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Chief Underwriter - Life
Are you looking for a new challenge and opportunity to lead underwriting strategy and performance to the next level? This role with Asteron Life gives you the chance to do that every day, while also helping New Zealanders to "build futures and protect what matters".
Asteron Life is an end-to-end life business and has won the NZ Life Insurance Company of the Year award for 2 out of the last 3 years. It has a strong focus on customers and adviser relationships, a key factor in significantly growing its market share in new business over that period, and independently being ranking #1 in the NZ Life market for adviser NPS, relationship and claims management.
On a pathway to digitise adviser and customer platforms, the company is poised to strengthen existing distribution channels including independent advisers and corporate partnerships; and develop new solutions to meet more NZer's life insurance needs.
Behind every customer success story - and the team that made it happen - is strong and authentic leadership. So if you've got a hunger to do great things with great people, help teams perform at their best, and build strong internal and external relationships, then there's a good chance you're the sort of leader we're looking for.
In this role you will lead the Asteron Life Underwriting function across strategic and technical disciplines, together with setting the philosophy and high standards of underwriting practise for the business. This role is critical in maintaining the confidence of Life's reinsurance partners in the quality and commerciality of the underwriting decisions made. By leading one of Asteron's key competitive advantages, you will contribute to the overall financial success by cementing relationships with reinsurers and key advisor partners alike.
What you'll do
- Provides strategic leadership to the underwriting function.
- Holds the highest Life underwriting authority limits and determines sub-limits for delegation.
- Responsible for underwriting strategy design, implementation, and effectiveness.
- Develop and manage automated underwriting tools and rules engines to optimise speed and quality of underwriting decisions within risk appetite.
- Prepare and present expert opinion on Life underwriting for any internal or external representation as required.
- Responsible for ensuring intermediary and client expectations are met or exceeded in respect to underwriting and maintains strong relationships.
- Ensures that the underwriting process is applied consistently and to the agreed standard of Reinsurance Treaties.
- Determines the ways of working within authority levels including escalation points and referral processes.
- Contributes to the product development and pricing strategies as a member of the Life Leadership team.
What you'll bring
- Minimum 5 years' underwriting leadership experience.
- At least 10 years experience across operational and technical underwriting disciplines.
- Highly developed negotiation and conflict resolution skills.
- Comprehensive knowledge of medical terminology, disease process, treatments and prognosis, and expertise in their application to medical risk assessment.
- Strong understanding of accounting and financial matters relating to financial risk assessment of insurance cover/benefits.
- Strong understanding of the legal aspects affecting insurance risk management.
- Proven ability to manage high performing teams.
- Excellent interpersonal and relationship management skills.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
What we can offer you
- Competitive salary and the ability to earn annual bonuses through our incentive scheme.
- Exciting opportunity to lead and grow our life business with a strategic focus.
- Free life, salary continuance and trauma insurance cover.
- Discounts on Asteron Life, Vero, Southern Cross medical insurance.
- Flexible leave of up to four days per year in addition to annual leave.
- Flexible work arrangements embracing a healthy work/life balance.
- Be a part of our strong leadership team creating a positive and inclusive environment for all employees.
At Asteron we have a commitment to strong, supportive partnerships for our customers, advisers and our people. And with a shared customer-obsession and the digital capabilities to make a genuine difference, you'll see the meaningful impact you can make for our customers and communities, while watching your own career shine too.