Title:  Finance Systems Lead

Canada Life UK looks after the retirement, investment and protection needs of individuals, families and companies. We help to build better futures for our customers, our intermediaries and our employees by operating as a modern, agile and welcoming organisation.

Part of our parent company Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life UK has operated in the United Kingdom since 1903. We have hundreds of respected and supported employees committed to doing the right thing for our customers and colleagues.

Canada Life UK is transforming to create a more customer-focused business by providing our customers with expertise on financial and tax planning, offering home finance and annuities propositions, and providing collective fund solutions to third party customers.

Job Purpose

The Finance Function is transforming and our vision is to develop a Finance team that excels at providing the appropriate level of insight and support to enable the business to meet its strategic objectives, drive timely and data-driven decisions – all with financial understanding at the core. 

Our vision is supported by 6 key principles which are to: (1) Embrace technology, (2) Be strategic, (3) Be timely and efficient, (4) Think data, (5) Focussed development,  and (6) Strengthen analytics and insight.

As part of this evolution and our modernisation programme, the Finance Systems Lead role will focus on the systems, data and technology underpinning financial reporting within a dynamic life insurance environment. The role holder will understand data flows of finance systems and processes, ensuring they undertake a lead role in supporting finance change. This role requires a blend of technical finance expertise, system knowledge, leadership, and a strong understanding of the UK life insurance industry and its regulatory framework.

Key Duties 
 

• Act as the primary finance owner for understanding finance reporting systems, ensuring their integration, functionality, and alignment with business needs
• Provide leadership to the design, implementation, and optimisation of finance systems to support finance modernisation
• Collaborate with IT and third-party vendors to manage change
• Assist with the framework to develop and maintain robust controls and workflows to ensure data accuracy, security, and compliance
• Provide the linkage to systems expertise to ensure timely and accurate production of statutory, regulatory, and management reports
• Support the automation and improvement of finance processes, reducing manual interventions and enhancing reporting efficiency
• Maintain documentation of data flow configurations, processes, and key controls to support audits and compliance checks
• Partner with finance, actuarial, IT, and operational teams to understand requirements and help deliver system solutions that align with business objectives.
• Provide training and guidance to finance users, ensuring they effectively leverage the systems for reporting and analysis.
• Act as the liaison between finance teams and IT and external consultants or vendors for system-related projects.
• Understands, keeps up to date and applies industry developments, regulatory changes and best practice with respect to finance systems and innovative thinking, sharing  to provide solutions. 
• Identifies opportunities for value creation through insightful analysis of internal data and external research.

Skills, Knowledge and Experience

• Proven experience in understanding finance systems within a life insurance or financial services organisation in the UK from a finance user perspective
• Enhanced understanding of financial reporting requirements, including IFRS 17, Solvency II, and UK GAAP
• Detailed understanding of finance systems such as Prophet, SAP, or similar ERP solutions
• Demonstrable experience with data integration, reporting tools, and system architecture
• Demonstrable track record in finance transformation projects and/or system migrations 
• Enhanced analytical and problem-solving skills with attention to detail
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• Familiarity with actuarial models and data requirements in a life insurance context
• Knowledge of process automation tools and technologies (e.g., RPA, Alteryx, Python or Power BI)
• A proactive, solution-oriented mindset with the ability to manage multiple priorities
• Strong leadership and collaboration skills, fostering teamwork across department
• Comfortable working in a fast-paced environment with a focus on continuous improvement.
• Proven track record at delivering the defined requirements under tight deadlines
• Demonstrable ability to navigate through uncertainty and provide solutions when working through ambiguity. 

Qualifications
 

Professional accounting qualification (ACA, ACCA, CIMA, or equivalent) or by experience
 

Benefits of working at Canada Life

We believe in recognising and rewarding our people, so we offer a competitive salary and benefits package that’s regularly reviewed. As a Canada Life UK colleague, you’ll receive a competitive salary and comprehensive reward package including a generous pension and bonus scheme, along with, income protection, private medical insurance and life assurance.  We have a fantastic number of other benefits and support services as well as regular personal and professional development.

How we work at Canada Life

Our culture is unique and incredibly important to us.  We care about doing the right thing for our people, customers and community and helping others to build better futures.  Our blueprint behaviours shape and influence how we work, and are central to the relationships we have with others.  Every day we are encouraged to be more curious, own the outcome, face into things together and find a way forward. 

We want colleagues to have rewarding careers with us so we invest in the development of our people, technology and workplaces. That’s why we offer a range of training, flexible working and opportunities to grow and develop.

Diversity and inclusion

Building an inclusive workplace with a diverse workforce where everyone can feel they belong and achieve their potential regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic is a key commitment for us.  We are proud of the progress we’re making in DEI, and we continue for it to be a significant focus. 

“At Canada Life we believe in the power of great people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives coming together to build better futures. Emerging talent is crucial to our growth and creating an environment that continues to inspire us all.”  Nick Harding, Chief People Officer, Canada Life UK

We appreciate that everyone has different work and life responsibilities. We’re happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part time, for any of our roles should this be a requirement for you.