Expense Business Partner - 12m FTC

Birmingham, England, United Kingdom

12/15/2024

General

Job Description & Person Specification

Exciting opportunity to join Beazley’s Expense team. We are looking for an Expense Business Partner for a 12-month fixed term contract.

Who We Are

Beazley is a specialist insurance company with over 30 years’ experience helping people, communities and businesses to manage risk all around the world. Our mission is to provide beautifully designed insurance, innovating to give our clients the maximum benefit with minimum hassle.

Our products are wide ranging, from cyber & tech insurance to marine, healthcare, financial institutions and contingency; covering risks such as the weather, film production or protection from deadly weapons.

Our Culture

We employ over 1,500 people globally, hosting a wonderful diversity of cultures, experiences and backgrounds. We are proud of our family-feel culture at Beazley that empowers our staff to work in an adult environment that’s big on collaboration, diversity of thought & personal accountability.

Our three core values inspire the way we work and how we treat our people & customers - 1) Be bold 2) Strive for better 3) Do the right thing. Upholding these values every day has enabled us to become an innovative and responsive organisation in touch with the changing world around us - our ambitious L&D & Sustainability targets are testament to this.

We encourage internal career progression at Beazley, giving you all the tools you need to drive your own career here, such as iLearn (our own learning & development platform), LinkedIn Learning, our mentorship program and external qualification sponsorship. As a Beazley employee, you also get access to our fantastic array of benefits which include commuting reimbursement, free in-office lunch, six months parental leave and a lifestyle allowance, amongst many others.

Job Title: Expense Business Partner

Division: Finance

Reports To: As per Beazley’s organisation chart

Key Relationships: Finance Management, Expense Business Partners, Finance Business Partners, Support Function Heads, Underwriting Business Managers and other Business Users.

Job Summary: Ownership of the accurate and timely delivery of Expense Planning & Forecasting cycles, analytical insight and elements of MI reporting to Business Partners, the Executive Committee and various Beazley boards and the management of an Expense Analyst. To conduct oneself in line with core & partnership competencies noted below.

Key Responsibilities: Responsible for the expense (planning) control, reporting and analytics. Ensuring the integrity of the annual plan, quaterly forecasts and supporting the Business Partner Relationship model for all functions / teams:

Annual Budget & Quarterly Forecast

• Responsible for supporting the delivery of the expense planning cycles, ultimately under the remit of the expense manager, in accordance with pre-approved timetables. Including:
• Expense budgets and quarterly forecasts
• All expense ledger entries (for all processes owned)
• Expense allocation and trigger process, reclass & deferrals
• Appropriate controls and commentary are provided within the annual budgeting & forecasting process to ensure a robust expense plan is delivered
• Assist in the delivery of the “Expense Challenge” process including providing insightful MI to focus discussion on key areas, ensuring all actions are finalised and presenting final papers to the Executive Committee for approval
• Prepare and review the ledger data in advance of the budget & forecast cycles
• Continuously strive to develop processes and capabilities that increase efficiency and reporting effectiveness in the expense planning space.
• Ensure appropriate control framework is in place to ensure accuracy of reporting.
• Ownership of the process documentation framework in place for expense planning team’s responsibilities and to ensure the completeness and validity of these in line with governance requirements.
• Expense Analytics & Strategic Projects
• Support & develop the analytical review of the expense result on a quarterly basis, acting as a peer review to support overall expense deliverables.
• Own the direct cost report incl. variance analysis.
• To own and ensure delivery of Strategic projects as assigned, ensuring solution is fit for purpose and fully documented or embedded within the respective processes.
• Seek opportunities to increase process efficiency and enhance reporting
• Specific Business Partner activities
  
  

These will include, but are not restricted to, the following:

• Business Partnering to several support functions, including:
• Expense reporting and analysis
• Cost challenge delivery
• Forecast/Budget
• Cost saving initiatives
• Reviewing and ensuring delivery of expense MI to key stakeholders and working with them to provide suitable commentary and where appropriate approval, in a timely and professional manner as suitable for the report type and audience
• Ad hoc requests from the business
• Technical Competencies
  
  

These Are In Addition To The Core Competencies:

• Develop knowledge of the insurance marketing and the accounting policies adopted
• Ability to help review existing models, processes and procedures and implement improvements to improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the team
• Partnership Competencies
  
  

These Are In Addition To The Core Competencies:

• Strives to exceed the expectations of the client and actively seeks feedback
• Delivery of timely and accurate information to all stakeholders of support functions (as partnered) seeking to add value at every opportunity
• Is outward and customer focused
• Confident in own skills and contribution; challenges the client so to support the client in achieving their optimal results
• Partnership Capabilities
• Strives to understand all dimensions of the client and their underlying business as it influences their results:
• Knowledge of the individuals within the teams including communication preferences
• Understands and identifies all key drivers (systems and processes) behind the different views of reported (expense) results.
  

