Position Summary:
The Senior Finance Business Partner (SFBP) is a key strategic leader within the finance function, responsible for driving financial performance, shaping business strategy, and influencing senior stakeholders across the organisation.This role goes beyond traditional finance support, providing forward-looking insights, challenging decision-making, and leading financial planning across underwriting, claims, and operational areas. The SFBP will act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, ensuring financial considerations are embedded in all key business decisions
Location:
London - UK - FenchurchWhat will your job entail?
Key Responsibilities
Strategic Business Partnering & Leadership
- Act as a trusted advisor to senior stakeholders (e.g., Managing Directors, Heads of Underwriting, Claims Directors)
- Influence and shape strategic decisions through robust financial insight and challenge
- Drive a culture of commercial awareness and financial accountability across the business
- Lead and develop a high-performing finance business partnering team (where applicable)
- Represent finance in strategic forums, governance committees, and executive discussions
Financial Strategy & Planning
- Lead the development of annual budgets, forecasts, and long-term business plans
- Provide strategic insight on growth opportunities, capital allocation, and portfolio optimisation
- Develop and oversee scenario modelling to assess business risks and opportunities
- Support M&A activity, business cases, and investment decisions with robust financial analysis
Performance & Value Management
- Own performance analysis across key insurance metrics (e.g., combined ratio, loss ratio, expense ratio)
- Provide deep insight into profitability by product line, geography, and distribution channel
- Identify value creation opportunities and drive initiatives to improve margins and efficiency
- Lead performance review processes with senior leadership, including Board-level reporting
Insurance-Specific Expertise
- Provide expert insight into underwriting performance, claims development, and reserving impacts
- Partner closely with actuarial teams to understand assumptions, pricing models, and capital implications
- Support portfolio management decisions, including risk appetite and underwriting strategy
- Contribute to capital modelling, reinsurance strategy, and regulatory considerations (e.g., Solvency II)
Governance, Risk & Control
- Ensure strong financial governance, controls, and compliance with regulatory requirements
- Oversee the accuracy and integrity of financial reporting and planning outputs
- Identify and mitigate financial risks across the business
- Support regulatory reporting and interactions where required
Transformation & Continuous Improvement
- Lead finance transformation initiatives to enhance insight, efficiency, and automation
- Improve data quality, reporting capabilities, and use of analytics/BI tools
- Drive standardisation and best practice across finance processes
- Champion the use of data-driven decision-making across the organisation
Key Skills & Experience
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
- Extensive experience in finance business partnering within insurance or financial services
- Strong understanding of insurance financials (e.g., underwriting cycles, reserving, claims dynamics, capital requirements)
- Proven track record of influencing senior stakeholders and driving strategic outcomes
- Advanced financial modelling, planning, and analytical capability
- Experience leading teams and developing talent
- Strong commercial acumen and ability to translate financial data into business strategy
- Experience with finance systems, data tools, and performance reporting frameworks
Disclaimer
Ryan Specialty is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building and sustaining a diverse workforce throughout the organization. Our vision is an inclusive and equitable workplace where all employees are valued for and evaluated on their performance and contributions. Differences in race, creed, color, religious beliefs, physical or mental capabilities, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and many other characteristics bring together varied perspectives and add value to the service we provide our clients, trading partners, and communities. This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices, including but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, discipline, firing, promoting, transferring, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms, conditions, and benefits of employment.
Skills Required
- Qualified accountant (ACA, ACCA, CIMA or equivalent)
- Extensive experience in finance business partnering within insurance or financial services
- Strong understanding of insurance financials (underwriting cycles, reserving, claims dynamics, capital requirements)
- Proven track record of influencing senior stakeholders and driving strategic outcomes
- Advanced financial modelling, planning, and analytical capability
- Experience leading teams and developing talent
- Experience with finance systems, data tools, and performance reporting frameworks
- Expertise in underwriting performance, claims development, reserving impacts, and partnering with actuarial teams
- Experience supporting capital modelling, reinsurance strategy, regulatory considerations (e.g., Solvency II) and M&A analysis
- Strong commercial acumen and ability to translate financial data into business strategy
What We Do
Ryan Specialty (NYSE: RYAN) is an international specialty insurance firm that provides distribution, underwriting, product development, administration and risk management services by acting as a wholesale broker and a managing underwriter. Our mission is to provide industry-leading innovative specialty insurance solutions for insurance brokers, agents and carriers. Ryan Specialty was founded in 2010 by Patrick G. Ryan, the widely respected insurance veteran, founder and former Chairman and CEO of Aon Corporation. Mr. Ryan saw the need in the marketplace for a specialty organization dedicated exclusively to creating sophisticated insurance solutions for risks that demand innovation, proven leadership, outstanding industry expertise and quality services on behalf of brokers, agents and carriers. For more information about Ryan Specialty, visit our website at ryansg.com. Ryan Specialty is an Equal Opportunity Employer. We are committed to building and sustaining a diverse workforce that is reflective of society throughout the entirety of the organization. Our vision is an inclusive and equitable workplace where all employees are valued and evaluated on their performance and contributions. Differences in race, creed, color, religious beliefs, physical or mental capabilities, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, and many other characteristics bring together varied perspectives and add value to the service we provide our clients, trading partners, and communities. This policy extends to all aspects of our employment practices, including but not limited to, recruiting, hiring, discipline, firing, promoting, transferring, compensation, benefits, training, leaves of absence, and other terms, conditions and benefits of employment.
