Working hours: This role is available on a part-time, job-share or full-time basis
Location: Fareham/hybrid working
Closing date for applications: 16th June 2026
The opportunity
This is an operational team lead role within the Finance Operations Reporting & Controls function, responsible for owning day-to-day delivery, driving team performance, and ensuring high-quality, controlled outputs. You will lead a UK-based team and provide oversight of offshore delivery, ensuring priorities are clear, resources are aligned, and issues are resolved efficiently. The role is hands‑on and delivery-focused, with accountability for outcomes. Success in this role comes from creating clarity, maintaining momentum, and taking ownership to ensure the team consistently delivers accurate reporting, strong controls, and excellent service to stakeholders.
Role Purpose
* Own it: Take full accountability for the team’s operational delivery, ensuring deadlines, quality, and control standards are met
* Accelerate it: Drive pace, remove blockers, and continuously improve processes and ways of working
* Win it: Deliver reliable, accurate outputs and build trust with stakeholders through consistent performance
What will you be doing?
Operational Leadership & Delivery
* Lead the day-to-day running of the Reporting & Controls team, setting priorities and ensuring work is delivered on time and to standard
* Act as the first point of accountability for team output, quality, and issue resolution
* Proactively manage workload, capacity, and competing deadlines across all teams
* Ensure clear allocation of tasks and ownership, with strong follow-through
Query Resolution & Control Ownership
* Take ownership of complex queries and issues, driving them through to resolution with pace and clarity
* Investigate root causes and ensure sustainable fixes are implemented
* Maintain oversight of balance sheet control accounts, ensuring accurate and timely review and sign-off
* Ensure the control environment is effective and consistently applied
Reporting & Outputs
* Oversee preparation and review of key finance deliverables, including balance sheet reporting and provisions
* Ensure outputs are accurate, consistent, and meaningful
* Provide clear insight and context to stakeholders where required
Team Leadership & Development
* Provide line management for team members, including performance management, coaching, and development
* Create a culture of accountability, ownership, and continuous improvement
* Support offshore teams to ensure aligned delivery and high standards
Stakeholder & Delivery Management
* Build effective working relationships across Finance Operations and the wider business
* Manage dependencies and ensure stakeholder requirements are delivered
Continuous Improvement
* Identify and implement improvements to process efficiency and control effectiveness
* Support delivery of change and automation initiatives
What Good Looks Like In This Role
* The team delivers consistently, accurately, and on time
* Issues are owned, understood, and resolved quickly
* Priorities are clear and resources effectively deployed
* Stakeholders receive a reliable and high‑quality service
Skills & Experience
* Accounting qualification desired – ACCA/CIMA (or equivalent)
* Relevant finance experience or equivalent practical knowledge in a finance team
* Preferable experience of working with offshore or co‑located teams
* Strong organisational and prioritisation skills
* Ability to manage workload and meet deadlines
* Experience supporting or leading teams
* Strong analytical and problem‑solving capability
* Confident communication and stakeholder engagement skills
* Intermediate knowledge of Outlook 365 tools, including Power Query (desirable)
Behavioural Competencies
* Collaborate – promote and deliver effective collaboration with all stakeholders by understanding all parties needs, through proactive communication, showing flexibility and compromise to deliver the best result for the business
* Empower – embrace empowerment by ensuring the necessary resources, support, and autonomy are in place to take initiative, make informed decisions, and contribute meaningfully to achieving our collective goals
* Growth mindset – demonstrate a growth mindset by encouraging continuous learning, embracing challenges and leveraging feedback
* Trust – proactively build trust by consistently demonstrating transparency, reliability, and integrity in all interactions and communications, within an environment of psychological safety
* Curiosity – ask more questions, seeking out new experiences and perspectives, to understand more about people, processes and the wider function and business, with a positive and constructive mindset
What will you get in return?
Benefits include a 12% defined non‑contributory pension scheme, annual company bonus, private medical insurance and the option to buy up to an additional 20 days or sell some of your holiday, alongside a range of other flexible benefits.
The company
We are a global insurance group with over 65,000 employees, committed to sustainable impact, employee wellbeing and inclusive culture. We support our employees through wellbeing programmes, community volunteering and an inclusive recruitment process that respects all protected characteristics.
Application process
We’re committed to treating all applicants fairly and with respect, irrespective of their actual or assumed background, sexual orientation, disability or any other protected characteristic. If you require an alternative method of applying, please email recruitment@uk.zurich.com.
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