Core Competencies

Core Competencies In Addition To Those Noted As Specific To The Business Partner Role Which Are Considered To Be Pertinent To The Finance MI Team Are As Follows:

• Analytical Thinking: Logical analytical approach to rapidly changing data and situations. Considers wider implications across functions and varying scenarios to Beazley.
• Professionalism: Consistently demonstrates integrity, is highly credible, respectful and trustworthy and represents Beazley Finance MI in a professional manner. Builds and maintains successful working relationships and is seen to go the extra mile.
• Learning and development: Identifies strengths and weaknesses and seeks to improve performance. Recognises and takes responsibility for mistakes and learns from them. Continually seeks self development opportunities. Regularly engages in self-assessment and gives/receives feedback to enhance personal awareness.
• Adaptability: Effectively manages changing priorities in a dynamic environment. Seeks training opportunities to understand new working methods. Proves resilient in uncertain and difficult situations and adapts approach/plans/style as required.
• Responsibility and Accountability: Assumes full responsibility for the consequences of own behaviour and decisions. Delivers on commitments to clients demonstrating reliability and dependability. Admits mistakes and takes responsibility for correcting them.
• Communicating Effectively: Timely communication of new information to relevant parties. Adapts communication style and form as appropriate to the audience and illustrates an understanding of their experience and needs. Conveys complex information clearly and concisely. Persuades through uncovering shared benefits and outcomes, looking for mutually satisfactory solutions.
• Demonstrating Teamwork: Seeks collaboration as appropriate and shares knowledge/best practise and helps others when asked. Acknowledges when other members of the team are under comparatively increased pressure and volunteers to support them while maintaining responsibility for own tasks. Teaches new team members and coaches others; identifies opportunities for collaboration (NB: definition of team is extended beyond Finance MI as appropriate).
• Innovative approach: Independently finds solutions to advanced problems and identifies potential barriers to solutions and provides alternatives. Challenges assumptions and “the way we have always done it”. Embraces change and communicates the benefits of change to others.
  
  

Integrity and Control

• Use business knowledge to identify potential errors with financial impact and take steps to prevent and/or correct such errors, highlighting where necessary to management.
• Act as a conduit between the Finance department and other departments in order to maintain financial data integrity.
• Produce and maintain procedures documentation for own tasks.
  
  

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. This may include, amongst others, Beazley’s underwriting control standards, Beazley’s claims control standards, other Beazley standards and customer relationship management.
• Carry out additional responsibilities as individually notified, either through your objectives or through the learning management system. These may include membership of any Beazley committees or working groups.
  
  

Personal Specification:

Education and Qualifications

• Fully or Part qualified accountant
• A Levels or equivalent
• Financial Services background
  
  

Skills And Abilities

• Strong analytical skills with attention to detail
• Accurate and numerate
• Computer skills: excellent working knowledge of: Excel
• Able to communicate effectively with others, both verbally and in writing
• Motivational skills, team worker as well as able to work on own initiative
• The ability to manage time, meet deadlines and prioritise
• Ability to review existing models, processes and procedures and implement improvements to drive efficiency / effectiveness.
  
  

Knowledge and Experience

• Experience of a deadline driven environment
• Knowledge of reconciliations and the ability to drill down to the cause of a problem
• Working knowledge of insurance and reinsurance
• Lloyd’s experience
  
  

Aptitude and Disposition

• Outcome focussed, self-motivated, flexible and enthusiastic
• Professional approach to successfully interact with senior management, colleagues and external suppliers
• Creative, with ability to develop and implement new ways of working
• Strives to exceed expectations of the client and actively seeks feedback
• Understanding of the need for accurate and timely management information
• Confident in own skills & contribution; challenges the client to support the client in achieving the optimal result
  
  

Competencies

• Stakeholder / Relationship Management
• Highly structured and Quality focused
• Communication
• Technical Skills
• Problem Solving
• Decision Making
• Customer Focus
• Planning
• Initiative
• Team Working