Head of Actuarial for Life Insurance: Sandton

Who are we? At SanlamAllianz, we are proud to be the largest pan‑African, non‑banking financial services organisation on the continent. With operations across 26 African countries (excluding South Africa), our diverse portfolio spans life insurance, general insurance, retail credit, health, bancassurance, and asset management. Guided by our core values of Innovation, Care, Integrity, and Collaboration , we are committed to realising our vision of being the most admired financial services group in Africa. We foster a high‑performance, energising, and inclusive culture where employees feel cared for, empowered, and challenged to deliver their best work. At SanlamAllianz, we believe that when people are inspired and supported, they live with confidence — and together, we achieve excellence. What will you do? The successful candidate will report to the SanlamAllianz Executive: Finance and Actuarial of Life Insurance. This role is responsible for leading and managing the delivery of regulatory, reporting and governance requirements of the SanlamAllianz Life Actuarial function in line with the overall SanlamAllianz requirements and processes. Furthermore, the role will contribute towards the team vision, supporting key strategic initiatives and driving successful implementation of key focus areas for the Actuarial function within the Life business. The role will need to work in partnership with and obtain buy‑in from country CFOs, actuaries and other central support functions and is expected to support in driving business results and excellence in performance. The role provides exposure to a wide range of actuarial disciplines, interaction with diverse stakeholders and cultures across various jurisdictions, businesses and a broad range of products within the SanlamAllianz Life portfolio. What will make you successful in this role? The successful candidate will require a strong financial and actuarial technical background, strong interpersonal and stakeholder relationship management skills and the ability to apply this in a complex life insurance portfolio. Key responsibilities will include: Management and Statutory Reporting Manage high quality, time‑ous and adequate actuarial reporting for management and statutory purposes based on overall SanlamAllianz requirements. Specifically, manage the delivery of actuarial valuations, value of new business, embedded value (EV) and the analysis of EV earnings, capital requirements including SAM solvency. Manage the delivery of asset‑liability management. Manage the delivery of experience analyses. Manage and report on financial soundness, specifically capital requirements and return on capital. Manage the delivery of actuarial content into the SanlamAllianz life underwriting and reinsurance committee per the annual plan. Participation in and oversight of local actuarial committees. Planning, budgeting and profitability management Manage the actuarial delivery into the planning and budgeting process in alignment with overall SanlamAllianz requirements. Monitoring and managing risk, with an emphasis on financial risks. Actuarial Governance Ensure the integrity of actuarial reporting by maintaining a robust control environment. Oversee local actuarial teams in the life businesses and ensure high performance and compliance with SanlamAllianz standards. Ensure that model governance requirements and standards are met. Maintain and improve the internal control environment within the actuarial processes. Oversee an effective internal and external audit execution for actuarial. Drive ongoing improvement of actuarial systems and processes. Strategic input, direction and alignment Support the SanlamAllianz Life Insurance entities through discovering and sharing insights, participating in the budgeting process, analysing key financial and performance results, and providing technical actuarial support. Proactively share information and expertise with internal stakeholders. Stay abreast of market trends, relevant legislation and events in appropriate statutory bodies. Stakeholder engagement and relationship management Build, develop and maximise effective relationships and manage expectations with all relevant stakeholders including in‑country finance, actuarial and management teams. Ensure that SanlamAllianz operates in accordance with relevant laws, regulation and actuarial and accounting standards applicable to its operations across all its markets and respective shareholder standards. Contribute to the interpretation and understanding of, as well as related adequate business responses to proposed regulatory and other external changes. People Leadership and Management Provide leadership and direction to the relevant central and in‑country stakeholders, teams and role players. Ensure that employees in the SanlamAllianz Life actuarial function maximise their skills and commitment to personal development and the achievement of key performance areas. Lead by example in demonstrating the organisation’s desired values and culture. Drive effective performance management, talent development and succession planning for continuous growth and development at a business, team and individual level. Qualification and Experience Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (or equivalent Actuarial body) Minimum 5 years related post‑qualification experience in financial services Extensive experience in IFRS 17 valuations, EV, VNB and SAM bases A proven track record of high performance in managing self and teams Experience in managing complex life insurance environments Knowledge and Skills A deep understanding of life insurance actuarial valuations and solvency A deep understanding of life insurance products Financial and actuarial Information Technology, reporting capabilities and related systems knowledge Financial and actuarial problem solving Financial risk management Demonstrable skills in successfully leading and influencing people Good verbal and written communication skills Good and proven business acumen Change leadership and management skills Ability to inspire and motivate others in action Personal Attributes Drive vision and purpose Collaboration within and across teams Strategic and analytical mindset Innovative mindset and the drive to discover new and better ways to drive business success Strong technical ability, quality and detail orientation and concern for accuracy Manage complexity Business and industry insights Builds effective teams Building and maintaining relationships and balancing stakeholders Diplomacy Excellent communication skills Strong personal integrity and values driven work ethic Ability to adapt to a changing environment Ability to perform well under pressure Self‑motivated, takes initiative and ownership to bring tasks to completion Mature outlook and upholds high standards of professional integrity Passionate ownership of results Core Competencies Cultivates innovation – Contributing strategically Customer focus – Contributing strategically Drives results – Contributing strategically Collaborates – Contributing strategically Being resilient – Contributing strategically Build a successful career with us We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development. Turnaround time The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers. Our commitment to transformation The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are the key components to ensure a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process. #J-18808-Ljbffr