Head of Expense Management

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