The Opportunity

We are looking for two mid to senior students to join our Life Actuarial Reporting team, to support the introduction of the new IFRS 17 measure and operation of existing reporting measures such as Solvency II.

The actuarial reporting team works in collaboration with the Chief Life Actuary, Executives and Head Office to deliver valuation results, forecasts and analysis on a number of measures including IFRS, SII, UKGAAP and the Swiss Solvency Test. They provide effective strategic insights to deliver business objectives, working in an agile, flexible, collaborative manner across a number of business areas.

We are looking for two self-driven mid to senior students, with life assurance reporting experience. The students will support the smooth transition from IFRS 4 to IFRS 17, producing the IFRS 17 valuation results and insights, as well as supporting the production of existing reporting measure results and insights. These roles would suit candidates with good technical, analytical and communication skills, capable of working with a variety of people.

The role is available part-time, job-share or full time. This is because we want the best people for our roles, and we recognise that sometimes those people aren’t available full-time.

Main Accountabilities:

• Assist in the production and analysis of IFRS 17 actual valuation results and forecast results, UKGAAP/SII/SST actual valuation results.
• Provide thought leadership on activities with a low to moderate level of complexity and contribute to problem solving on activities with a higher level of complexity
• Engage in peer reviews of methodology, models and documentation, providing appropriate challenge and suggestion for improvements
• Make informed actuarial and business recommendations based on professional judgment and experience.
• Develop a culture of continuous improvement that focuses on enhancing the service provided to the stakeholders
• Create and maintain strong working relationships

 Your skills and experience:

• Mid to senior student of IFoA, with two or more years’ experience of working in a life actuarial team, and some experience of working in an actuarial life reporting team
• Experience of reporting procedures, processes and operating controls for a robust delivery of reliable and accurate financial reporting to auditable standards
• Ability to plan work activity to realistic deadlines and deliver to schedule
• Good communicator that is able to document and explain technical material
• Excellent IT skills, specifically Word and Excel
• SQL skills or similar coding language experience preferable

Behavioural Skills:

• Strong proactive team player who works collaboratively
• Enthusiastic and positive attitude with a desire to drive the business forward
• Strong communication and influencing skills, both written and oral
• A self-starter committed to deliver quality work to set deadlines
• Ability to prioritise and focus to deliver the end results
• Able to build and maintain relationships at all levels of staff

What support will I receive? 

To help you pass the exams we provide a generous allowance of paid study days, up to a maximum of 52 a year depending on the exams chosen. We recognise that passing exams is important to you and strive to give you the required time to do so, especially around exam time. In addition to paid study days, we also cover all the financial costs to qualify. This can include exam fees, study materials, tutorials, mock exams, professional membership, and required travel.

We are serious about investing in our people. As such we run a mentoring scheme to help guide you through your early experiences and give you advice with structuring your exam and revision time. Your mentor should also be able to advise you on office performance. Working in a team alongside qualified actuaries will give you the best professional experience and we always encourage questions; the best students seek to understand what it is they are doing and why they are doing it.

The study scheme includes structured rotations between teams and twice annual salary reviews to ensure you’re rewarded for your exam successes, office performance, and future potential. At Zurich sustainability is at the heart of what we do, and as Life insurance is all about the long-term view, we have a tangible connection to supporting both the planet and our communities. As such we offer 3 days a year for you to commit to volunteering your time to causes that matter, above the study days and holidays.

Who we are:

With about 55,000 employees serving customers in more than 170 countries we aspire to become the best global insurer as measured by our shareholders, customers and employees.

If you’re interested in working in a dynamic and challenging environment for a company that recognises and rewards your creativity, initiatives and contributions – then Zurich could be just the place for you. The success of our business is built on the contributions of our highly talented employees – people who work every day to position us at the forefront of the insurance industry. We therefore look to hire great people and we encourage those people to give their best.

You’ll feel the support of being part of a strong and stable company. A long-standing player in the insurance industry, we make every effort to address the career development needs and plans of our employees to ensure their success in the future.

Further information:

At Zurich we are proud of our culture. We are passionate about Diversity and Inclusion. We want you to bring your whole self to work we have a diverse mix of customers and we want our employee base to reflect that.

Our diversity and inclusion initiatives are creating an environment where everyone feels welcome regardless of protected characteristics.

With the above in mind we accept applications from everyone regardless of your background, beliefs or culture however we especially welcome applications from women, people from ethnic minorities, people with a disability and people who are LGBT+ as these groups are currently under-represented in our organisation.

We are committed to continuous improvement and we offer access to a comprehensive range of training and development opportunities. Zurich is passionate about supporting employees to help others by getting involved in volunteering, charitable and community activity through the Zurich Community Trust.

We have won numerous awards for our work on Diversity and Inclusion.  We are also proud to be nominated for the 2020 Insurance Times award for Diversity and Inclusion.

So make a difference. Be challenged. Be inspired. Be supported, Love what you do. Work for us.