Head Underwriting

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Job Summary

The Chief Underwriter is accountable for the end to end underwriting strategy, risk philosophy, governance, and technical consistency across Absa Life.
The role ensures that underwriting decisions balance profitability, customer outcomes, regulatory compliance, and operational efficiency, while enabling product innovation and sustainable growth.
The Chief Underwriter acts as the ultimate technical authority for underwriting and provides strategic leadership across retail, group, and advised life products.

Job Description

Key Accountabilities

1. Underwriting Strategy & Risk Appetite

• Define, own, and regularly review Absa Life’s underwriting philosophy and risk appetite
• Ensure underwriting strategy aligns with business growth objectives, and reinsurance strategy
• Lead responses to emerging risks (e.g. medical, behavioural, economic, and distribution‑driven risks)
• Provide underwriting input into new product development and pricing changes

2. Technical Governance & Decision Authority

• Act as the final technical referral point for complex, high‑risk, or non‑standard cases
• Set and maintain underwriting rules, loadings, exclusions, limits, and authority levels
• Ensure consistent application of underwriting decisions across teams, channels, and products
• Chair or contribute to underwriting committees, technical forums, and governance structures

3. Portfolio Performance & Analytics

• Partner with Actuarial and Reinsurance to monitor experience and take corrective action
• Ensure data‑driven underwriting decisions using analytics, experience studies, and MI

4. Regulatory, Compliance & Risk Management

• Ensure underwriting practices meet Treating Customers Fairly (TCF), POPIA, and internal governance standards
• Support internal and external audits from an underwriting perspective
• Ensure underwriting decisions are defensible, documented, and aligned to policy terms

5. Reinsurance & External Stakeholder Engagement

• Serve as the primary underwriting interface with reinsurers
• Lead reinsurance discussions on:
  • Risk appetite
  • Facultative cases
  • Treaty structures and changes
• Represent underwriting in regulator, reinsurer, and senior stakeholder engagements

6. Leadership & Capability Building

• Provide technical and strategic leadership to underwriting management and teams
• Build a strong underwriting talent pipeline and succession plan
• Champion continuous learning, technical development, and future‑fit underwriting skills
• Foster a culture of sound judgment, accountability, and customer‑centric decision‑making

Reporting Line

• Reports to Head of Claims, Underwriting and Group Schemes

Required Experience & Qualifications

Experience

• 10+ years underwriting experience within life insurance
• Significant experience in senior underwriting leadership
• Proven exposure to:
  • Retail and/or Group Life underwriting
  • Reinsurance engagement
  • Experience investigations
  • Operating model optimisation

Qualifications

• Relevant degree
• Relevant insurance, actuarial, or risk‑related qualification
• Strong understanding of South African regulatory environment

Education

Bachelor`s Degrees and Advanced Diplomas: Business, Commerce and Management Studies (Required)

Absa Bank Limited is an equal opportunity, affirmative action employer. In compliance with the Employment Equity Act 55 of 1998, preference will be given to suitable candidates from designated groups whose appointments will contribute towards achievement of equitable demographic representation of our workforce profile and add to the diversity of the Bank.

Absa Bank Limited reserves the right not to make an appointment to the post as advertised