Lead Financial Strategy Associate

Protective•Birmingham, AL

21d•$99,500 - $145,000

About The Position

The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it. We help protect our customers against lifeâ€™s uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, youâ€™ll be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most. The Finance Strategy Lead is a senior individual contributor who partners closely with Finance leadership to shape, prioritize, and drive execution of high-impact strategic initiatives. This role brings deep finance and actuarial domain expertise and plays a hands-on role in problem diagnosis, solution design, and decision-making. The Finance Strategy Lead operates across strategy formulation through execution, ensuring initiatives deliver measurable business outcomes while balancing value, risk, and operational feasibility. Typical initiatives include finance and actuarial data transformation, reporting modernization, regulatory enhancements, system migrations, and cross-functional process redesign.

Requirements

Strong finance and actuarial acumen with the ability to apply expertise to complex business problems.
Strategic planning and execution, including outcome-based measurement (KPIs and OKRs).
Influence without authority and ability to lead in highly matrixed environments.
Executive-level communication, presentation, and stakeholder management skills.
Data-driven decision-making and analytical problem-solving.
Understanding of enterprise delivery frameworks and governance models.
Resilience and adaptability in fast-paced, ambiguous environments.
Strong judgment related to risk, controls, and regulatory considerations.
Bachelorâ€™s degree in Business, Finance, Accounting, Actuarial Science, or a related field.
8 years of experience in accounting, finance, actuarial science, or related functions.
Proven ability to partner with senior Finance leaders as a trusted strategic advisor.
Excellent analytical, problem-solving, and critical thinking skills.
Demonstrated experience owning outcomes across strategy formulation through execution.

Nice To Haves

Masterâ€™s degree in Business Administration, Accounting, Finance or related field.
Experience within life insurance and annuity products, accounting, or financial reporting.
Familiarity with data, technology development processes, and related governance and controls.
Experience with digital transformation, ERP implementations, cloud migrations, or large-scale system integrations.
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt or Black Belt, or similar process improvement credentials.
Progressive experience leading financial initiatives or driving complex, cross-functional change efforts

Responsibilities

Lead cross-functional teams through end-to-end strategy development and execution for multiple concurrent initiatives.
Partner with Finance, Accounting, Actuarial, Technology, and other stakeholders to align on strategic intent, priorities, and success measures.
Influence outcomes without direct authority through strong facilitation, clarity, and accountability.
Serve as a strategy owner and integrator between business stakeholders, technical teams, and executive leadership.
Establish and track business outcomes, KPIs, and OKRs aligned to enterprise strategy.
Own delivery accountability, ensuring clear decision rights, roles, and responsibilities across teams.
Monitor scope, schedule, cost, quality, and risks; surface issues early with clear trade-off recommendations.
Provide transparent executive-level communication on progress, risks, issues, and value realization.
Manage change control and ensure compliance with regulatory, security, data privacy, and governance requirements.
Drive continuous improvement through data-driven delivery practices, automation, and analytics.
Track post-implementation benefits and facilitate lessons-learned to inform future initiatives.