Head of Finance, France %26 Southern Europe F/H

Head of Finance, France & Southern Europe

Paris, France

Imagine being part of a dynamic leadership team at AXA XL, the leading provider of Property & Casualty insurance and specialty insurance for the largest companies in France, including those in the CAC40 and SBF120. Here, your expertise will play a crucial role in shaping the future of insurance and risk management on both a national and international scale.

At AXA XL, we pride ourselves on offering tailored insurance and reinsurance solutions that empower our clients to navigate complex risks. Whether it’s through our comprehensive coverage for traditional risks like liability and property damage, or specialized areas such as political risk, environmental issues, crisis management, fine art, and even space insurance, we are committed to helping our clients protect what matters most to them.

You will have the overall responsibility for the Finance & Accounting, Budget & Reporting activities of AXA XL France and will steer, monitor and coordinate the same activities for the other countries of the Southern Europe Region (Italy and Spain).

You will be a strategic Business Partner and Advisor to the Regional Manager and the Leadership teams of the Region. You will create strategies, policies, and operating plans to design and operate robust finance processes and support the growth and profitability objectives of the Region.

You will also report through a dotted line to the CFO of XL ICSE / BU APAC & Europe and will as such be a member of the Leadership team of the XL ICSE / BU Finance team.

As a major actor within our organization, you will play a key role in the management of shareholders, regulatory relationships and actuary works.

Here are some key figures to highlight the finance playground you can be part of:

• Southern Europe Entities (XLICSE & XLCSSE) have insurance revenues of USD 2.5Bn, across 16 lines of business and a balance sheet size of $7Bn.
• Total Opex controlled of $248m.
• Responsible for leading the finance function in an organization with 1270+ employees.
• Member of the AXA XL France Leadership team, Southern Europe Regional team and APAC EUR Finance Leadership team.

DISCOVER your opportunity

Day to Day activities

Lead and manage the accounting and reporting team to ensure:

• Adequate accounting registry of all business activities.
• Manage and control the expense budget.
• Deliver financial reports for all entities on a statutory basis and on AXA XL and AXA standards basis.
• Manage the treasury operations, ensuring cash flow is appropriate for the organization’s operations.
• Support of Tax functions and deliver the tax return/payment.
• Oversee the proper management and control of accounts receivables and payables.
• Analyze results and challenge business for improvements and savings.
• When applicable, manage relationship with external auditors and other key external stakeholders (tax authorities, regulators...).
• Advocate for efficiency initiatives to optimize productivity.

Lead and manage the business controlling team to ensure:

• Preparation, monitoring and reporting of the budgeting and forecasting processes.
• Preparation, monitoring and reporting of the performance of the company along the year.
• Follow up and report financial targets (Revenues, Claims, Opex, Reinsurance, cash).
• Contribute to the strategic planning and productivity increase.
• Participate in company projects, helping with business cases preparation, validation and analyses.
• Participate as a member of the France and Southern Europe leadership teams to steer the performance of the branches in Southern Europe.
• Participate in the strategic discussion, and drive the financial communication.
• Participate as a member of the BU APAC & Europe finance leadership team to steer the financial process of the BU.

Overall, as any manager in AXA XL, you will be involved in day to day management activities:

• Motivate and develop team members to deliver a high level of performance.
• Coach team members to unlock their potential, supporting them with access to appropriate training and development opportunities.
• Identify training needs and arrange relevant training that allows the team to enhance their performance and deliver customer, business and regulatory needs.
• Identify team members’ potential and help them progress and ensure that development plans are in place to accelerate their development.
• Regularly monitor workloads and operate a flexible approach to sharing resources.
• Effective management and monitoring of all employee relations issues, including absence, disciplinary & performance issues in conjunction with HR advice as appropriate.
• Explore new ways of working, lead change and encourage team members to test and learn and take risks to provide new solutions.

Effective communication & relationship management

Steer and coordinate the monitoring and reporting of the company’s performance through adequate KPIs.

Develop open channels of communication to enable constructive debate and collaboration, eliciting the ideas and opinions of the team.

Build and maintain effective cross-department relationships.

Business Management

Understand the company’s strategy/vision and what it means for the role/team.

Manage financial/budgeting procedures as required according to the local market.

Ensure that the appropriate risk and controls procedures are in place to ensure compliance with the local regulatory requirements.

Participate in activities to support business development and client centricity, according to the requirements of the local market.

You will report to the Regional Manager, Southern Europe.

SHARE your talent

We’re looking for someone who has these abilities and skills:

• Significant experience in accounting and financial planning in the insurance industry.
• Technical skills such as financial planning and accounting, risk management.
• Accounting or business degree qualification.
• Knowledge of industry and local markets, regulatory environment, competitors.
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to exercise sound judgment and make decisions based on accurate and timely analyses.
• Experience in a multi-cultural environment with proven leadership skills in managing multi-site teams.
• Ability to influence stakeholders in one’s own functional area, non-finance community and Excom members.
• In-depth understanding of financial and business dynamics of the assistance/insurance industry.
• High level of integrity and dependability with a strong sense of urgency and results-orientation.
• Fluency in English and French.

FIND your future

AXA XL, the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA, is known for solving complex risks. For mid-sized companies, multinationals and even some inspirational individuals we don’t just provide re/insurance, we reinvent it.

How? By combining a comprehensive and efficient capital platform, data-driven insights, leading technology, and the best talent in an agile and inclusive workspace, empowered to deliver top client service across all our lines of business − property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty.

With an innovative and flexible approach to risk solutions, we partner with those who move the world forward.

Learn more at axaxl.com

Diversity & Inclusion

AXA XL is committed to equal employment opportunity and will consider applicants regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity and origins, marital status, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic.

At AXA XL, we know that an inclusive culture and a diverse workforce enable business growth and are critical to our success. That’s why we have made a strategic commitment to attract, develop, advance and retain the most diverse workforce possible, and create an inclusive culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work and can reach their highest potential. It’s about helping one another — and our business — to move forward and succeed.

• Five Business Resource Groups focused on gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity and origins, disability and inclusion with 20 Chapters around the globe.
• Robust support for Flexible Working Arrangements.
• Enhanced family friendly leave benefits.
• Named to the Diversity Best Practices Index.
• Signatory to the UK Women in Finance Charter.

Learn more at axaxl.com/about-us/inclusion-and-diversity. AXA XL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Sustainability

At AXA XL our approach to Sustainability is the same as our approach to business; constantly seeking to provide innovative solutions to the world’s most complex problems. From offering our expertise, products and services to help build more resilient communities, to advancing understanding and response to climate change, our strategy – Our Impact. Our Future. – aligns key issues that are pertinent to our business – climate, water and financial resilience - and contributes to AXA Group’s purpose to “Act for human progress by protecting what matters.”.

• Climate: We’re reducing our carbon footprint, protecting ecosystems and exploring how our business can help build a better world.
• Water: We’re developing water resilience where it is — and will be — needed most.
• Financial resilience: We’re helping create opportunities for the unemployed and underemployed, so they can be better prepared for unexpected changes.
• Hearts in Action: We have established volunteering and charitable giving programs to help colleagues support causes that matter most to them, known as our “Hearts in Action” programs.

For more information, please see the Sustainability section on our website.