Senior Liaison Underwriter at PPS

Minimum Requirements    

Education: 

• Financial / Medical aligned degree, e.g. Nursing, BCOM, BSC

Experience:

• 10+ years underwriting experience in long term insurance.
• 10+ years insurance industry experience.
• Proven experience in underwriting or related roles.

Knowledge and Skills:

• Sound medical & life assurance knowledge. Familiarity with industry regulations and compliance standards.
• Good computer knowledge - MS Outlook, Excel and Word are necessary.
• Must have a mature, disciplined and driven personality.
• Ability to work independently as well as being a good team-player with excellent interpersonal skills.
• Deadline/target driven, with ability to work under pressure.
• Have a skill set that includes good levels of communication (both written & verbal up to senior & executive level), negotiation and analytical skills.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills.Strong interpersonal skills with the ability to engage effectively with clients.
• Ability to manage and prioritize multiple tasks efficiently.
• Detail-oriented with a focus on accuracy in documentation and communication.

Competencies:

• Must use underwriting initiative and discretion in decision making.
• Business writing skills. Business Acumen.
• Planning and organizing.
• Client centricity.
• Building and maintaining relationships.
• Resilience.
• Complex problem solving.
• Adapting and responding to change.
• Innovation and Forward Thinking
• Persuading and Influencing 

Duties and Responsibilities    

Process optimization and efficiencies:

• The successful candidate will be responsible for underwriting life, disability, critical illness, sickness and permanent incapacity cover within agreed underwriting authority limits.
• To underwrite cases within the agreed service level agreements.
• Candidate must be willing to work under pressure and within agreed service levels.
• Responsible for achieving and maintaining standards in underwriting. Conduct regular audits on underwriting department and ensure standards are maintained.
• Provide constructive feedback to underwriting manager/underwriter team regarding matters arising. 
• Assess and authorize specific underwriting cases.
• Responsible for financial underwriting to ensure accurate financial underwriting decisions.
• Participation in projects to improve departmental service-owning your role in the project and completing tasks as required by providing input.

Liaison Champion:

• Assist in the creation and presentation of counter-offer letters to clients.
• Collaborate with underwriting team to tailor counter offers that align with client needs and company policies.
• Ensure timely delivery and follow-up on counter-offer responses.
• Professionally handle declines by providing clear and comprehensive explanations to clients.
• Effectively communicate deferrals, managing expectations and offering guidance for future submissions.
• Serve as a bridge between underwriting decisions and client understanding, fostering positive relationships.
• Conduct tele-underwriting interviews with potential clients, showcasing strong interpersonal skills.
• Manage calls efficiently, asking probing questions to gather necessary information.
• Provide accurate and detailed information to clients while adhering to company guidelines and compliance standards.
• Discussing all adverse decisions with Financial Advisors (counter offer letters, Decline and defer.

Risk and Compliance:

• Adhere to internal SLA's to ensure operational efficiency and achievement of agreed customer service standards.
• Proficient in the assessment and management of underwriting decisions.
• Must understand the underwriting environment and general protocols and processes.
• Ensure adherence to regulatory and compliance requirements.
• Contribute and assist to review processes and protocols where required to assist in PPS’ delivery of quality underwriting decisions.