VP, FP&A

Oliver James; Chicago (IL); On-site; USD 230,000 - 350,000; Full time

Job summary

Oliver James seeks aSenior finance executive to establish and lead a new enterprise FP&A and strategic finance function for a publicly traded P&C insurance organization in Chicago, IL. This is a build-out role designed to design the function, operating model, and team, with close partnership to the Group CFO and senior leaders.

The role offers significant exposure to executive management, the Board, rating agencies, and investors, and focuses on creating planning, forecasting, and

Qualifications

• 10+ years of experience in corporate finance, FP&A, accounting, or investment banking.
• Significant experience within property & casualty insurance.
• Proven history building, transforming, and scaling FP&A or strategic finance organizations.

Responsibilities

• Design and establish the enterprise FP&A and strategic finance operating model.
• Develop organizational structure, processes, systems, and talent strategy to scale the function.
• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing team as the organization grows.
• Establish consistent standards for planning, forecasting, reporting, financial modeling, and performance management.
• Own the annual budgeting and multi-year planning processes across the organization.
• Lead forecasting, scenario analysis, and financial modeling to identify risks, opportunities, and trends.
• Develop enterprise performance reporting, dashboards, scorecards, and KPIs.
• Analyze financial results and translate variances for senior leadership.
• Evaluate profitability, growth, expenses, underwriting performance, and investments.
• Partner with operating leaders on strategic initiatives and major decisions.
• Serve as a trusted financial advisor to senior management and the Board.

Skills

10+ years experience

Senior finance leader

Education

MBA or advanced finance degree

CPA or CFA preferred

Tools

Financial modeling tools

Job description

Our client is a publicly traded property & casualty insurance organization seeking a senior finance executive to establish and lead a newly created enterprise FP&A and strategic finance function.

This is a build out, not a traditional FP&A leadership role. The successful executive will have the opportunity to design the function, establish its operating model, recruit and develop the team, and create the planning and performance-management infrastructure used by senior leadership across a complex, multi-entity insurance organization.

The position will partner closely with the Group CFO and senior operating leaders and will have significant visibility with executive management, the Board, rating agencies, and other key stakeholders.

The Opportunity

Vice President, FP&A

Our client is a publicly traded property & casualty insurance organization seeking a senior finance executive to establish and lead a newly created enterprise FP&A and strategic finance function.

This is a build out, not a traditional FP&A leadership role. The successful executive will have the opportunity to design the function, establish its operating model, recruit and develop the team, and create the planning and performance-management infrastructure used by senior leadership across a complex, multi-entity insurance organization.

The position will partner closely with the Group CFO and senior operating leaders and will have significant visibility with executive management, the Board, rating agencies, and other key stakeholders.

The Opportunity

The organization operates through a number of distinct insurance businesses, each with its own financial and operational infrastructure. The new FP&A organization will create greater consistency in planning and reporting while giving leadership a more integrated view of performance, capital, risk, and strategic opportunities. This is an opportunity for a finance leader who enjoys building infrastructure, solving ambiguous problems, influencing senior executives, and turning financial information into better business decisions.

Key Responsibilities

Build the Function

• Design and establish the enterprise FP&A and strategic finance operating model.
• Develop the organizational structure, processes, systems, and talent strategy required to scale the function.
• Recruit, mentor, and lead a high-performing team as the organization grows.
• Establish consistent standards for planning, forecasting, reporting, financial modeling, and performance management.

Enterprise Planning & Forecasting

• Own the annual budgeting and multi-year planning processes across the organization.
• Establish common planning assumptions, methodologies, and financial frameworks while accounting for differences among individual businesses.
• Lead forecasting, scenario analysis, and financial modeling to identify emerging risks, opportunities, and performance trends.
• Improve the organization's ability to connect financial plans with broader strategic priorities.

Performance & Business Partnership

• Develop enterprise performance reporting, dashboards, scorecards, and key performance indicators.
• Analyze financial and operating results and translate variances and trends into clear implications for senior leadership.
• Evaluate profitability, growth, expenses, underwriting performance, investment results, and other key business drivers.
• Partner with operating leaders to assess strategic initiatives, investments, transformation programs, and other major decisions.
• Serve as a trusted financial advisor to senior management and business leadership.

Capital, Risk & Insurance Analytics

• Support enterprise capital planning and allocation decisions across insurance entities and operating businesses.
• Evaluate capital requirements, deployment alternatives, returns, and associated risks.
• Oversee financial analysis and stress testing involving liquidity, capital adequacy, reserves, underwriting performance, and broader economic scenarios.
• Partner with risk, actuarial, accounting, and other finance functions on enterprise risk and planning activities.

Strategic Finance & Corporate Development

• Lead financial analysis supporting acquisitions, joint ventures, investments, and other strategic opportunities.
• Direct valuation analyses, financial due diligence, and business-case development.
• Assess the financial and strategic implications of major corporate initiatives and capital decisions.

Executive & External Reporting

• Consolidate complex financial and operating information into clear enterprise-level insights.
• Lead the preparation of materials for executive management and the Board.
• Contribute to communications with rating agencies and investors.
• Translate complex financial, operating, and market dynamics into concise recommendations that clearly communicate opportunities, risks, and trade-offs.

What We're Looking For

The ideal candidate is a senior insurance finance leader and proven builder who can move comfortably between detailed financial analysis and enterprise-level strategy. We're particularly interested in executives who bring:

• 10+ years of experience across corporate finance, FP&A, accounting, or investment banking.
• Significant experience within property & casualty insurance.
• A demonstrated history of building, transforming, managing, and scaling FP&A or strategic finance organizations.
• Experience operating across multiple businesses, divisions, subsidiaries, or legal entities.
• Deep expertise in financial planning, forecasting, modeling, and performance management.
• Strong understanding of insurance financial drivers, including underwriting performance, reserves, capital, liquidity, and investment results.
• Experience supporting capital allocation, strategic investments, M&A, or other enterprise-level decisions.
• Experience presenting complex financial information to senior executives and/or Boards.
• Exceptional communication, influencing, and stakeholder-management skills.
• The ability to establish structure and drive change within a complex organization.
• Advanced proficiency with financial systems, analytical tools, and financial modeling.

Preferred

• MBA, Master's in Finance, or another relevant advanced degree.
• CPA, CFA, or comparable professional credential.
• Experience in a publicly traded insurance environment.
• Experience working directly with rating agencies, investors, or Board-level stakeholders.