Purpose

To lead the IBA Finance function within Lockton Insurance Brokers UAE, ensuring robust financial controls, regulatory compliance, and high-quality service delivery. The role also supports strategic financial analysis, operational efficiency, and system transformation to enhance business performance and ensure accurate, timely reporting in line with group standards.

Key Tasks & Duties

Financial Operations & Control

• Review company’s revenue performance against budget on monthly basis, ensuring renewals and new business are accounted for on time while promptly highlighting any losses or discrepancies to management.
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  Maintain robust financial controls and audit readiness, addressing findings and implementing corrective actions.
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  Ensure timely month-end closing for IBA procedures.
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  Ensure procedures and processes are relevant and in line with group strategy and are challenged and amended where necessary.
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  Ensure compliance with internal procedures and external regulatory requirements and escalate issues to senior management.

Reconciliations & Ageing

• Lead multi-phase ledger-to-ledger reconciliation (2017-present), ensuring proper bookkeeping and matching records.
• Monitor and report risk exposure due to missing documentation, unprocessed items, unmatched cash…
• Oversee unmatched cash clean-up initiatives, coordinating with billing and reconciliation teams to enhance the overall process.
• Drive closure of overaged balances of all ageing buckets (brokerage, funded & held) through structured escalation and alignment with leadership.

Reporting & Insights

• Develop and deliver strategic management reports to leadership and support business decisions through data driven financial analysis
• Prepare annual producers targets based on profitability, track their actual performance, and support in clearing their ageing balances to ensure commission shares are paid on time and in line with target achievement.
• Manage end-to-end accruals process, including validation, reducing ageing, reporting to leadership.
• Review incentive agreements and suggest reasonable targets based on data analytics aiming for overall business growth.

Strategic Transformation & Process Improvement

• Partner with Digital team on finance system transformation. Act as finance lead for system testing, rollout & post implementation stabilization.
• Establish strong relationships with insurers to handle escalations efficiently and effectively.
• Manage the quality of output of the department and strive to enhance the reports and reporting structure.

Leadership & Cross-functional Collaboration

• Collaborate with cross-functional teams (Digital, Billing, Compliance, CRMs…) to resolve bottlenecks.
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  Support compliance with reviewing TOBAs, SLAs and other agreements, highlighting concerns and changes required to align with policies and procedures.
• Support and coach associates to assist where possible in achieving their goals, productivity, and effectiveness.

• Supervise and monitor the day-to-day performance of associates and provide support as appropriate.
• Responsible for understanding, accepting, and promoting the Lockton culture, remaining consistent with the organization’s philosophies and mission statement.
• Leverage business intelligence tools for enhanced financial reporting and analysis.
• Advocate for automation of repetitive finance processes to improve accuracy and efficiency.
• Identify and report financial risks and exposures, implementing preventative measures in line with internal controls and insurance finance best practices.

Competencies:

Qualification & Technical Knowledge

• Bachelor’s degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field.
• 5-8 years of experience in finance operations within the insurance industry.
• Professional qualification (ACA, ACCA, CPA, or equivalent) or working towards
• A good understanding of the general and legal principles applicable to insurance, particularly IFRS & CBUAE regulations.
• Advanced working knowledge of spreadsheet applications and formula calculations.
• Proven experience in ledger reconciliations, accruals, audit preparation, and financial system implementation.
• Ability to compile, analyse and interpret financial information and data to facilitate decision making.
• An understanding of cash collection/payment processes.

Leadership & Analytical Thinking

• Proven leadership and strong analytical and problem-solving skills to facilitate decision making.
• Ability to identify opportunities for business development.
• Ability to build and maintain good business relationships with clients, insurers and associates.
• Ability to develop and implement internal controls and procedures.
• Ability to identify developmental needs for Associates and to provide appropriate mentoring and coaching.
• Ability to manage time, prioritise and ensure that deadlines are met without compromising quality.
• Effective delegation as appropriate.
• Ability to handle management issues including, but not limited to, associates, projects and resources.
• Excellent presentation skills in both preparation and execution.
• Personal presence to interface with management of other businesses, insurers and other third-party providers, representing Lockton in the highest professional manner.
•  Professional and tactful negotiation and persuasion skills to achieve objectives.

Compliance & Regulatory Awareness

• A thorough understanding of and adherence to Lockton standards and procedures.
• Ability to make decisions in compliance with established Lockton standards of quality performance and service.
•  Thorough understanding and adherence to regulatory, compliance and accounting standards/requirements applicable to broking operations.

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