Actuary - Reserving and Reporting at the African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re)

The African Reinsurance Corporation (Africa Re) is the leading African reinsurance company with headquarters in Lagos (Nigeria). Africa Re has six regional offices: Casablanca (Morocco), Abidjan (Côte d'Ivoire), Nairobi (Kenya), Lagos (Nigeria), Cairo (Egypt) and Ebene (Mauritius). The Corporation equally has two subsidiaries: African Reinsurance Corporation South Africa Ltd in Johannesburg (South Africa), Africa Retakaful in Cairo (Egypt) and one Local Office in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia).

Africa Re has a broad-based shareholding comprising 41 African member States, the African Development Bank (AfDB), 114 African insurance and reinsurance companies and three non-regional shareholders, including leading global insurers and reinsurers. The Financial Strength and Credit Rating of Africa Re is A by A.M. Best and A – by Standard & Poor’s.

We are recruiting to fill the position below:

Job Title: Actuary - Reserving and Reporting

Location: Lagos
Employment Type: Full-time

Job Description
The main duties of the job holder shall comprise, amongst others, the following:

• Apply mathematical and statistical techniques to extract, analyze, summarize and transform data sets into usable information that informs organizational leadership decisions and policies.
• Support the reserving process through the analysis of loss and loss adjustment reserves.
• Monitor reserve adequacy.
• Assist with financial reporting including support for annual statement, internal and external (statutory) financial reports.
• Communicate information and results to a variety of technical and non-technical audiences across the organization including preparation of actuarial memorandums, and standard as well as special reports to support reserving recommendations.
• Make informed actuarial recommendations based on professional judgment and experience.
• Support ad hoc quantitative analyses that facilitate effective decision-making including detailed portfolio reviews and analyses.
• Respond to queries, clarifications and questions from auditors, Management and other stakeholders.
• Support improvement efforts in order to increase consistency, efficiency, and compliance with internal and external standards.
• Collaborate with other internal functions, including Underwriting, Actuarial Pricing, Claims, Reinsurance Accounting and Finance functions to understand trends for consideration in reserving estimates.
• Estimate and analyse patterns and other input parameters for IFRS and solvency calculations.
• Perform any other duty that may be assigned by Supervisors or Group Management.

Responsibilities

• The successful candidate shall report to the Director, Central Operations & Special Risks and will be responsible for delivering the best estimate reserves by building analytical projections that integrate a range of actuarial techniques to help Africa Re maintain a robust balance sheet.
• The job holder coordinates, prepares and performs actuarial analyses, evaluates loss and expense reserves and provides consultation on actuarial models and risk issues.
• S/he is also expected to document their work in accordance with actuarial standards and communicate their results accordingly.
• The activities could include, but are not limited to, work on reserve ranges and variability, adding more visualization to reporting, increasing automation, building deeper connections with other departments and actuarial functions, and timely reporting to the business

Minimum Qualifications and Experience

• Applicants shall be holders of a First Degree in Mathematics / Actuarial Science / Statistics or other related numerate fields with a minimum of 7 years actuarial experience in a non-life insurance or reinsurance company, or actuarial consulting firm OR at least 4 years of experience in reserving.
• Associate or substantial progression to achieving Associateship / Fellowship of an internationally recognized actuarial examining body.
• Experience working in an international insurance or reinsurance company AND experience in re/insurance treaty pricing, portfolio profitability analysis and costing model and tool development will be an added advantage.

Main Competencies Required:

• Strong working knowledge Microsoft Office including Excel, Power Point, Word
• Strong verbal and written communication skills
• Knowledge of commercial insurance products and general insurance/business knowledge
• Able to manage and coordinate own projects using multiple resources
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
• Ability to apply judgment and problem-solving skills to address issues
• Ability to exercise discretion, and apply independent judgment and well-developed critical thinking skills in execution of assignments and projects
• Good business judgement and ability to solve complex issues with pragmatic solutions
• Programming and other analytical experience required (Examples: Python, VBA, C#, SAS, R, Python, SQL, Power BI) will be an added advantage
• Understanding and experience of IFRS and IAS standards would be an added advantage
• Proficient understanding of IFRS principles and reserving methods for P&C (re)insurance business
• Experience using actuarial reserving and statistical software

Additional Requirements:

• Strong communication skills for conveying complex actuarial concepts to diverse audiences.
• Proficient in applying mathematical and statistical techniques to transform data into actionable insights.
• Effective problem-solving ability to address issues in the reserving process.
• Independent project management skills to coordinate and execute tasks efficiently.
• Analytical mindset for accurate assessment of data patterns and parameters.
• Sound judgment and critical thinking for solving complex issues pragmatically.
• Proficiency in programming languages and analytical tools for enhanced efficiency.
• Understanding of IFRS principles and reserving methods for P&C re/insurance business.
• Proficient in English communication; French proficiency is an added advantage.

Salary and Benefits
The successful candidate shall have the following benefits:

• Competitive Basic Salary
• Variable pay (Annual Performance Bonus)
• Joint contribution to the Provident Fund (7% of the basic salary paid by staff and 14% by the employer)
• Housing Allowance
• Medical cover for staff and family
• Home leave to country of origin every year paid by the employer, if non-national
• Children education subsidy for each child up to 26 years (maximum 4 children)
• Duty Post Differential (Cost of Living Allowance), that may increase or decrease depending on the economic situation and result of surveys

Application Closing Date
31st May, 2024.

How to Apply
Interested and qualified candidates should:
Click here to apply online