Head of Finance – Life & Pensions

Role Overview

We are inviting applications for the position of Head of Finance based in Letterkenny. This senior leadership role involves spearheading the accounting and financial operations function for a prominent national client operating within the Life & Pensions sector. The successful candidate will oversee robust financial controls, operational excellence, and lead a dynamic finance team to support strategic objectives with precise financial data and reporting.

Primary Duties

• Manage month-end closing activities to ensure accurate and prompt generation of Trial Balance and management accounts.
• Supervise posting of detailed month-end journals, including accruals, prepayments, reclassifications, corrections, and adjustments.
• Coordinate reconciliations between sub-ledger and General Ledger, addressing and resolving discrepancies promptly within service-level agreements.
• Maintain rigorous interface controls between operational systems and the General Ledger to guarantee data completeness and accuracy.
• Support accounting tasks related to contributions, transfers, refunds, benefit payments, and administrative charges.
• Investigate and rectify transaction exceptions and financial discrepancies with root cause analysis and corrective measures.
• Serve as the main finance liaison for client inquiries concerning reconciliations, month-end balances, and financial reports.
• Ensure strong governance by maintaining thorough documentation, reconciliation evidence, standard operating procedures, and control frameworks.
• Lead continuous improvement initiatives by enhancing processes, automating workflows, and refining reporting methods.
• Assist internal and external audits to uphold compliance with financial controls.
• Collaborate with IT, change management, and system vendors to resolve finance feed issues and support system enhancement testing.
• Provide leadership, mentoring, and development opportunities to junior finance team members, encouraging a culture of accountability and collaboration.

Candidate Profile

• Qualified Accountant (ACCA, CPA, or equivalent) with extensive finance and accounting experience, preferably within financial services.
• Solid expertise in Trial Balance preparation, management accounting, journals, reconciliations, and month-end reporting within sub-ledger to General Ledger frameworks.
• Strong analytical skills with proficiency in investigating and resolving financial discrepancies.
• Advanced Microsoft Excel capabilities, including Pivot Tables, Lookups, and data analysis; experience with Power Query is advantageous.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills, comfortable engaging with clients and senior business partners.
• Highly organized and capable of managing multiple priorities while delivering accurate outputs within strict deadlines.

Preferred Qualifications

• Experience in the Irish Life & Pensions sector.
• Familiarity with Oracle Financials.
• Understanding of Life & Pensions transactional processes covering contributions, transfers, benefits, and fees.
• Experience handling high-volume transaction processing and suspense account management.
• Exposure to user acceptance testing, finance system updates, or enhancement of finance feeds.

Benefits and Work Environment

• Annual bonus scheme rewarding performance.
• Contributory pension plan.
• Private medical insurance and life assurance coverage.
• Long-term disability protection.
• Employee assistance program support.
• Generous paid leave: 22 annual leave days plus 10 public holidays.
• Opportunities for continuous learning, professional development, and on-site lunch & learn sessions.
• Additional perks such as company discounts, on-site parking, and participation in the bike-to-work scheme.

Additional Information

This permanent, full-time role requires onsite presence in Letterkenny. Applicants must be eligible to work within Ireland or the EU and will have the opportunity to influence and lead a vital finance function for a leading client in the Life & Pensions industry.