Lead Expense Business Partner

AXA UK; London; On-site; GBP 150,000 - 200,000; Full time

Job summary

A specialist insurance company is seeking a Lead Business Partner to manage the company's expenses and collaborate with executives and business unit leaders. The role involves developing strategies for expense management, analyzing spending patterns, and leading a team focused on financial insights. Candidates should be experienced qualified accountants with a background in the insurance market and strong communication skills.

Benefits

Commuting reimbursement

Free lunch

Parental leave

Wellbeing contributions

Qualifications

• Experience in the insurance market, preferably Lloyd’s.
• Experience in FP&A/business partnering within complex insurance organizations.
• Skills in coaching and stakeholder management.

Responsibilities

• Developing expense management strategies aligned with company objectives.
• Analyzing spending patterns and forecasting expenses.
• Leading a team of Business Partner professionals.

Skills

Financial planning and analysis expertise

Strategic thinking

Excellent communication skills

Problem-solving skills

Relationship building

Education

Qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA)

Job description

General

Lead Business Partner - Expenses

Key Relationships: Executive Management, Finance Leadership Team, Platform Management, Committees, Finance, Chief Underwriting Office, Underwriting Teams, Group, Actuarial and strategic finance, Support Functions, Lloyd’s, and other Business Users.

Job Summary: Specialist insurance company Beazley is seeking a Lead Business Partner to manage the company's expenses ratio within its Finance function and work closely with a wide range of business stakeholders.

Reporting to the Head of Business Partnering - Performance Management, this role is a strategically focused position aimed at optimizing and managing Beazley's investments and costs to align with strategic goals, improve efficiency, and drive cost savings. The role involves developing expense management strategies, analyzing spending patterns, identifying opportunities for reduction, and working with the Head of Expense Accounting to implement new processes for better resource control.

Key Activities & Areas of Responsibility:

Leadership Responsibilities

• Take on significant leadership and strategic responsibilities related to performance management, representing finance across various committees, boards, and forums.
• Foster a culture that values employee experience, empowerment, and wellbeing, while enhancing the team’s capabilities.
• Develop and lead a team focused on customer service to provide best-in-class service.
• Ensure all team members have the necessary knowledge and skills, providing effective training and coaching for career development.

Key Activities

Leading a team of Business Partner professionals, you will be expected to:

Provide direct support to decision makers:

• Build strong relationships with executives and business unit leaders to understand their cost needs and challenges, ensuring effective support for strategic change.
• Enable rapid service improvement via continuous stakeholder feedback.
• Communicate performance management insights effectively using visuals and storytelling techniques.
• Assist in identifying performance issues and help in course correction.
• Provide ongoing coaching to stakeholders to enhance their understanding of financial analysis and decision-making.
• Challenge stakeholder assumptions to reduce bias and incorporate financial perspectives.
• Help improve stakeholders’ financial data literacy for better decision-making.
• Monitor indicators to identify risks and performance gaps, driving corrective actions.

Provide financial insight for annual and medium-term planning:

• Lead development and implementation of expense management strategies aligned with Beazley's objectives.
• Analyze spending patterns, identify trends, forecast expenses.
• Establish metrics and targets for expense control and efficiency.
• Identify and implement cost-saving measures without compromising quality.
• Monitor and analyze spending against budgets, identifying improvement areas.
• Own and deliver expense planning processes in collaboration with the Financial Planning team.
• Provide FP&A expertise during planning to ensure understanding of financial impacts and risks.
• Review key reports, including group, regulatory, expense, and productivity metrics.
• Facilitate the creation of digital decision support tools, leveraging new technology for efficiency and globalization.
• Collaborate with change teams to ensure tools provide actionable insights.
• Act as the internal customer advocate in meetings, helping design intuitive reports and dashboards.
• Support change management strategies for new tools and processes.
• Define success criteria and establish metrics to monitor tool utilization and quality.

Core competencies include:

• Financial planning and analysis expertise.
• Strategic thinking and business acumen.
• Excellent communication and storytelling skills.
• Advanced technology literacy.
• Problem-solving skills.
• Relationship building and collaboration.
• Continuous improvement mindset.
• Professionalism and integrity.
• Learning and development orientation.
• Adaptability to change.
• Responsibility and accountability.

General

Adhere to Beazley's core values: Being Bold, Striving for Better, Doing the Right Thing, and comply with all policies, procedures, and regulations. Uphold high ethical standards and ensure fair customer interactions. Participate in relevant training and fulfill additional responsibilities as assigned.

Personal Specification:

We offer a flexible, diverse, and inclusive environment, encouraging applications from all backgrounds. The role offers a competitive salary, discretionary bonus, and benefits including commuting reimbursement, free lunch, parental leave, and wellbeing contributions.

Qualifications and capabilities include:

Experienced qualified accountant (ACA/ACCA/CIMA). Experience in the insurance market, preferably Lloyd’s. Experience in FP&A/business partnering within complex insurance organizations. Skills in coaching, stakeholder management, customer focus, control frameworks, deadline-driven environments, analytical problem solving, creativity, and innovation.