VP Chief Actuary- Onsite Des Moines, Iowa

About the role

The Vice President, Chief Actuary is the senior actuarial leader for the organization and is responsible for the overall actuarial strategy, governance, and delivery across modeling & forecasting, valuation, pricing, and product development/management. This leader ensures disciplined risk management practices, profitable growth, and strong regulatory/financial reporting outcomes across all lines of business. This role has direct influence over rate strategy and product decisions; actuarial recommendations are expected to be translated into action.

Responsibilities

• Enterprise Actuarial Leadership:
  • Provide enterprise-wide leadership and direction for actuarial strategy, policies, and practices across modeling & forecasting, pricing, valuation, reserving, product development/management, and risk management.
  • Serve as the organization’s principal actuarial authority, ensuring adherence to actuarial standards of practice and regulatory requirements.
  • Lead and develop actuarial leadership and teams, fostering a high-performing, ethical, and collaborative culture.
• Financial Stewardship & Risk Management:
  • Oversee reserve adequacy, asset-liability modeling, experience studies, and assumption governance to ensure financial strength and balance sheet integrity.
  • Partner with Finance and Investments on capital management, asset adequacy testing, and long-term financial planning.
  • Provide actuarial insight for audits, examinations, and regulatory filings at the state and federal level.
• Product Strategy & Profitability:
  • Oversee product development, pricing strategy, and ongoing profitability management across lines of business.
  • Evaluate emerging risks, trends, and competitive dynamics to inform product strategy and pricing decisions.
  • Ensure actuarial input supports sustainable growth, customer value, and risk-appropriate returns.
• Regulatory & Governance Partnership:
  • Act as a key partner to Compliance, Legal, and Regulatory Affairs to ensure actuarial practices meet or exceed regulatory expectations.
  • Support regulatory examinations and interactions, including actuarial memorandums, rate filings, and financial disclosures.
  • Provide actuarial expertise to executive leadership, the Board of Directors, and relevant committees as needed.
• Modernization & Continuous Improvement:
  • Champion modernization of actuarial tools, models, data, and processes to improve efficiency, insight, and scalability.
  • Leverage analytics, data, and emerging technologies to enhance actuarial decision-making and enterprise reporting.
  • Drive continuous improvement initiatives across actuarial operations and governance.
• People Leadership:
  • Lead, mentor, and develop actuarial leaders and professionals at all levels.
  • Oversee workforce planning, succession planning, and talent development within the actuarial function.
  • Promote diversity, equity, inclusion, and professional growth consistent with organizational values.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in actuarial principles, pricing, reserving, valuation, and risk management.
• Strong understanding of insurance regulatory environments and actuarial governance.
• Strategic mindset with the ability to translate actuarial insights into executive-level decision support.
• Proven leadership, communication, and influence skills across technical and non-technical audiences.
• Experience driving change, modernization, and cross-functional collaboration.
• Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or a related field required.
• Fellowship designation (FSA or equivalent) strongly preferred.
• 12+ years of progressive actuarial experience, including senior leadership responsibility for pricing, valuation, reserving, and regulatory engagement within the insurance industry.