Investment Accountant Global Life Insurance Provider

12 to 18 month FTC

Our client is a global market leading life insurance provider.

This Investment Accountant in London, reporting to a Director within the investment services team is a key business role within the department.
The successful candidate will primarily be responsible for validating the completeness and accuracy of the investment accounting data provided via multiple outsourced service providers, ensuring the completion of robust controls and reconciliations, attesting that all Investment asset accounting is correct and delivered to SAP for IFRS reporting, as well as German GAAP.
There will also be a requirement to complete data quality checks and support the enhancement of data quality for investment data used in regulatory reporting processes at a Group and local level. The successful candidate will require effective communication and stakeholder management skills to work across BAU and project activities spanning several international markets and working environments.

Key Responsibilities

• Providing first level input and control checks on the monthly Investment Accounting numbers into the General Ledger (SAP), with reconciliation to source system (Clearwater) covering IFRS and German GAAP
• Ensuring the timely clearance of suspense & aged balances, reconciliation breaks and validating the accuracy of asset classifications
• Data preparation and validations for accrued interest postings and other ad hoc entries
• Complete the monthly cash reconciliation
• Tracking of redemptions and subscriptions in the company's investment structures and ensuring accurate postings in Clearwater
• Ability to understand and review investment asset data attributes across multiple asset classes including private loans, derivatives, funds, and bonds. This is applicable for directly held assets as well as on a look-through basis
• Perform first level control validations on investment asset data attributes to ensure completeness and accuracy covering issuer level data, rating analysis, coupons, CIC codes, internal classifications
• Assistance in monitoring the delivery of data from outsourced service providers and the oversight of services provided
• Document and maintain the Investment operating processes and procedures ensuring all are up to date
• Assistance in the production of regular BAU reporting deliverables including analytical reviews and control attestations
• Own assigned tasks and ensure these are completed in line with SLAs
• Ensure adequate documentation of all tasks undertaken and updated in line with any changes in accordance with internal control frameworks
• Operating under a continuous improvement mindset to challenging existing processes and working with service providers as necessary to implement
• Assist in the embedding of the risk culture and control framework across ISS including identification of risks and controls and remedial actions to address all points

Role requirements

• Qualified Accountant or equivalent
• Minimum of 3 years experience working in a Finance or Investments role in the Insurance or Financial Services industry. We are looking for someone who has trained and qualified within the Insurance or Financial Services industry rather than someone who has worked at an accountancy practice
• Experience in investment assets including accounting, ideally covering IFRS and Solvency II reporting
• Experience of working in a dynamic development environment with an appreciation of BAU, Change and Projects
• Excellent organisation skills, time management and the ability to work to tight deadlines in a fast-paced environment
• Strong technical and problem-solving skills
• Attention to detail, quality driven mentality, and high standards of accuracy
• Strong verbal and written communication skills with the ability to interact professionally with a diverse group, executives, managers, developers, and subject matter experts
• Ability to react to changing priorities and work unsupervised, a can do attitude
• Given the nature of this role and the evolving state of the team, this individual will need to be comfortable and thrive in an environment of change and, at times, uncertainty