Description
Group Accountant £400 a day Edinburgh (6 months)
Rutherford Cross is recruiting for a specialised asset accountant to work in a small, strong team within Group finance focusing primarily on asset reporting for IFRS and Solvency II.
The background to role is that the core Asset Data Store systems are being upgraded during 2015, placing considerable demand on the resources of the team so the role holder will be engaged in supporting the Group Asset Manager in fulfilling project responsibilities. Furthermore they will be responsible for ensuring that monthly processes newly introduced last year continue to be delivered.
In order to ‘hit the ground running’, the successful applicant should have a background which has included exposure to financial instruments and be familiar with the data associated with different types. Strong systems and Excel experience will be important. Flexibility in the first working week of each month will be vital as time critical processes occur which require being in the office later on one evening and earlier the following morning.
As part of the implementation of the Group’s wider systems architecture to support future Solvency II regulatory reporting, an Asset Data Store (ADS) has been built and rolled out to the business. The ADS has been built to contain detailed information on the Group’s investment assets and will help ensure consistency of reporting within the Group. The new Group Assets Team will be integral to the successful implementation of this reporting tool both in Group Finance and the wider finance community of the business.
While the initial delivery of the ADS has been considered a success, further development is required to augment its capabilities for full SII reporting in 2016. As a result, there is significant work to be undertaken within the team to support the project delivery in addition to maintaining recently established monthly processes. The successful applicant will play a significant part in supporting the team in meeting their responsibilities in relation to the ADS and other deliverables.
The Group Reporting Accountant will also take responsibility for supporting the Group Assets Manager in maintaining the data contained in the ADS from an overall Group perspective. This will involve ensuring business rules are effective and enhanced, ensuring the completeness of the information contained in the tool and developing and driving forward business processes to support assets reporting. Key to this will be building relationships with data providers and assets experts to develop a detailed understanding of the assets held in the Group’s various business units. Strong relationships with other finance teams will also be required to ensure consistency of reporting across the Group who utilise the system.
This is a fantastic opportunity which will suit a highly motivated individual looking to further develop their knowledge in this area during a challenging period of time for the team.
Key responsibilities:
- Establish themselves and the team as a centre of excellence for asset reporting within Group finance and the wider finance community
- Ensure asset data contained in the ADS is compliant with IFRS and Solvency II reporting requirements
- Production of asset reports for regulatory reporting, particularly Solvency II QRTs
- Ensure monthly and quarterly cleansing of data is completed within agreed timescales and escalate issues with data providers in a timely fashion to ensure no impact on reporting processes
- Be able to use judgement and apply knowledge to accurately apply IFRS7 disclosure requirements to investment assets
- Ensure consistency of asset disclosures across the Group through applying consistent data cleansing as required to the overall ADS
- Be able to interpret new/changes to IFRS standards as they apply to investment assets and communicate to the business
- Take responsibility for the maintenance of the ADS and ensure system changes and enhancements are managed and delivered
- Be able to build and maintain good relationships with asset data providers and business areas with an understanding of key stakeholder needs and priorities.
Qualifications
Technical skills/experience required
Essential:
- Qualified accountant with significant post qualification experience of working in financial services
- Strong knowledge of systems and controls
- Experience/knowledge of asset/investment accounting and reporting
- Good knowledge and experience of working in a financial and regulatory reporting environment
- Strong communicator with the ability to build excellent working relationships
Desired:
- Detailed asset reporting experience/knowledge linked to IFRS and Solvency II