give the right cover to the right customers at the right price. But, it’s the people inside and outside our business that power us. They make us stand out, help us succeed. We’re ambitious. We’re growing. We’ve won awards.

Ambitious team players can make their mark hereSound like you? You'll fit right in.

We currently have an exciting opportunity for a Graduate to join our Finance Team in Haywards Heath, West Sussex.

**To be successful in this role, you’ll need to**:

- Hold a minimum 2:1 degree in a numerate or business discipline
- Demonstrate a strong interest in pursuing a career in Finance
- Be prepared to work and study simultaneously to achieve relevant professional qualifications

**Job Purpose**:
The Finance Graduate will benefit from rotations within a wide range of Finance disciplines (Financial Accounts, Financial Planning & Analysis, Tax, Underwriting Finance, Finance Business Partnering and Operations) whilst gaining relevant experience supporting delivery of management and financial accounting services to the business.

The post holder will be expected to study towards, and successfully achieve, a professional Accountancy Qualification during the scheme.

**Responsibilities**:

- Drives self-development including the achievement of a professional accounting qualification.
- Develop all-round knowledge of a leading UK financial function, including:

- Assisting with the production of technical and non-technical accounts, including the preparation of monthly management accounts for P&L, balance sheet and cashflows.
- Performing key reconciliations across the balance sheet and cashflow transactions, investigation of reconciliation deficiencies, ensuring appropriate escalation and business engagement is achieved.
- Timely preparation of key schedules, returns and submissions required for direct and indirect tax.
- Supporting the annual, quarterly, and monthly timetables and process to create and monitor the expenses annual 5 Year financial plan, annual budget, quarterly forecasts, and monthly variance analysis.
- Providing financial support and challenge as part of the Business Partnering Team for areas across the business, including cost benefit analysis for initiatives and reporting on financial performance for entity Managers, Boards and Committees.
- Assisting with the production of models and estimates to assess the risks faced by the business to calculate capital requirements, reserving estimates to pay future claims liabilities, cash levels required to meet ongoing liabilities and dividend payments.
- Assisting the Finance Operations Shared Services centre to ensure transactional processing is delivered within SLA’s.
- Supporting the ongoing review and continuous improvement of financial controls, including investigations, review and recommendations for control strengthening activities.
- Work towards a permanent accounting professional or technical expert role within the company.
- Responsibility for maintaining department risk registers (as applicable), providing evidence and commentary for controls, updates for Mitigation Actions and maintaining control matrices and attestations. Also, to ensure that your employees are aware of their responsibility to identify and report risk.
- Comply with the requirements, and act in accordance with, the Group Code of Conduct and Fitness and Propriety policies at all times.
- Ensure compliance with Company Policies, Values and guidelines and other relevant standards/ regulations at all times, including compliance with the Senior Managers Certification Regime (SMCR) Conduct Rules
- Any other reasonable duties

**Qualifications**:

- Minimum 2:1 degree in a numerate or business discipline.

Experience
- MS Office tools (in particular Excel)

**Skills**:

- Good communication skills, both verbal and written
- Good time management and organisation skills
- Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to adopt a logical approach to solving problems
- Strong numerical skills

Knowledge
- Good knowledge of motor insurance products and the motor insurance industry after appropriate training
- Solid understanding of the business objectives and operations

Behaviours
- Logical thinker with solid reasoning ability
- Self-motivated and enthusiastic, with an organised and pro-active approach
- Ability to work on own initiative and as part of a team
- A flexible approach and positive attitude
- Emphasis on attention to detail and accuracy
- Str