Head Underwriting at Absa Group Limited (Absa)

Key Accountabilities

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

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

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

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

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

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