Climate and Geospatial Specialist

Let's Write Africa's Story Together!

Old Mutual is a firm believer in the African opportunity and our diverse talent reflects this.

Job Description

Are you passionate about using data to fundamentally rethink how insurance works? Are you energized by the idea of designing the future model of insurance—one that’s fast, fair, predictive, and personal? At Old Mutual Insure, we have built an industry-leading internal platform for wildfire, flood, climate, and geospatial risk analysis.
As a Climate & Geospatial Specialist, you will be responsible for the day-to-day operation and expansion of this platform. You will be the technical anchor for our physical risk models, ensuring our underwriters and strategists have the most accurate, data-driven view of climate risk in the market.

Responsibilities

• Platform Maintenance & Engineering:

  • Maintain and extend the existing codebase

  • Manage the geospatial data infrastructure and ensure high-fidelity geocoding for the portfolio

• Modelling & Analytics:

  • Run and calibrate proprietary wildfire models

  • Perform portfolio-level accumulation analysis to business decisions

  • Further develop and enhance the platform to provide additional value to the business

• Manage relationships with key partners

• Manage relationships with internal stakeholders and embed the climate platform deeper into the business

• Provide technical analysis to support the Environmental Action Working Group.

• Curious and excited about the potential of geospatial modelling and its impact on insurance

• You care about clean code, type hinting, unit testing, and CI/CD and structured codebases. Notebooks are only for experimentation

• A systems thinker. Instead of patching problems, you investigate the source and repair the system

• Eager to grow, learn, and experiment with new technologies and methodologies

• Comfortable with uncertainty and unstructured complex problems

• Comfortable working in a version-controlled environment with review processes

• Understands how data drives commercial outcomes

• Understanding of risk management processes

• Keeps up with new tools, AI trends, and best practices

• Works fluidly across business and technical teams

• Delivers with discipline, quality, and impact

• Brings fresh ideas to complex challenges

• Makes sense of messy, ambiguous data environments

• Follows through and learns from feedback

• Simplifies, automates, and scales where possible

• Handles competing deadlines and tasks with resilience, structure, and delivery focus

Knowledge, Skills and Experience required:

Bachelor’s Degree in one of the following (or equivalent experience):

• Geospatial Science / Geoinformatics

• Data Science / Data Engineering

• Statistics

• Computer Science

• Actuarial Science

• Engineering

• Applied Mathematics

• Physics

• 4+ years of experience in catastrophe modelling, GIS, or data science preferably in an actuarial environment within financial services

• Strong proficiency in Python and geospatial libraries

• Strong proficiency in SQL

• Bonus: Experience with cloud platforms (e.g. AWS, Azure, Databricks)

• Bonus: Understanding of reinsurance structures and natural catastrophe physics

The Recruitment Process:

• TA Interview: This will be a discussion with our Senior Talent Acquisition Specialist to give you an understanding of our business, our culture & values and more context on the role. It will also allow us the opportunity to get to know you more and ensure OMI can meet your career aspirations.

• Panel Interview: This will be with 2 members of the Senior Leadership of the Hiring Team and 1 member of the HC Leadership Team.

• Technical & Psychometric Assessments: These will depend on the role and will sometimes happen concurrently with Vetting through an external service provider & Internal Verification.

• Final Feedback.

All About OMI:

https://www.oldmutual.co.za/about/old-mutual-insure/

https://www.linkedin.com/posts/old-mutual-insure_i-work-at-old-mutual-insure-of-course-activity-7161674472469524483-w0j6?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop

Please note that, unfortunately, we cannot accept any applications after the closing date

Skills

Action Planning, Analytics, Business Requirements Analysis, Computer Literacy, Data Compilation, Data Controls, Data Engineering, Data Management, Data Science, Executing Plans, Geoinformatics, IT Architecture, IT Network Security, Policies & Procedures

Competencies

Business Insight

Collaborates

Cultivates Innovation

Drives Results

Ensures Accountability

Manages Ambiguity

Manages Complexity

Optimizes Work Processes

Education

Bachelor of Commerce (BCom): Computer Science And Engineering (Required), NQF Level 7 - Degree, Advance Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate or equivalent

Closing Date

13 January 2026 , 23:59

The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.

The Old Mutual Story!