Underwriting Manager: Automation at PPS

Minimum Requirements    

Qualifications:

• Matric
• B.Sc Degree or similar.

Experience:

• Minimum 5 years’ experience in life insurance underwriting at a senior level.
• Experience with life insurance automated underwriting systems is a requirement.
• Life, disability, dread disease and income protection product exposure is a requirement.
• Experience in business process design and business analyst experience an advantage.
• Experience in the design, build, testing and monitoring of underwriting rule trees and engines an advantage.
• Knowledge of PPS systems an advantage.
• Knowledge of PPS products an advantage.

Skills and Attributes:

• Demonstrated ability to prioritise and lead teamwork effort to achieve timely delivery or project milestones through multiple and conflicting objectives.
• Deep knowledge of the underwriting process, underwriting guidelines, automated underwriting programs and underwriting trends.
• Proficiency in Excel pivot tables for analysis.
• Ability to multi-task with strong time management skills.
• Ability to develop and maintain relationships with internal and external stakeholders.
• Excellent verbal and written communication skills in addition to the capacity to listen to stakeholder requirements and express opinions, information and key points of view clearly and assertively.
• Ability to execute specialised work efficiently, with confidence and competence, with above average attention to detail.
• Strong analytical and critical thinking capabilities.
• An affinity for technology and innovation, with strong software skills.

Duties and Responsibilities    

• Development of underwriting content in the Underwriting Rules Engine (URE):
• Collaborate with the Chief Underwriter and Medical Officers to co-design underwriting policies that can be effectively deployed in the URE.
• Design condition specific decision trees to support the application of underwriting policies and product rules for multiple channels in the URE.
• Utilise deep technical knowledge of the URE to guide the Chief Underwriter and Medical Officers on design options that maximise underwriting policy application in the URE.
• Define and design rules within the automated underwriting software that are required for the effective application of the condition decision trees e.g., combined complex condition rules.
• Identify integration points and handoffs between the URE and other applications e.g., workflow, PRO-FiT, and determine requirements for optimal integration within the wider PPS system architecture.
• Develop and maintain design documentation.
• Develop business requirements specifications.
• Develop and maintain change control documentation.
• Oversee the development and testing phases of the URE through the Agile development process.
• Develop testing scenarios and requirements and conduct testing of new developments in the URE.

Optimise effectiveness of the URE:

• Define and document URE performance and business reporting requirements.
• Analyse data and deliver insights to identify opportunities to optimise performance and utilisation.  
• Conduct post implementation review of deployed protocols to ensure these are performing as intended.
• Amend URE decision trees and rules as underwriting policies and product rules are revised.
• Integrate URE automation design with sales and operations business processes to ensure these are effective and efficient.
• Effectively manage IT deliverables related to the URE development, including but not limited to business specifications, development, testing and change control. 

Product Development and Innovation:

• Provide input to Product Development and Operations on product and process improvement opportunities that become evident at underwriting stage and make recommendations on potential solutions.
• Provide automated underwriting specialist input for new product development or special offers.
• Develop and maintain awareness of local and global industry trends and best practice.
• Assess viability of third-party solutions that could enhance and mature PPS’s automated underwriting capability.
• Explore opportunities to enhance PPS’s underwriting philosophy and underwriting practices to secure competitive advantage while appropriate mitigating risk. 

Compliance and audit:

• Design and implement underwriting audit guidelines and procedures.
• Conduct scheduled audits to assess compliance of tele-underwriting with agreed practices.
• Execute compliance control tasks to mitigate risk linked to the URE.
• Make recommendations on opportunities to improve the effectiveness of the tele-underwriting process and develop skill and competence of tele-underwriters.