Description
The Senior Manager – Underwriting is a pivotal leadership position within the Underwriting team, responsible for driving underwriting strategy, overseeing complex and high-value life insurance risk assessments, and ensuring consistent portfolio profitability.
Key Responsibilities:
- Lead, mentor, and develop the underwriting team to achieve individual and organisational performance goals.
- Oversee the underwriting of complex, large-sum, and high-value life insurance applications, ensuring sound risk selection.
- Develop, implement, and periodically review underwriting policies, guidelines, and best practices.
- Monitor portfolio performance, identify trends, and proactively manage risk exposure across the book of business.
- Review and approve underwriting decisions above delegated authority thresholds, ensuring consistency and quality.
- Collaborate cross-functionally with Actuarial, Product Development, Sales, Claims, and Compliance teams.
- Ensure full compliance with regulatory requirements, internal governance standards, and reinsurance treaty obligations.
- Drive process improvements and lead the adoption of new underwriting tools, technologies, and data analytics.
- Prepare management information reports and present portfolio insights and recommendations to senior leadership.
- Manage key external relationships with reinsurers, brokers, intermediaries, and distribution partners.
- Contribute to product development initiatives, and new business feasibility assessments.
- Handle escalated underwriting queries, complex risk assessments, and disputed decisions with sound judgment.
- Represent the underwriting function in business planning, strategy sessions, and regulatory discussions.
Qualifications:
- Bachelor's degree in business, medicine, or a related field.
- Professional underwriting qualification preferred (e.g., FLMI, ALU, DipCII, or equivalent).
- Minimum of 10-15 years of underwriting experience in life insurance.
- At least 3–5 years in a team leadership or senior managerial underwriting role.
- Strong knowledge of underwriting principles and practices.
- Strong communication and interpersonal skills.
- Experience with reinsurance arrangements and treaty management is a significant advantage.
- Prior involvement in product development, pricing, or portfolio strategy is desirable.