Group Manager - Actuarials (Unify, UK Life Insurance)

Job Description

Purpose

• Lead delivery of actuarial transformation initiatives leveraging the Unify platform.
• Act as the primary Business & Functional SME bridging actuarial stakeholders and workflow development teams.
• Drive process automation, workflow standardisation, governance and business adoption across actuarial reporting and modelling processes.
• Define and execute the future-state operating model for actuarial production and transformation.

Work Experience

• Minimum 10 years of experience in Life Insurance actuarial functions.
• Minimum 4+ years in leadership and stakeholder management roles.
• Significant experience across actuarial reporting, valuation, capital modelling, Prophet production, IFRS17 and/or Solvency II processes.
• Experience leading actuarial transformation and automation initiatives.
• Experience working directly with UK Life Insurance clients and stakeholders.

People Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of actuarial SMEs, business analysts and transformation specialists.
• Mentor team members on actuarial process design, workflow automation and business analysis techniques.
• Drive capability development in Unify, Python, actuarial production processes and governance frameworks.
• Support workforce planning, recruitment and resource allocation.
• Conduct performance reviews and development discussions.
• Foster a culture of innovation, continuous improvement and automation.

Process Responsibilities - Business SME Leadership

• Provide actuarial production expertise and business domain leadership across Unify initiatives.
• Translate actuarial business requirements into detailed functional specifications for workflow developers.
• Act as the primary liaison between business stakeholders, actuarial teams and development teams.
• Drive solution design decisions ensuring alignment with actuarial processes, controls and governance requirements.
• Provide oversight and challenge throughout the development lifecycle.

Process Responsibilities - Unify Transformation & Workflow Automation

• Lead design and implementation of Unify workflows supporting actuarial reporting and modelling processes.
• Drive automation of basis production, model execution, result extraction and reporting activities.
• Support migration of legacy Excel/VBA processes into governed Unify and Python-based solutions.
• Define reusable workflow frameworks, templates and development standards.
• Support multi-basis, multi-risk and multi-scenario actuarial production solutions.
• Identify automation opportunities and deliver measurable efficiency improvements.

Process Responsibilities - Requirements & Solution Design

• Lead workshops to gather, document and validate business requirements.
• Develop business process maps, functional specifications and user stories.
• Analyse existing actuarial processes to identify inefficiencies, risks and automation opportunities.
• Design scalable and sustainable future-state solutions.
• Ensure traceability between business requirements and delivered solutions.

Process Responsibilities - Testing & Business Readiness

• Define and execute SIT, UAT and business readiness strategies.
• Coordinate testing activities across actuarial and development teams.
• Ensure solutions meet business requirements, controls and timetable expectations.
• Manage defect prioritisation and resolution activities.
• Support operational readiness and transition into production.

Process Responsibilities - Governance & Controls

• Establish and maintain governance frameworks for Unify solutions.
• Ensure appropriate controls covering input validation, access management, auditability, version control and result validation.
• Lead governance forums and Go/No-Go decision processes.
• Maintain solution documentation, audit trails and operational procedures.
• Support internal audit, regulatory and control reviews.

Process Responsibilities - Actuarial Domain Expertise

• Strong understanding of actuarial production processes including valuation, IFRS17, Solvency II, capital modelling and reporting.
• Experience supporting Prophet model execution and downstream reporting processes.
• Understand data flows, assumptions, basis management and results analysis.
• Provide guidance on actuarial process optimisation and target operating models.
• Support strategic transformation programmes involving actuarial and finance functions.

Process Responsibilities - Automation & Innovation

• Drive adoption of modern technologies including Python, cloud platforms and workflow automation tools.
• Promote standardisation and reusability across actuarial processes.
• Develop dashboards and operational monitoring solutions.
• Support continuous improvement and process modernization initiatives.
• Evaluate emerging technologies and automation capabilities.

Project Leadership

• Lead large-scale actuarial transformation and Unify implementation programmes.
• Manage project plans, milestones, risks and stakeholder communications.
• Coordinate with actuarial, finance, risk, technology and operations teams.
• Support operating model design and roadmap development.
• Drive successful delivery within agreed timelines and quality standards.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's or Master's degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Engineering or related quantitative discipline.
• Progressing towards or qualified Fellow of IFoA, SOA, IAI or equivalent actuarial body.
• Fully Qualified Actuary preferred but not mandatory for candidates with strong actuarial transformation experience.

Technical Skills

• Strong understanding of Life Insurance actuarial processes and reporting frameworks.
• Experience with Prophet ecosystems and actuarial production environments.
• Strong business analysis and process re-engineering capability.
• Python, SQL and automation expertise.
• Understanding of cloud-based data and workflow platforms.
• Excellent analytical and problem-solving skills.

Preferred Systems & Platforms

• Unify Platform
• Prophet Professional / Prophet Enterprise
• Python Frameworks
• SQL Databases• Snowflake
• Azure Platform
• Power BI
• Git / Azure DevOps (desirable)

Soft Skills

• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Strong facilitation and requirement-gathering capability.
• Ability to influence and challenge senior stakeholders constructively.
• Strong project management and planning skills.
• Strategic thinking and transformation mindset.
• Ability to manage multiple priorities and competing deadlines.

Behavioural Competencies

• Ownership and accountability.
• Strong customer focus.
• Attention to detail and governance mindset.
• Collaborative leadership style.
• Continuous improvement orientation.
• Adaptability and resilience.

Communication Skills

• Ability to engage effectively with senior actuarial, finance and technology stakeholders.
• Ability to translate complex technical concepts into business language.
• Strong workshop facilitation and business analysis skills.
• Ability to build consensus and drive decisions across multiple teams.

Qualifications

• Graduation/ Masters in Actuarial Science