Financial Applications Project Lead

Job Summary

Zurich Life Assurance plc (ZLAP) is looking for a Project Lead/Business Analyst to work in our Investment and Financial Applications area, to work in a variety of Change Management related roles from Business Analyst through Program and Project Management to Oversight and Audit related activities.

Your Role

Main responsibilities will include, but not necessarily be limited to, the following:

• Program Manage the Change Management activity for the IFS area.
• Lead activities with business owners to gather detailed requirements through interviews, documentation and facilitated working sessions for approved projects and enhancements.
• Monitor business decisions and manage requirements documentation and communication.
• Lead analysis of requested developments to determine the impact across Finance and Investment functions and associated systems. In addition, provide input into the development effort.
• Support application testing, implementation and training activities throughout the process.
• Lead individual or sub project tasks affecting single or multiple areas of Finance and Investment functions and / or ZLAP IT
• Manage work plans, timelines and budgets
• Evaluate relative feedback and Return On Investment to effectively prioritize projects
• Partner with stakeholders to identify necessary department resources to meet defined objectives.
• Perform the role of Risk Champion for the team.

Additional Job Functions

Business Accountabilities

• Work with business stakeholders, colleagues across the Finance and Investment functions and cross-functionally to translate business objectives into clearly defined business cases, costs or schedules in order to support achievement of business objectives.
• Critical Third Party Governance & Oversight – Support the governance and oversight of critical third-party service providers, including performance monitoring, governance meetings, contractual negotiations, service reviews and risk assessments.
• Risk & Control Ownership – Serve as Control Owner for key IT controls across the department, ensuring effective design and operation of controls, completion of periodic attestations, remediation of control issues and alignment with Zurich's governance and control framework
• Audit & Regulatory Compliance – Act as the primary contact for internal and external auditors, coordinating audit activities, evidence requests and management actions. Support compliance with regulatory obligations, including Central Bank of Ireland requirements and Zurich Group policies and standards
• Assist the IT Financial Applications Manager in delivering the department’ planned activity in a controlled and risk-aware manner

Your Skills and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree (or equivalent)

• 6 or more years of experience in related field, to include some or all of the following 
  • Program & change management experience – Proven track record of program managing change management activities within finance or investment functions, including coordinating multiple workstreams, coordination of SIT, UAT and go-live planning and maintaining a PMO Governance framework in line with Zurich standards 
  • Requirements gathering & business analysis – Demonstrated experience leading structured business requirements elicitation through interviews, workshops, and documentation, with the ability to translate complex business needs into clearly defined specifications and business cases.
  • Finance & investment domain knowledge – Strong understanding of finance and investment operations, processes, and systems (e.g., GL, reporting, asset management), ideally within an insurance or financial services environment, enabling effective impact analysis across functions.
  • Project planning & budget management – Hands-on experience managing work plans, timelines, and budgets, including evaluating ROI and effectively prioritising competing project demands to deliver maximum business value.
  • Third-party governance & vendor management – Experience supporting or leading the oversight of critical third-party service providers, including performance monitoring, contractual negotiations, service reviews, and associated risk assessments.
  • Risk, control & governance expertise – Background in risk management and control ownership, including designing and operating IT controls, completing periodic attestations, remediating control issues, and aligning with enterprise governance frameworks.
  • Audit & regulatory compliance coordination – Experience acting as a primary point of contact for internal and external auditors, coordinating audit activities, managing evidence requests, and tracking management actions through to closure.
  • Cross-functional stakeholder engagement & leadership – Ability to partner with business owners, IT teams, and senior stakeholders across finance and investment functions to identify resources, align priorities, and drive projects from analysis through testing, implementation, and training.
  • Professional Certifications – not essential but facilitation to progress to PMP or other qualifications  provided. 

Who we are

Zurich is one of Ireland's leading insurance companies providing a wide range of general insurance and life insurance products and services. The company employs over 1,000 people across its locations in Dublin and Wexford.

Zurich Insurance Group (Zurich) is a leading global multi-line insurer founded more than 150 years ago, which has grown into a business serving more than 82 million customers in more than 200 countries and territories, while delivering industry-leading total shareholder returns.

Reflecting its purpose to ‘create a brighter future together,’ Zurich offers protection services that go beyond traditional insurance, to support its customers in building resilience. Since 2020, the Zurich Forest project supports reforestation and biodiversity restoration in Brazil’s Atlantic Forest.

The Group has more than 65,000 employees and is headquartered in Zurich, Switzerland. Zurich Insurance Group Ltd (ZURN) is listed on the SIX Swiss Exchange and has a level I American Depositary Receipt (ZURVY) program, which is traded over-the-counter on OTCQX. Further information is available at www.zurich.com.

Additional Information

Position is Blackrock based but occasional travel may be required to other Zurich locations.

If you value an exciting and varied working environment and meet the above requirements, then our recruiter is looking forward to receiving your application by clicking on the button “Apply online”.