Expenses & Procurement Manager

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Expenses & Procurement Manager

Apply locations Norwich, UK time type Full time posted on Posted Yesterday time left to apply End Date: August 10, 2025 (11 days left to apply) job requisition id R-6066

Position Summary

We are seeking to hire an Expenses and Procurement Manager to be based out of our Norwich office.

The role holder takes responsibility for the management of the organisations’ expense base. This encompasses the activities related to procurement, expense accounting, expense reporting/planning and expense investment analysis. Support is provided by a small team but there is significant interaction with colleagues in centralised functions providing procurement, vendor management and accounts payable services. Collaboration is required with senior management and business functions across the organisation. The role holder is also a key manager within the Finance function and collaborates closely with other Finance teams including Accounting, Analysis and Planning, Tax and Treasury.

Key Responsibilities

Overview
• Manages the expense base of the CNA Hardy organisation liaising closely with Finance and Business leadership.
• Leads the local aspects of the procurement discipline ensuring compliance with all relevant policies and procedures.
• Takes accountability for expense accounting working closely with the centralised Accounts Payable team and the relevant teams in Finance.
• Takes accountability for expense reporting and the management of expenses within a transparent budget process.
• Plays a key role in investment analysis and subsequent outcome tracking for key projects and initiatives.
• Oversees and administers expense policies aligned to group expectations but making allowances for local needs when required.

Procurement
• Working closely with the centralised Procurement team in the US, takes responsibility for the local effectiveness of the procurement process and disciplines.
• Builds a collaborative communication process around procurement that involves executives, stakeholders and vendors of the organisation.
• Ensures compliance with procurement processes by local stakeholders and provides training and reporting to meet that objective.
• Manages the local control and configuration needs for procurement processes and ensures that all governance and regulatory requirements are met..
• Develops metrics aligned to stakeholder objectives and utilises them to continually improve, and add value from, procurement disciplines.
• Plays a key role In monitoring the pipeline of transactions related to procurement activities and liaises between relevant stakeholders.
• Manages the process to approve contracts and subsequent spend in line with budgets.
• Engages with procurement colleagues, where relevant, on vendor proposals, negotiations and onboarding.
• Engages in the identification and delivery of vendor savings.

Expense Accounting
• Ensures organisational needs are met by centralised Accounts Payable services.
• Tracks the accuracy and efficiency of the Accounts Payable process and provides appropriate reports on performance including those for regulatory purposes.
• Ensures the expense team help to manage an effective interaction between business operations and the Accounts Payable team.
• Manages monthly expense accounting processes to ensure the accurate and complete recording of accrual/prepayment and capital/depreciation transactions.
• Ensures appropriate expense reconciliation controls are in place.
• Manages and records expense allocation rules and their application and ensures they are updated regularly to reflect business changes.
• Works closely with the other Finance teams in the effectiveness and timeliness of the financial close process with regard to expense balances.
• Ensures external audit queries related to expenses are promptly addressed.

Expense reporting/planning
• Develops and provides monthly expense management reports to senior management.
• Develops and provides cost centre reports to track spend and compare to budgets and collaborates with cost centre owners on spend performance and drives actions that arise from those interactions.
• Reports on, and analyses, Travel & Entertainment spend and ensures relevant variances and issues are identified and addressed.
• Develops and provides reports analysing the expense ratio of business lines and platforms and provides insight as to the underlying business model.
• Manages the budget process and collaborates closely with relevant business functions (notably Operations and IT) on granular levels of spend.
• Throughout the planning cycle works closely with the Strategic Planning & Analysis team on overall expense outcomes.

Expense investment analysis
• Reviews the framework for cost benefit analyses and benefit delivery tracking and provides relevant feedback throughout project lifecycles.
• Works closes with IT colleagues on the reconciliation and tracking of IT Transformation project spend and its’ presentation to relevant committees and forums.
• Participates in project steering committees and forums as the expense management lead.
• Engages in cross-functional projects and initiatives and provides expertise on expense management discipline.
• Maintains a view of long term expense strategy that feeds into multi-year plans and demonstrates growth versus investment trade-offs.
• Undertakes ad-hoc analyses and supports real estate and other infrastructure initiatives.

Finance and business collaboration
• Operates as a key manager within the Finance function working closely with colleagues in the Finance teams.
• Manages effective relationships, across all expense matters, with other business functions and business leaders.
• Closely collaborates with colleagues and providers delivering centralised services from other locations.
• Undertakes other tasks and responsibilities as required.

Skills, Knowledge & Abilities

• Significant experience of procurement and expense management.
• Qualified Accountant (CIMA. ACCA, ACA) (desirable).
• Experience of multi-functional collaboration in a relatively large organisation.
• A proven problem solver with strong analytical experience.
• A confident individual with the ability to manage expectations of senior management.
• Self-starter proactive work ethic with a willingness to provide support where required.
• Advanced Excel user skills and strong application usage experience (required).
• Strong organisation and time management skills.
• Ability to communicate effectively and explain technical issues.
• Ability to build relationships with other functional areas of the business.

The Company
CNA Hardy is a leading specialist commercial insurance provider for clients within the Lloyd’s and company markets. We offer a highly specialised and comprehensive portfolio of innovative and market leading products. Coverage is available to businesses of all sizes for domestic, international and global exposures.

About Us

We are a leading specialist commercial insurance provider for clients of all sizes with both domestic and international exposures. Writing across both company and Lloyd\’s platforms offers our brokers the flexibility tofind the best solution for their clients in more than 200 countries and territories worldwide. Find out more about ourLloyd\’s Syndicate 382 .

Our clients trust us because we understand the risks they face. Our teams on the ground have the local expertise and authority to provide fast, effective solutions for our clients across our network of dedicated offices in Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and the UK (Birmingham, Glasgow, Manchester and London).

Whether it’s our expert underwriters, risk control engineers, claims managers or international solutions team, we work in partnership with our brokers to deliver our highly-specialised and comprehensive portfolio of innovative and market-leading products in response to emerging exposures and ever-changing needs.

CNA Hardy is part of CNA Financial Corp, one of the largest U.S. commercial property and casualty insurance companies. Trusted for more than 125 years, CNA provides a broad range of standard and specialised insurance products and services for over 1 million businesses and professionals across the U.S., Canada and Europe.

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