Head of Expense Strategy and Performance Management

Zurich North America (ZNA) is seeking Head of Enterprise Expense Strategy & Performance Management to lead financial stewardship, optimization, and strategic evolution of direct expenses across the organization. This role reports to the Head of Planning & Performance Management (PPM) and is preferably based at our Schaumburg, IL headquarters, or Chicago, IL office.

This is a high-impact enterprise leadership role responsible for shaping how ZNA plans, governs, and optimizes its expense base in support of profitable growth. The role partners closely with Business Unit and Functional leaders, Finance leadership, and the ZNA Executive Committee to ensure expense investments are aligned with strategic priorities, productivity objectives, and long-term value creation.

You will lead a team of finance professionals embedded across the organization, providing insight, challenge, and strategic guidance, moving beyond traditional cost control toward forward-looking expense strategy, transformation, and performance discipline.

Key Accountabilities:

Enterprise Expense Strategy

• Own the enterprise-wide direct expense strategy, ensuring alignment with financial plan, portfolio priorities, and growth objectives.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear expense guardrails, targets, and investment trade-offs. Bring forward insights to continuously improve efficiency, productivity, and return on investment.
• Monitor expense trends, benchmarks, and best practices across the insurance industry and broader financial services market.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead, coach, and develop a high-performing team of financial analysts partnering with Business Units and Functions.
• Foster a culture of accountability, insight-driven decision-making, and enterprise thinking.

Planning, Forecasting & Governance

• Oversee expense planning, budgeting, forecasting, and variance analysis across the enterprise.
• Ensure consistent governance, data quality, and transparency of expense information and reporting.

• Assess the effectiveness of existing expense management policies and frameworks and recommend enhancements to strengthen discipline, flexibility, and strategic alignment.

Executive & Stakeholder Partnership

• Act as a trusted advisor to Business, Functional, and Finance leadership on expense decisions, trade-offs, and optimization opportunities.
• Support the Executive Committee in delivering plan commitments and achieving enterprise expense targets.

Basic Qualifications:

• Bachelors Degree and 10 or more years of experience in the Financial Analysis or Reporting area
  

AND

• Experience providing strategic financial insight and consultation to business leadership
• People management experience

Preferred Qualifications:

• Proven experience managing and analyzing expense planning, forecasting and performance management across a large, diversified enterprise
• Advanced financial analysis, strategic problem-solving, and decision-support capabilities
• Strong executive presence with the ability to influence without authority
• Insurance or financial services industry experience with strong commercial acumen
• Track record of driving change, transformation, and improved financial discipline
• Experience building inclusive, collaborative, and high-performing teams
• Exceptional communication, stakeholder management, and organizational skills

We offer competitive pay and comprehensive benefits for employees and their families. [Learn more about Total Rewards here.]

Why Zurich?

At Zurich, we value your ideas and experience. We offer growth, inclusion, and a supportive environment—so you can help shape the future of insurance. Zurich North America is a leader in risk management, with over 150 years of expertise and coverage across 25+ industries, including 90% of the Fortune 500®.

Join us for a brighter future—for yourself and our customers.

Zurich in North America does not discriminate based on race, ethnicity, color, religion, national origin, sex, gender expression, gender identity, genetic information, age, disability, protected veteran status, marital status, sexual orientation, pregnancy or other characteristics protected by applicable law. Equal Opportunity Employer disability/vets.

Zurich complies with 18 U.S. Code § 1033.

Please note: Zurich does not accept unsolicited CVs from agencies. Preferred vendors should use our Recruiting Agency Portal.

Location(s): AM - Schaumburg, AM - Chicago
Remote Working: Hybrid
Schedule: Full Time
Employment Sponsorship Offered: No  
 
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