Prudential’s purpose is to be partners for every life and protectors for every future. Our purpose encourages everything we do by creating a culture in which diversity is celebrated and inclusion assured, for our people, customers, and partners. We provide a platform for our people to do their best work and make an impact to the business, and we support our people’s career ambitions. We pledge to make Prudential a place where you can Connect, Grow, and Succeed.
We are seeking an exceptional Program Manager to lead our Life and Health Underwriting AI & Technology Transformation Program based in Kuala Lumpur Office. This is a high-impact role responsible for orchestrating a complex, multi-year transformation initiative that will fundamentally reshape how we assess risk, price policies, and deliver value to customers across Asia and Africa.
The successful candidate will drive the integration of AI-powered underwriting processes, advanced data analytics, and automation technologies across multiple business units, markets, and stakeholder groups. This role requires a unique combination of technical acumen, program management excellence, stakeholder leadership, and deep understanding of life and health insurance underwriting operations.
Program Strategy & Leadership
- Lead end-to-end program management for the underwriting transformation initiative across multiple markets and business units in Asia and Africa
- Develop and maintain comprehensive program roadmaps, milestones, and success metrics aligned with Prudential's strategic objectives
- Define program governance frameworks, decision rights, and escalation pathways to ensure effective oversight and rapid issue resolution
- Translate business strategy into actionable technology and data transformation initiatives
- Champion change management and drive organizational adoption of AI-powered underwriting processes across traditional underwriting teams
- Serve as the primary point of accountability for program delivery, timeline adherence, budget management, and outcomes realization
Stakeholder Management & Cross-Functional Collaboration
- Partner and coordinate with leads and SME from Underwriting, AI, Technology, Data, Analytics, Compliance, Risk from Group and local business units to align and deliver the transformation priorities
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders within group and local business units.
- Facilitate executive steering committee meetings and prepare comprehensive program status reports for senior leadership and executive committees
- Manage relationships with technology vendors, system integrators, and AI solution providers
Technology & AI Implementation Oversight
- Oversee the design, development, and deployment of AI-powered underwriting systems leveraging machine learning, natural language processing, and predictive analytics
- Drive integration of real-time data from available sources from within Prudential and external sources
- Ensure seamless integration with existing policy administration systems, underwriting and claims platforms, and enterprise data infrastructure
- Establish automated underwriting workflows that balance straight-through processing with manual underwriting for complex cases
- Champion adoption of advanced risk assessment models that improve pricing accuracy, reduce turnaround times, and enhance customer experience
- Monitor emerging AI technologies and industry best practices to maintain competitive advantage
Risk, Compliance & Governance
- Identify, assess, and mitigate program risks including technical dependencies, resource constraints, regulatory compliance, and organizational change resistance
- Ensure all AI models and data usage comply with regulatory requirements, data protection laws (PDPA, GDPR), and ethical AI principles
- Establish model governance frameworks including validation, monitoring, bias detection, and explainability requirements
- Coordinate with Legal, Risk, and Compliance teams to address regulatory considerations across multiple jurisdictions
- Implement audit trails and documentation standards to support transparency and accountability
- Manage cybersecurity and data privacy considerations throughout the transformation lifecycle
Program Delivery & Execution
- Develop detailed program plans including work breakdown structures, resource allocation, budget forecasts, and dependency management
- Lead cross-functional project teams comprising technology developers, data scientists, underwriters, business analysts, and change management specialists
- Establish agile delivery frameworks that enable iterative development, rapid testing, and continuous improvement
- Monitor program progress against KPIs including delivery milestones, budget adherence, quality standards, and business value realization
- Conduct regular program reviews, identify bottlenecks, and implement corrective actions to keep initiatives on track
- Manage program budget (expected range: USD 10-30 million) ensuring optimal resource utilization and ROI
Business Value & Continuous Improvement
- Define and track business outcomes including underwriting cycle time reduction, straight-through processing rates, new business improvements and customer satisfaction gains
- Establish baseline metrics and conduct post-implementation reviews to quantify transformation impact
- Drive continuous optimization of AI models based on performance data, customer feedback, and market dynamics
- Build capability roadmaps to sustain transformation momentum beyond initial implementation
- Foster a culture of innovation, experimentation, and data-driven decision making across underwriting teams
- Document lessons learned and best practices for knowledge transfer and future transformation initiatives
Requirements:
- Bachelor's degree in Computer Science, Engineering, Business Administration, Actuarial Science, or related field required
- Master's degree (MBA, MSc in Data Science, or equivalent) strongly preferred
- Professional certifications such as PMP, PgMP, PRINCE2 Practitioner, or equivalent highly valued
- Minimum 10-12 years of progressive experience in program/project management, with at least 5 years in leadership roles managing complex, multi-stakeholder technology transformation programs
- Minimum 3-5 years of experience in life and health insurance operations, with deep knowledge of underwriting processes, risk assessment, and relevant platforms and technologies
- Proven track record delivering large-scale AI, data analytics, or digital transformation initiatives
- Direct experience implementing AI/ML solutions in underwriting, claims, or other insurance operations strongly preferred
- Experience working in matrix organizations and managing cross-border, multi-market programs across Asia Pacific
- Demonstrated success managing vendor relationships and system integration projects
- Experience with regulatory engagement and compliance management in financial services or insurance sectors
Technical Knowledge & Skills
- Strong understanding of AI/ML technologies including supervised learning, natural language processing, predictive modeling, and automation frameworks
- Familiarity with modern data architectures, cloud platforms (AWS, Azure, GCP), API integrations, and enterprise data management
- Knowledge of insurance core systems (policy administration, underwriting workbenches, rules engines)
- Understanding of data privacy regulations (PDPA, GDPR), AI ethics principles, and model governance frameworks
- Proficiency in program management methodologies (Agile, Scrum, Waterfall, Hybrid) and tools (Jira, MS Project, Confluence, Smartsheet)
- Financial acumen including budget management, ROI analysis, and business case development
- Basic understanding of actuarial concepts and insurance risk assessment principles
- Exceptional stakeholder management skills with ability to influence and align C-suite executives, business leaders, and technical teams
- Outstanding communication and presentation skills, capable of translating complex technical concepts for diverse audiences
- Strong analytical and problem-solving capabilities with structured thinking and attention to detail
- Proven change management expertise with ability to drive organizational transformation and overcome resistance
- Strategic mindset balanced with execution excellence and pragmatic delivery focus
- Cultural intelligence and ability to work effectively across diverse markets and organizational cultures
- Resilience, adaptability, and composure when navigating ambiguity and competing priorities
- Collaborative leadership style that builds trust, empowers teams, and fosters innovation
- Knowledge of specific Asian market insurance regulations, especially for Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore, Indonesia, etc.
- Background in actuarial science, underwriting, or claims operations
- Prior experience working in Group Office or regional hub roles coordinating multi-market initiatives
- Exposure to health insurance, critical illness, or medical underwriting
- Experience with insurtech partnerships or innovation lab initiatives
Prudential is an equal opportunity employer. We provide equality of opportunity of benefits for all who apply and who perform work for our organisation irrespective of sex, race, age, ethnic origin, educational, social and cultural background, marital status, pregnancy and maternity, religion or belief, disability or part-time / fixed-term work, or any other status protected by applicable law. We encourage the same standards from our recruitment and third-party suppliers taking into account the context of grade, job and location. We also allow for reasonable adjustments to support people with individual physical or mental health requirements.