Head of Strategic Finance & Business Insights

Head of Strategic Finance & Business Insights page is loaded## Head of Strategic Finance & Business Insightsremote type : Hybridlocations : Chicago, ILtime type : Full timeposted on : Posted 2 Days Agojob requisition id : R280

• Position Summary :
• We are seeking a highly experienced and analytically driven finance executive to join as Principal / Sr. Principal of Strategic Finance. This individual will play a critical role in driving enterprise-wide financial strategy, integrating data insights into strategic decision-making, and ensuring strong alignment between finance, operations, and growth initiatives.This is a highly visible, execution-oriented role that requires both strong financial acumen and the ability to navigate upstream into data and operations to influence business outcomes. The ideal candidate brings 15+ years of experience in Wealth Management or Financial Services, with a proven track record of strategic leadership, data-driven thinking, and operational execution.
• Primary Responsibilities
• Strategic Financial Planning & Execution
• Lead the development of long-term financial strategy, capital planning, and performance forecasting across the firm.
• Collaborate with the CFO and senior leadership to translate strategic goals into actionable financial initiatives.
• Build and maintain dynamic models for scenario planning, margin improvement, and ROI analysis across organic and inorganic growth paths.
• Data Insights & Business Intelligence
• Leverage business intelligence tools and financial systems to extract insights from complex data sets, transforming them into strategic actions.
• Partner with Data, Technology, and Operations teams to ensure data quality, transparency, and traceability from source systems to decision-making dashboards.
• Identify patterns, outliers, and opportunities in operational and client-level data that impact financial performance.
• Develop and monitor firm-wide KPIs, dashboards, and scorecards to provide real-time visibility into business health.
• Strategic Decision-Making & Operational Alignment
• Drive cross-functional initiatives by combining financial analysis with operational insights — from client retention and advisor productivity to integration efficiency and margin expansion.
• Identify strategic actions based on data findings, and lead the execution of these initiatives across departments.
• Act as the finance liaison for strategic programs, ensuring alignment between growth goals, investment priorities, and operational execution.
• M&A Support & Post-Deal Integration
• Partner with Corporate Development on target evaluation, financial due diligence, and deal modeling.
• Support integration planning and execution, with an emphasis on financial alignment, systems integration, and operational synergy tracking.
• Leadership & Influence
• Serve as a key strategic thought partner to the CFO and executive leadership team.
• Lead, mentor, and grow a high-performing strategic finance team.
• Contribute to the evolution of financial systems, tools, and processes to support a scalable finance infrastructure.
• Required Qualifications :
• 15+ years of progressive experience in Strategic Finance, FP&A, Corporate Strategy, or similar roles within the Wealth Management, RIA, or Financial Services industry.
• Bachelor’s degree in Finance, Accounting, Economics, or related field
• Preferred Qualifications :
• MBA or CFA strongly preferred.
• Exposure to PE-backed or high-growth environments strongly preferred
• Skills and Competencies :
• Exceptional communication and executive presentation skills.
• Deep understanding of wealth management business models, including advisory revenue, AUM growth, compensation structures, and client segmentation.
• Proven ability to translate data into strategy and lead cross-functional execution of data-driven decisions.
• Experience working directly with data infrastructure and BI platforms (e.g., Power BI, Tableau, SQL, NetSuite, Salesforce).
• Advanced Excel and financial modeling skills; ability to build and manage sophisticated, multi-variable models.
• Compensation Range :
• $200,000-250,000
• Why Cerity Partners
• Our people drive our success by working together to deliver exceptional service to our clients. Below is a glimpse of the key elements of our total rewards package :
• Health, dental, and vision insurance – day 1!
• 401(k) savings and investment plan options with 4% match
• Flexible PTO policy
• Parental Leave
• Financial assistance for advanced education and professional designations
• Opportunity to give back time to local communities
• Commuter benefits
• Cerity Partners is committed to providing an environment where all individuals can be their authentic selves. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer who respects each individual and supports the diverse cultures, perspectives, and experiences of our colleagues. We are dedicated to building an inclusive and diverse workforce and will not discriminate based on race, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, age, veteran status, disability status, or any other applicable characteristics protected by law.
• Cerity Partners is committed to working with and providing accommodations to applicants with disabilities or special needs. For those needing accommodations, please reach out to careers@ceritypartners.com. Applicants must be authorized to work for any employer in the U.S.
• Ultimately, outstanding wealth management is about people and relationships. Our people are the nucleus of Cerity Partners. Each colleague brings unique expertise, commitment and knowledge to the firm and it is by working together that we achieve our mission to have a positive impact on the financial well-being of our clients, colleagues and communities. Our people drive our success by working together to deliver exceptional service to our clients. We truly care about what we do.Introduce yourself to our Talent Acquisition Team and we'll be in touch if there's a role that seems like a good match for your skill set.Cerity Partners is one of the nation’s leading independent financial advisory firms. We serve high-net-worth individuals & their families, businesses, & their employees, and nonprofit organizations from our offices across the country. Our in-house experts of tax advisors, financial planners, investment professionals, & retirement plan consultants are passionate about and committed to providing objective financial advice & oversight. At Cerity Partners, we believe in the long view. We work with clients who appreciate our comprehensive and sustained approach to wealth management. We don’t just look for short-term gains, we seek long-term growth. We have the same approach to our people. We look for experienced and credentialed wealth management colleagues who can keep pace with us. We manage over $100 billion assets for our clients and we are routinely recognized as a Barron’s Top 100 RIA firms in the nation. The driving factor of our accelerated growth is our people. Located throughout the U.S., our teams consist of experts who are helpful, knowledgeable, sincere, and have the perseverance and capability to go the extra mile for our clients. We consider our firm a community that works together to serve one common goal : Finding diverse solutions to suit diverse financial needs. #J-18808-Ljbffr