Lead Asset Modeling Actuary

Job Purpose

Responsible for complex actuarial projects and processes in product development, financial modeling, financial reporting, risk analysis, asset modeling, or data analysis, as applicable. Performs the highest-level activities related to the application of advanced actuarial principles for insurance/finance. Through collaboration with technical teams, leads initiatives associated with the development of actuarial models, databases, and methodologies.

Essential Job Responsibilities

• Manages the modeling of general account asset cash flows in MG-ALFA/Integrate.
• Where necessary, develops assumptions based on industry research/experience.
• Utilizes existing MG-ALFA/Integrate functionality and creates new functionality for cash flow projection.
• Coordinates with asset managers and investment accounting to collect asset data.
• Collaborates with liability modelers to implement asset modeling and manage reporting timelines.
• Collaborates with asset liability management (ALM) to test strategic asset allocation portfolios.
• Trains liability modelers to understand asset structures and evaluate asset cash flow projections.
• Supports asset related aspects of regulatory filing requirements (e.g., AG55 & AG53).
• Leads cross-functional and cross-departmental team meetings, meetings with senior management, and meetings with external parties.
• Works independently, setting priorities and deadlines, and sharing status with senior management.
• Communicates with actuarial associates at all levels, cross-departmental associates at all levels, and external parties, orally and in writing.
• Composes reports and presentations for senior management.
• Provides senior manager level review of proposed actuarial methodology changes, new product implementations, and the work product of project teams.
• Directs processes for production of actuarial output, such as calculated reserves, cash flow projections, product pricing, experience data, etc.
• Drives initiatives for improving methods and procedures, as necessary, to increase efficiency and improves controls.
• Leads cross-functional and cross-departmental projects, creating project plans and assigning tasks.
• Develops specific skills of cross-functional team staff for projects and control deployment.
• Serves as an expert resource for the company in several areas of regulatory, professional, or technical knowledge.
• Finds issues, proposes solutions, identifies and secures resources, and resolve.
• Directs the identification of risks and development of mitigating controls.
• Pursues emerging technical knowledge and represent Jackson at industry forums.
• Performs other duties and/or projects as assigned.

Knowledge, Skills & Abilities

• Ability to model general account asset cash flows using actuarial software.
• Extensive knowledge of various debt and private equity assets and their structures:
  • Corporate bonds
  • Commercial mortgage loans
  • Structured debt (RMBS, CMBS, ABS, ABF, etc.)
  • Private debt (direct lending, etc.)
• Ability to work with asset managers.
• Extensive knowledge of asset/liability management concepts, such as cash flow matching, durational matching, etc.
• Expert knowledge of actuarial mathematics/concepts and ability to lead others in applying those concepts to work product.
• Expert in one or more of insurance product lines (life, annuities). Advanced knowledge in one or more other lines.
• Expert in at least one key field of actuarial work (pricing, financial reporting, data analysis, or modeling). Advanced experience in at least one other key field of actuarial work.
• Firm understanding of all fields of actuarial work.
• Expert knowledge of several actuarial applications used by Jackson, such as SAS, Python, ALFA, etc.
• Understanding of industry advancements, best practices and technology initiatives.
• Ability to guide cross-functional and cross-departmental project teams to implement advanced changes to applications.
• Ability to envision process and model improvements and develop approaches to implement the improvements.
• General to advanced understanding of several processes applied across the Jackson actuarial department.
• Ability to organize and lead large-scale projects.
• Ability to communicate highly analytical and complex ideas to broad spectrum of audiences, including external parties, both in writing and orally.
• Ability to write effective formal reports for senior management and external parties.
• Ability to lead cross-function and cross-departmental team meetings.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills with the ability to apply judgement and effectively resolve complex problems and issues.
• Flexible thinking and creativity with the ability to adapt standard actuarial models to unusual situations, to develop new actuarial models, and to combine internal and external data sources.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Economics, Computer Science, or related field of study required.
• 8+ years of actuarial experience and FSA or 12+ years of actuarial experience and ASA required.
• 10+ years of actuarial experience and FSA or 14+ years of actuarial experience and ASA preferred.
• Variable Annuity, Fixed Annuity, Fixed Index Annuity, or Registered Index Linked Annuity experience strongly preferred.
• 3+ years of experience modeling general account asset cash flows in actuarial software (MG-ALFA/Integrate preferred).
• 3+ years of experience working with asset managers.
• Continuing efforts to pursue Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) designation preferred.