Discovery Life

Actuary – Market Analytics and R&D

About Discovery

Discovery’s core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. We seek out and invest in exceptional individuals who understand and support our core purpose, and whose own values align with those of Discovery. Our fast-paced and dynamic environment enables smart, self-driven people to be their best. As global thought leaders, Discovery is passionate about innovating in order to not only achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.

About Discovery Life

Discovery Life is an ever growing fast-paced and dynamic environment that provides innovative risk assurance to individual clients. This environment thrives on customer engagement and customer experience as well as mutually beneficial relationships with our brokers and other stakeholders.  It is important for our employees to provide a world class service to our internal and external clients, thereby ensuring long and sustainable relationships

Key Purpose

A high functioning, dynamic personality with a broad set of skills pertaining to product development, data analytics and marketing. The role will require this Actuary to provide product, market and strategic insights to our distribution channel to increase new business market share and to unlock new support in the IFA space while forming an important part of the R&D team. The incumbent would be involved in:

• Form a key part of Research and Development by utilising industry and new business insights to guide the development of innovative products and services that enhance our value proposition to financial advisers and their clients.
• Anaylsing big data to inform senior management of new business trends and opportunities.
• Collaberate with various stakeholders across the business to create and optimise products, processes and strategies.
• Developing in depth competitor and industry analysis.
• Analysing big data to identify sales opportunities for each distribution channel.
• Being a Discovery Life expert and having sound understanding of the competitive landscape in order to be a subject matter authority in meetings and presentations.

• Development of launch material for distribution.
• Lead meetings with high-net-worth clients and large life writers.
• Create and present targeted client and broker presentations.
• Intellectual leadership through claims documents, journalist articles etc.

The incumbent would be involved in strategic thinking around product ideation, development and launches and would form a crucial element of our broader Reseach and Development team.

Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to

• Utilizing market insight to launch innovative new products and services on an annual basis
• Utilize technical product knowledge, including understanding of competitors, to identify business opportunities
• Develop compelling positioning and roll out of launch, roadshow and campaign material to our financial advisers and franchises to ensure successful execution of deliverables and targets
• Develop automated tools and dashboards to provide real-time insights for key business decisions
• Providing technical product support to Discovery Life’s various distribution channels to ensure successful execution of deliverables and targets
• Provide support to Life Executive Committee and related structures to ensure efficient functioning of the business
• Contribute to strategies based on insights from market feedback, data and other monitoring structures for the collaboration of the broader product development team.
• Assisting with the conservation of certain high value clients

Education and Experience

Essential:

• Matric with Mathematics
• Bachelor of Science (BSc), Bachelor of Business Science (BBusSc) or equivalent degree in Actuarial Science
• Fellow of Actuarial Society of South Africa (or any other recognised actuarial professional body)
• At least 2 years working experience as an Actuarial Analyst within the Insurance Industry

Advantageous:

• Working experience as an Actuary in the Life Insurance industry

Technical Skills and Knowledge

Essential:

• Effective communications skills
• Advanced Analytical and Technical skills
• Problem Solving skills
• Knowledge on Actuarial Modelling
• Knowledge on Data Analysis
• Proficiency in MS Word, MS Excel and MS Outlook
• Take initiative and learn quickly, while being adaptable

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY   
                             
The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.