Head of Strategic Expense Management

Location: London, Watford or Bristol Canada Life UK looks after the retirement, investment and protection needs of individuals, families and companies. We help to build better futures for our customers, our intermediaries and our employees by operating as a modern, agile and welcoming organisation.

The Opportunity

This role leads strategic expense management for Canada Life UK, ensuring we deliver our near and long term expense efficiency targets through robust planning, transparent performance management, and timely challenge and escalation of risks and opportunities. You will work closely with senior leaders including the CEO, CFO, ExCo members and senior functional leaders to maintain clear accountability and a consistent, credible view of performance.

You will also own the ongoing development and governance of the UK expense allocation framework, partnering closely with function directors and actuarial teams to ensure allocation impacts are understood, communicated clearly and reflected appropriately in business planning, actuarial views and financial decision making.

The role acts as a key interface with Lifeco on expense related queries and supports internal and external messaging on changes to the expense base and the impact on externally reported expense KPIs.

You’ll be a member of the Financial Performance Leadership Team and lead a team of 4–5 colleagues.

What You’ll Be Doing

You’ll provide enterprise wide leadership and oversight across the UK expense agenda, including:

• Driving delivery of UK expense efficiency targets through robust planning, transparent performance management and clear accountability.
• Owning the UK operating expense outlook (budget, forecast and longer term plan), providing senior challenge on functional inputs, assumptions and phasing.
• Ensuring the expense impacts of growth, efficiency initiatives and external factors are fully reflected in plans and decision making.
• Leading governance of the UK expense allocation framework, ensuring methodologies are robust, transparent and suitable for internal and external reporting.
• Providing senior financial challenge to Executive and Operational leaders on cost drivers, savings plans and trade offs (cost, risk, delivery capacity and strategic outcomes), escalating material risks through appropriate forums.
• Working closely with the Head of Financial Management – Change to ensure transformation impacts are understood and embedded into the BAU budget, forecast and plan — including clear separation and linkage between BAU costs, investment spend and expected efficiency benefits.
• Owning the Finance MI used to monitor expense performance and efficiency delivery, ensuring reporting is insight led, decision focused and highlights required actions.
• Work jointly with Reporting and the wider Financial Performance team to provide a single, consistent UK Finance response to Lifeco, covering Group queries and disclosure‑aligned KPI narrative.
• Leading targeted reviews and analysis to improve understanding of expense drivers and strengthen cost discipline, translating insight into clear recommendations for senior leaders.
• Leading and developing your team, contributing to the overall leadership and direction of the Finance function.

What You’ll Bring

Technical expertise

• Qualified accountant with extensive experience in UK financial services (insurance experience ideal).
• Demonstrable track record operating in a Finance oversight role in a financial services organisation.
• Strong quantitative analytical skills and strong financial and risk management capability.

Communication and influence

• Excellent communication skills, able to address technical and non technical audiences in formal and informal settings.
• Strong stakeholder management and ability to collaborate across the business to influence and secure buy in, including at C Suite level.

Leadership

• Strong leadership and team development skills; proactive approach to identifying and managing risks.

Qualifications

Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent).

Benefits Of Working At Canada Life

We believe in recognising and rewarding our people, so we offer a competitive salary and benefits package that’s regularly reviewed. As a Canada Life UK colleague, you’ll receive a competitive salary and comprehensive reward package including a generous pension and bonus scheme, along with, income protection, private medical insurance and life assurance. We have a fantastic number of other benefits and support services as well as regular personal and professional development.

How We Work At Canada Life

Our culture is unique and incredibly important to us. We care about doing the right thing for our people, customers and community and helping others to build better futures. Our blueprint behaviours shape and influence how we work, and are central to the relationships we have with others. Every day we are encouraged to be more curious, own the outcome, face into things together and find a way forward.

We want colleagues to have rewarding careers with us so we invest in the development of our people, technology and workplaces. That’s why we offer a range of training, flexible working and opportunities to grow and develop.

Diversity and inclusion

Building an inclusive workplace with a diverse workforce where everyone can feel they belong and achieve their potential regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic is a key commitment for us. We are proud of the progress we’re making in DEI, and we continue for it to be a significant focus.

“At Canada Life we believe in the power of great people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives coming together to build better futures. Emerging talent is crucial to our growth and creating an environment that continues to inspire us all.” Nick Harding, Chief People Officer, Canada Life UK

We appreciate that everyone has different work and life responsibilities. We’re happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part time, for any of our roles should this be a requirement for you.

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