Head of External Reporting (18 month FTC)

Howden is a global insurance group with employee ownership at its heart. Together, we have pushed the boundaries of insurance. We are united by a shared passion and no-limits mindset, and our strength lies in our ability to collaborate as a powerful international team comprised of 24,000 employees spanning over 56 countries.

People join Howden for many different reasons, but they stay for the same one: our culture. It’s what sets us apart, and the reason our employees have been turning down headhunters for years. Whatever your priorities – work / life balance, career progression, sustainability, volunteering – you’ll find like-minded people driving change at Howden.

Reporting to the Chief Accounting Officer, the Head of Group Reporting will lead the team responsible for the Group’s consolidation and external reporting activities across a complex global organisation. This role owns the production of consolidated financial reporting under IFRS, leads relationships with external auditors, drives reporting excellence, and plays a key role in the delivery of major finance transformation initiatives.

Please note that this is a full-time, up to 18 months (March 2028) fixed term contract role based in our Central London office. You are expected to be onsite 3 days per week on average.

• Leadership and oversight of external reporting

  • Production of annual Group consolidated accounts prepared under IFRS

  • Production of quarterly interim consolidated accounted prepared under IFRS for lender reporting

  • Leading monthly consolidation process for a global group with subsidiaries worldwide across Americas, UK & Ireland, EMEA and Asia Pacific. Deliver accurate and timely balance sheet, income statement, cash flow and reserves reporting. Partner with the Group FP&A team to support budgeting and forecasting activities, including cash flow and capital expenditure analysis.

• Key contact with EY, the Group’s auditors

• Be a key stakeholder and SME in an ambitious change program which includes:

  • Re-build of OneStream (going live January 2027), the Group’s consolidation and reporting tool

  • Control improvements in terms of remediation and enhanced documentation

  • Number of BAU improvements including documentation/back-up, more regular production of key reconciliations and quality of analysis produced

• Collaborate with Tax, Treasury, Corporate Finance, Divisional Finance and wider Group Finance teams on cross-functional initiatives and reporting requirements.

• Lead, mentor and develop a team of five permanent employees and two contractors, creating a high-performing and collaborative environment.

• Proven experience leading group consolidation and external reporting within a large, complex international organisation.

• Strong technical IFRS knowledge, including the preparation of consolidated financial statements.

• Experience managing external audit relationships and coordinating audit deliverables.

• Demonstrated success leading finance change and transformation initiatives.

• Experience operating within a fast-paced environment with multiple reporting cycles and stakeholder demands.

• Previous people leadership experience, including coaching, development and performance management.

• Strong stakeholder management skills with the ability to work effectively across Finance and business functions.

• Advanced Excel capability with experience analysing, validating and presenting complex financial data.

Qualifications

• ACA or equivalent professional accounting qualification.

• Ideally 10+ years' post-qualification experience within group reporting, consolidation or financial reporting leadership roles.

• Experience of consolidation and reporting platforms such as OneStream is advantageous.

• Strong written and verbal English communication skills, together with excellent financial and numerical analysis capability.

A career that you define. At Howden, we value diversity – there is no one Howden type. Instead, we’re looking for individuals who share the same values as us:

• Our successes have all come from someone brave enough to try something new

• We support each other in the small everyday moments and the bigger challenges

• We are determined to make a positive difference at work and beyond

We're committed to providing reasonable accommodations at Howden to ensure that our positions align well with your needs.  Besides the usual adjustments such as software, IT, and office setups, we can also accommodate other changes such as flexible hours* or hybrid working*.

If you're excited by this role but have some doubts about whether it’s the right fit for you, send us your application – if your profile fits the role’s criteria, we will be in touch to assist in helping to get you set up with any reasonable adjustments you may require.

*Not all positions can accommodate changes to working hours or locations. Reach out to your Recruitment Partner if you want to know more.