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Job Description
An exciting opportunity has arisen within our high-performing protection solutions team for an Experience Analysis and Analytics Head to lead the experience analysis, analytics, and business insights teams.
The successful candidate will lead the experience analytics team, driving experience investigations, demographic risk modelling, and developing analytics engines that support sustainable pricing, effective risk management, and data-driven decision-making for group risk cover solutions. The candidate will set and lead the analytics strategy for group risk business and execute on the vision. The candidate will oversee the business insights team, translating financial results into business strategy.
The role includes people and workflow management, governance of analytical models and processes, and the drive for continuous improvement in controls and efficiency.
Working closely with stakeholders across Product Development, Pricing, Claims, Underwriting, IT, Valuations, Finance and Operations, the Experience Analysis and Analytics Head will play a key role in informing pricing strategy, decisions, identifying emerging trends and risks, supporting portfolio profitability and basis development.
Key Result Areas / Outputs:
Strategic Leadership & Analytics Vision
- Define and own the experience analysis and analytics strategy for Group Risk, aligned to business strategy, capital efficiency, and growth objectives.
- Provide senior leadership oversight of all experience investigations across benefits, ensuring consistency, credibility, and governance.
- Evolve analytics capability from descriptive reporting to predictive and insight-driven decision support.
- Act as a thought leader on experience trends, claims drivers, and portfolio dynamics for executive and Board-level forums.
Experience Analysis & Pricing Enablement
- Oversee the design, execution, and interpretation of experience investigations, assumptions setting, and trend analysis used in pricing and business planning.
- Partner closely with Pricing and Actuarial teams to ensure experience insights directly inform:
- Pricing bases and margins
- Assumption reviews
- Portfolio remediation strategies
- New business and renewal decisions
- Ensure experience analysis appropriately reflects credibility, segmentation, and emerging experience risks.
Business Insight & Portfolio Performance
- Provide clear, executive-level insights into portfolio performance, including:
- Claims drivers and emerging experience risks
- Variance analysis vs pricing and business plan assumptions
- Sustainability of margins and profitability by segment
- Translate complex analytics into clear, commercially relevant narratives for senior stakeholders.
- Support strategic decision-making on product changes, underwriting approaches, benefit design, and risk appetite.
Actuarial Modelling
- Maintain, develop, and review actuarial models supporting analytics and pricing
- Ensure all models and processes are clearly documented and well governed
- Review and enhance experience monitoring frameworks and assumptions used in pricing bases
Reporting
- Oversee the production of regular and ad-hoc experience reports and management dashboards
- Communicate insights, implications, and recommendations to senior management and key stakeholders
- Provide analytical support and input into pricing reviews, basis setting, and strategic discussions
Advanced Analytics & Capability Development
- Lead the development of advanced analytics capabilities, including automation, tooling, and scalable analytical frameworks.
- Promote the use of data science, segmentation, and analytics to enhance risk selection, pricing precision, and client outcomes.
- Ensure analytics solutions are practical, embedded, and actively used across the business.
Leadership, Talent & Collaboration
- Lead, mentor, and develop a high-performing experience analysis and analytics team.
- Foster strong collaboration across Actuarial, Pricing, Product, Claims, Finance, Distribution, and Data teams.
- Build a culture of analytical excellence, curiosity, and commercial relevance.
Automation and Optimisation
- Drive automation of data preparation, experience investigations, actuarial models, and reporting processes
- Improve efficiency, robustness, and repeatability of analytical engines and tools
- Enhance the scalability and efficiency of data pipelines
- Identify and implement continuous improvement initiatives across experience analysis processes
People and Stakeholder Management
- Provide technical guidance to both junior and senior team members
- Manage priorities and workflows across the experience analysis function
- Build strong relationships across Product, New Business, Claims, and IT
- Act as a trusted advisor to the business on experience-related matters
Requirements:
- Qualified Actuary (or equivalent senior actuarial qualification).
- Significant experience (typically 8–12+ years) in Group Risk / Life Insurance / Reinsurance.
- Deep expertise in experience analysis, assumptions setting, and actuarial analytics.
- Proven track record of influencing senior leadership through data-driven insights.
- Experience operating at senior leadership level, with enterprise-wide impact.
- Strong understanding of Group Risk products, pricing mechanics, and claims dynamics.
- Exposure to advanced analytics, automation, or data science initiatives is advantageous.
Critical capabilities for success:
- Business acumen
- Analytical thinking
- Stakeholder collaboration and influence
- Accountability and delivery focus
- Continuous improvement and innovation
- People development and technical leadership
Skills
Action Planning, Adaptive Thinking, Agile Project Management, Data Compilation, Data Controls, Executing Plans, Financial Acumen, Identifying Customer Needs, Information Management, Insurance Product Management, Insurance Sales, Legal Practices, Negotiation, Policies & Procedures, Risk Management, Workflow Management
Competencies
Balances Stakeholders
Builds Effective Teams
Builds Networks
Business Insight
Communicates Effectively
Decision Quality
Ensures Accountability
Financial Acumen
Education
Fellow Of Actuarial Society Of South Africa (FASSA) (Required), Fellow Of The Institute Of Actuaries (Required)
Closing Date
14 July 2026 , 23:59
The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.
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