Project Overview
A London Market insurer is seeking an experienced Financial Controls Accountant to deliver a finance controls improvement programme focused on strengthening the financial control environment, enhancing balance sheet governance, improving close processes, and embedding sustainable controls across Finance and the wider business.
The successful consultant will assess the current control framework, identify gaps and inefficiencies, implement remediation plans, and ensure robust financial reporting controls are embedded across key finance processes
Key Project Objectives
- Review and enhance the existing financial controls framework, including risk and control matrices, process documentation, and control register
- Strengthen balance sheet governance through improved reconciliation processes, substantiation standards, ageing reviews, and action tracking
- Assess the design and operating effectiveness of key financial controls and implement improvements where deficiencies are identified
- Deliver sustainable remediation of control weaknesses through root-cause analysis and corrective action plans
- Improve month-end and year-end close governance, ensuring appropriate journal controls, review procedures, and management oversight
- Drive standardisation and efficiency improvements across Record-to-Report and associated finance processes
- Enhance financial reporting controls and ensure alignment with internal policies, governance requirements, and best practice
- Support finance transformation initiatives, system enhancements, and process change programmes by assessing and embedding appropriate controls
Key Deliverables
- Updated financial controls framework and control documentation
- Comprehensive review of balance sheet reconciliation and substantiation processes
- Control testing programme with documented findings and remediation plans.
- Closure of identified audit and control deficiencies.
- Enhanced month-end close control framework and governance reporting.
- KPI and management reporting dashboard covering control effectiveness, reconciliation quality, and close performance
- Updated finance policies, control standards, and evidence retention procedures
- Recommendations and implementation plan for process automation, standardisation, and control optimisation
Required Experience
- ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent qualified accountant.
- Strong background in financial controls, financial accounting, audit, or governance.
- Proven experience improving control environments and balance sheet governance
- Experience delivering control testing, remediation, and audit support programmes.
- Strong understanding of month-end close, reconciliations, financial reporting controls, and finance operating models.
- Experience working with ERP systems such as SAP, Oracle, Dynamics, or NetSuite.
- Demonstrated ability to lead process improvement and finance transformation initiatives.
- Excellent stakeholder management, documentation, and project delivery skills.