HDFC Life Insurance - Chief Manager - Business Planning

Role Purpose:
This is a high-impact role within the Planning function, responsible for converting business ambition into robust plans, performance insights and decision support. The incumbent will independently manage key planning and governance workstreams and partner with Channel CEOs, the CFO, Finance Controller and functional leaders on growth, profitability, cost and expansion decisions.
Key Responsibilities:
1. Budgeting, Forecasting and Scenario Planning:
- Lead the annual budgeting and target-setting process for assigned channels and functions, covering topline, value, profitability, cost and resource plans.
- Own periodic forecasts and rolling outlooks, incorporating business trends, management priorities, emerging risks and opportunities.
- Develop scenario models and sensitivities to assess alternative growth, product-mix, productivity and cost outcomes.
- Track actual performance against budget and forecast, identify material variances and drive timely corrective actions with stakeholders.
2. Monthly Business Review and Senior Management Governance:
- Anchor the monthly business review process by consolidating performance, identifying key drivers and translating data into sharp management insights.
- Prepare decision-ready materials for Channel CEO governance discussions, covering growth, market share, profitability, productivity, costs and execution priorities.

- Partner with business and support teams to close data gaps, challenge assumptions and ensure timely follow-through on agreed actions.
- Present concise, fact-based recommendations to senior stakeholders and maintain action trackers for key governance forums.
3. Channel Profitability and Cost Management:
- Evaluate channel and segment profitability, including revenue, margins, acquisition economics, productivity and operating-cost trends.
- Conduct structured cost reviews with the CFO, Finance Controller and business leaders, identifying optimization opportunities without compromising growth priorities.
- Develop unit-economics and productivity views to support resource deployment, sales capacity and operating-model decisions.
- Strengthen management information and analytical frameworks to improve visibility, comparability and accountability.
4. New Distributor Tie-ups and Strategic Business Cases:
- Assess potential distributor partnerships and new tie-ups across strategic fit, market opportunity, economics, implementation requirements and key risks.
- Build end-to-end business cases, including volume potential, product mix, operating costs, profitability, capital implications and payback timelines.
- Support evaluation of new initiatives, projects and commercial proposals through robust cost-benefit and scenario analysis.
5. Branch Evaluation and Expansion Planning:
- Develop frameworks to evaluate branch performance using growth, productivity, cost, profitability, market potential and strategic relevance.
- Assess branch expansion, relocation, consolidation and resource-allocation proposals using financial and market-based criteria.
- Partner with distribution, Finance and relevant support functions to track branch cohorts and improve network returns.
6. Market and Competitive Intelligence:
- Track industry growth, product and channel trends, and market share across relevant cohorts and competitors.
- Diagnose changes in market position and identify implications for channel strategy, product mix, sales execution and resource allocation.
- Convert external and internal data into actionable insights for management reviews, planning cycles and strategic discussions.
Candidate Profile:
- CA or MBA in Finance with 7 to 8 years of relevant experience in business planning, FP&A, strategic finance, management accounting or decision-support roles.
- Preference for candidates from life insurance; strong candidates from insurance, banking, financial services or other multi-channel businesses may also be considered.
- Demonstrated experience in budgeting, forecasting, profitability analysis, cost management and senior-management reporting.
- Strong financial modelling and analytical capability, with advanced proficiency in Excel and PowerPoint; experience with BI or visualization tools is an advantage.
- Ability to understand commercial drivers, challenge assumptions and convert complex analysis into crisp recommendations.
- Strong stakeholder-management skills and confidence in working with senior business and finance leaders.
- High ownership, attention to detail, structured problem solving and an ability to manage multiple workstreams under tight timelines.