Senior Accountant – Strategic Transitions  | BNP Paribas

What does a typical day look like for you? 

I work in the Strategic Transitions team which is part of the Fund Services team at BNP Paribas. Our team is responsible for the design, testing and implementation of new developments and changes to our fund accounting and administration platforms to streamline processes across Fund Services. We also provide support to the client-facing teams for a diverse range of fund clients and investment strategies, such as Debt, Mezzanine and Private Equity funds.

How did you get your job?

While still at school, I took advantage of the opportunities provided to me such as Trident with Skills Jersey, the Life in Finance scheme with Jersey Finance, and a school work experience scheme. I worked in audit, fund services and corporate banking for each scheme, respectively. The work placements helped me to better understand what type of work I enjoyed, and at 18 I decided to apply for my first job in fund services.

What training, degree, education do you need?

For my role, an accounting or administration qualification such as ACCA or ICSA is ideal. BNP Paribas offers a training and development programme which allows employees to pursue qualifications while working. I became an ACCA Member just over a year ago after having completed 13 exams and 3 years of work experience. Studying towards ACCA was difficult but rewarding, providing me with knowledge across not just accounting principles, but also financial and business management, audit, tax, and even ethics. Knowledge of the funds industry, accounting and administration has also been a great help, as it helps me to better understand the challenges client-facing teams encounter to help them troubleshoot any issues, whether accounting, reporting, or system issues. This knowledge can also be acquired on the job.

What are the most important skills needed for your job?

Attention to detail > we often need to design and test updates to complex and sensitive areas of the systems, such as automated reports intended for investors. These areas can really have an impact on the client relationship and increase the risk of errors if an issue is not caught in good time, so a strong attention to detail is essential.

Communication skills > my role requires me to communicate with a wide range of people and teams, both locally and globally to facilitate and expedite upgrades and fixes to our systems.

Organisational skills > given the nature of my role meaning that I have a relatively unstructured day, with both long and short term tasks, good organisational skills are vital as too much focus on one task means that other things can fall by the wayside. This can be tough if I am really enjoying something and want to put all my time into it when there is another urgent issue to attend to.

What would you tell your younger self?

I would tell my younger self not to worry so much about what other people think, since most people are more worried about themselves.

What is on your bucket list and why?

I have always wanted to see the Northern lights in person. I’m planning a trip to Tromsø in Norway in 2024 to try and make that a reality, as we’re about to reach the solar maximum, meaning the northern lights will be at their strongest in 11 years.

Tell us a fun fact about you?

I am passionate about languages, and I have been learning Norwegian for almost 2 years.