Head of Expense Management

Talcott Financial Group; Charlotte, Northern (NC, KY); Hybrid; USD 180,000 - 280,000; Full time

Job summary

Talcott Financial Group is seeking a Senior leader to head expenses and expense management across the enterprise. The role drives governance, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and expense control in partnership with Finance, FP&A, Accounting, Procurement, HR, and business leaders to ensure GAAP and statutory reporting accuracy.

The Head of Expenses leads budgeting cycles, monitors variances, delivers executive dashboards, and partners with departments on cost management, workforce

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field.
• 10+ years of progressive experience in expense management, FP&A, accounting, or finance leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading budgeting, forecasting, and expense analysis in a complex organization.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, internal controls, and financial close processes related to operating expenses.
• Proven people leadership experience with the ability to influence across functions and senior leadership.

Responsibilities

• Oversee expense governance and policy enforcement.
• Lead budgeting, forecasting, and analysis in partnership with FP&A and business leaders.
• Support month-end and quarter-end close processes for operating expenses and intercompany charges.
• Track spend on one-time projects and M&A deals with standard reporting.
• Mentor and develop the Expense Management team.
• Collaborate with HR, IT, and Procurement on workforce and vendor costs.
• Drive process improvements and automation in expense reporting.
• Oversee multi-jurisdictional expense allocations and intercompany fee structures.

Skills

Financial acumen

Stakeholder management

Leadership

Process improvement

Analytics

Budgeting & forecasting

Education

Bachelor's degree in Finance

MBA or CPA preferred

Tools

ERP systems

Job description

Head of Expenses / Head of Expense Management

Position Summary

The Head of Expenses is a senior finance leader responsible for enterprise-wide oversight of operating expenses, including governance, budgeting, forecasting, variance analysis, and expense control disciplines. This role partners closely with Finance, FP&A, Accounting, Procurement, HR, and business leaders to ensure expense discipline, transparency, and alignment with strategic objectives while supporting accurate GAAP and statutory reporting.

Key Responsibilities

Expense Governance & Oversight

• Own and oversee the company's operating expense management framework, ensuring consistency, accuracy, and transparency across all functions and legal entities.
• Establish and enforce expense policies, controls, and approval standards in coordination with Accounting, Procurement, and Internal Audit.
• Ensure operating expenses are recorded in accordance with GAAP and applicable statutory requirements.
• Oversight of accounts payable functions

Budgeting, Forecasting & Analysis

• Lead the annual operating expense budget and periodic forecast cycles, partnering with FP&A and business leaders.
• Monitor actuals versus budget and forecast; analyze drivers of variances and provide actionable insights to senior leadership.
• Develop executive-level reporting and dashboards highlighting expense trends, risks, and opportunities.

Financial Close & Reporting Partnership

• Partner with Accounting to support timely month-end and quarter-end close processes related to operating expenses, accruals, allocations, and intercompany charges.
• Support internal and external audit requirements related to expense processes and controls.

One-time Project and Deal Tracking and Reporting

• Develop and maintain processes and systems to track actual spend on one-time projects and M&A deals
• Work with PMO office, Deal team, and FP&A to maintain budgets for one-time projects and successful deals within financial systems
• Create standardized periodic reporting package on one-time projects and successful deals comparing actual spend to budget, highlighting variances to budget, and analyzing variance drivers

Leadership & Business Partnership

• Lead, develop, and mentor the Expense Management team (analysts, senior analysts, managers, as applicable).
• Serve as a trusted advisor to functional leaders, helping them manage spend, understand cost drivers, and achieve expense targets.
• Collaborate with HR, IT, and Procurement on workforce-related costs, vendor spend, and enterprise initiatives impacting expenses.
• Partner with Department heads to assist with cost management and timely reporting of budget to actual analytics

Process Improvement & Strategy

• Drive continuous improvement of expense processes, systems, and reporting, including automation and simplification opportunities.
• Support strategic initiatives and new business activity by providing expense modeling, assumptions, and governance frameworks.

Allocations and Intercompany Fee oversight

• Develop and oversee the multi-jurisdictional expense allocations in compliance with tax guidelines
• Implementation of fee charges from Holdcos to operating entities
• Provide analytics of allocations and fee regimes

Qualifications & Experience

• Bachelor's degree in Finance, Accounting, or related field (MBA or CPA preferred).
• 10+ years of progressive experience in expense management, FP&A, accounting, or finance leadership roles.
• Demonstrated experience leading budgeting, forecasting, and expense analysis in a complex organization.
• Strong knowledge of GAAP, internal controls, and financial close processes related to operating expenses.
• Proven people leadership experience with the ability to influence across functions and senior leadership.

Key Competencies

• Executive-level financial acumen and analytical judgment
• Strong communication and stakeholder management skills
• Change leadership and process optimization mindset
• High attention to detail with ability to operate at both strategic and tactical levels