Meet Markel:
Welcome to Markel where we take great pride in what we do. To us, insurance isn’t just a policy - it’s a vital promise that gives people and businesses the confidence to move forward, each and every day. Here, you’ll find exceptional people, without the ego. People who’ll bring out your best, and support you at every step, because it’s who we are and the secret to our success.
We are a leading global speciality insurer with a truly people first-approach. With over 5,000 employees across the globe, finding creative solutions for complex risks is our passion. And our broad array of tools and knowledge allows us to create tailored coverage solutions for even the most complex needs.
Our international business is made up of two core divisions: Wholesale and National Markets, through these we offer innovative products and services. Our international business is located throughout UK, Europe, Canada and Asia Pacific.
We pride ourselves on having accessible leadership, an inclusive culture and a focus on empowerment- we call this The Markel Style. This is brought to life through our employee led networks via ‘People with Style’, which are centred around inclusion, community, wellbeing and recognition.
Markel Group (NYSE – MKL) is a Fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory, and investment operations around the world.
We’ve come a long way since Sam Markel dreamed big in 1930, but in our eyes, our journey is just getting started. Come see what you can achieve by applying for one of our open vacancies.
We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better | We enjoy the everyday | We think further
The Opportunity:
This is an exciting chance to work with Markel’s Finance department on a 13 month placement opportunity. Markel’s Accounting and Finance department supports the eight divisions and offices across the UK, Europe, Canada and Asia Pacific. The role of Finance at Markel is varied, they are responsible for recording financial transactions, providing financial information to the Markel Corporation, ensuring compliance of legal and regulatory reporting obligations, and providing accurate financial performance information to key decision makers. The successful candidate will be an important part of the wider team within Finance and will be encouraged to quickly establish strong working relationships with colleagues within Markel.
What you’ll be doing:
Within the programme you will:
- Become familiar with all current systems.
- Work effectively and efficiently to adhere to internal and external reporting deadlines
- Assist in the preparation of USGAAP accounting and disclosures.
- Assist in the preparation of various statutory accounts and regulatory returns.
- Coordinate with the Finance department members to coordinate meetings and take minutes.
- Analyse data in order to create daily reports for the Finance department.
- Greatly enhance your knowledge and use of Excel in a professional setting.
- Assist with other work across the wider Finance team.
- Liaise and communicate effectively across Finance and other departments.
- Take part in structured training conducted by senior employees with an extensive amount of knowledge in the industry to ultimately help successful candidates learn the fundamentals of insurance.
- Develop your career, with regular check-ins so that you have every opportunity to progress and gain more autonomy within your role.
What’s in it for you?
- Successful candidates will be integral members of the Finance department and would be encouraged to return to the company postgraduation to start their career.
- You’ll get support every step of the way – we know that starting out in a new role and industry can be daunting but Markel’s ego-free environment gives you all the support that you need to go further and achieve great things.
- Exposure to a number of departments ultimately will lead to a broader understanding of the business and an opportunity to accelerate your career.
- A genuine culture of camaraderie - at Markel, our shared values aren’t buzzwords. We really mean what we say in the Markel Style, and walk the talk, every day.
- Enjoy your free coffee as you admire 360 degree views of London from our office on the 26th floor of the Walkie Talkie building!
- Be part of our growing early careers community – through 121 buddy support, socials and other events you will have every opportunity to network and build great relationships with your peers both inside and outside of Markel.
- Competitive starting salary with an excellent package - including; private medical insurance, financial education, hybrid work structure, gym discounts, cycle-to-work scheme, motor breakdown cover, income protection and additional countless benefits that will be shared at the first stage of the process!
Our must-haves:
Markel are looking for candidates who:
- Are proactive and show a willingness to learn.
- Are collaborative with excellent interpersonal skills, capable of both working independently and well as part of a team.
- Have a passion for the finance industry and a clear interest in pursuing a career in finance after graduation.
- Are Self-motivated individuals who possess an inquisitive nature.
- Are organised individuals with the ability to prioritise tasks efficiently and flexibly.
- Can display clarity of thought, as well as strong attention to detail.
- Are resilient and analytical thinkers who are eager to work with data whilst maintaining a high level of accuracy.
- Demonstrate some experience working with Excel.
- Are a fast learner who asks questions and can pick up new systems quickly.
- Are penultimate year university student
- Are predicted 2:2 in any degree discipline, studying a numerical discipline would be beneficial but not essential.
