Head of Expense Strategy and Performance Management

Head of Expense Strategy and Performance Management

Zurich North America (ZNA) is seeking the 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.

• Own the enterprise-wide direct expense strategy, ensuring alignment with the financial plan, portfolio priorities, and growth objectives.
• Translate strategic priorities into clear expense guardrails, targets, and investment trade-offs, bringing 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• 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.

• Bachelor’s degree and 10 or more years of experience in Financial Analysis or Reporting.
• Experience providing strategic financial insight and consultation to business leadership.
• People‑management experience.

• 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.

Your pay at Zurich is based on your role, location, skills, and experience. We follow local laws to ensure fair compensation. You may also be eligible for bonuses and merit increases. If your expectations are above the listed range, we still encourage you to apply—your unique background matters to us. The proposed salary range for this position is $ – $, with short‑term incentive bonus eligibility set at 25%.

We offer competitive pay and comprehensive benefits for employees and their families.
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®.

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.

Location(s):
Schaumburg, IL;
Chicago, IL. Remote Working:
Hybrid.

Schedule:

Full Time. Employment Sponsorship Offered:
No.