Job Description

About the role

The Underwriting & ReTakaful (RI) Supervisor will be responsible for overseeing the Life underwriting function, with particular responsibility for Individual Credit Life and Bancassurance products, while managing ReTakaful/reinsurance activities across all Life lines of business.

The role will provide day-to-day leadership to the underwriting team, ensure consistent and commercially sound risk assessment, maintain effective ReTakaful arrangements and deliver detailed management information and analytics covering underwriting performance, contributions, claims, loss ratios and profitability.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical Life underwriting knowledge with effective team leadership, analytical capability and experience managing relationships with ReTakaful partners.

Key Responsibilities

1. Underwriting Management & Supervision

• Lead and supervise the Life underwriting team responsible for assessing risks, determining eligibility and establishing appropriate terms for Life insurance coverage.
• Review underwriting decisions to ensure accuracy, consistency and compliance with approved underwriting guidelines, regulatory requirements and established risk appetite.
• Ensure effective KYC, risk rating, customer onboarding and underwriting processing, maintaining appropriate service standards and fast turnaround times.

2. Risk Assessment & ReTakaful Coordination

• Coordinate with ReTakaful partners regarding medical, financial and occupational risk assessments, including ratings and additional loadings for adverse or non-standard risks.
• Provide technical guidance and support to underwriters on complex Life risks and underwriting decisions.
• Maintain effective working relationships with internal stakeholders and external ReTakaful partners to support appropriate risk selection and underwriting outcomes.

3. ReTakaful & Reinsurance Management

• Oversee ReTakaful/reinsurance activities across Individual Life, Group Employee Benefits and Group Credit portfolios, including calculation of sums at risk and contributions.
• Prepare and process regular ReTakaful bordereaux and cessions, ensuring submissions are accurate, complete and processed within agreed timelines.
• Monitor and recover the ReTakaful share of claims while resolving discrepancies and supporting the negotiation and administration of ReTakaful arrangements.

4. MIS, Analytics & Portfolio Performance

• Develop and maintain management information covering underwriting, contributions, claims and ReTakaful data to support management decision-making.
• Monitor underwriting performance, loss ratios and emerging portfolio trends to identify potential impacts on profitability and risk exposure.
• Provide analytical insights and recommendations and work with relevant teams to implement corrective actions designed to improve underwriting performance and optimise loss ratios.

5. Underwriting Policies, Procedures & Operational Improvement

• Develop and maintain Life underwriting and ReTakaful policies, procedures and guidelines in accordance with regulatory requirements, industry standards and company objectives.
• Identify opportunities to improve underwriting and ReTakaful processes, controls, workflow efficiency and operational productivity.
• Support the implementation and development of digital platforms and core technology systems used within Life insurance business processes.

6. Quality Assurance, Governance & Compliance

• Establish and maintain quality assurance controls covering the accuracy, consistency and quality of underwriting decisions and ReTakaful activities.
• Ensure underwriting and ReTakaful operations comply with applicable laws, regulations, internal policies and relevant industry standards.
• Remain informed of regulatory and market developments and ensure any required changes are reflected appropriately within underwriting practices and procedures.

7. Team Leadership & Development

• Provide ongoing coaching, mentoring and technical support to underwriting team members to strengthen underwriting capability and performance.
• Conduct performance reviews, provide constructive feedback and identify individual and team development requirements.
• Support appropriate underwriting training and knowledge development for underwriting employees and relevant distribution partners.

Education & Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree in Business Administration, Finance, Risk Management or a related discipline.
• Advanced academic qualifications would be advantageous.
• Professional Life insurance qualifications such as FLMI, ALU or equivalent are preferred.

Experience

• Minimum 5 years' experience within Life insurance, including experience in a supervisory or managerial capacity.
• Strong practical experience in Life underwriting, risk assessment and underwriting decision-making.
• Experience managing ReTakaful/reinsurance administration, including agreements, claims recoveries, cessions and relationships with ReTakaful partners.
• Demonstrable experience using MIS, analytics and loss-ratio monitoring to evaluate underwriting and portfolio performance.
• Previous experience coaching and developing underwriting professionals.

Skills & Competencies

• Strong knowledge of Life insurance products and underwriting principles.
• Sound understanding of medical, financial and occupational risk assessment.
• Strong analytical, problem-solving and decision-making capability.
• Ability to assess complex risks and make technically sound underwriting decisions.
• Strong understanding of ReTakaful/reinsurance administration and claims recovery.
• Effective leadership, coaching and people-development skills.
• Strong stakeholder and relationship-management capability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills.
• Strong attention to detail and commitment to underwriting quality.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office and relevant underwriting and insurance systems.

Core Competencies

1. Life Underwriting Expertise – Strong technical understanding of Life underwriting, risk selection and appropriate pricing and coverage decisions.
2. Risk Assessment – Ability to evaluate medical, financial and occupational factors affecting Life insurance risks.
3. ReTakaful Management – Practical understanding of ReTakaful structures, cessions, recoveries and partner management.
4. Portfolio Analytics – Ability to interpret underwriting, claims, contribution and loss-ratio information.
5. Commercial Decision-Making – Balances appropriate risk management with service, profitability and business requirements.
6. Governance & Compliance – Maintains underwriting activity within approved policies, procedures and regulatory requirements.
7. Operational Excellence – Focuses on accuracy, turnaround times, process efficiency and continuous improvement.
8. Leadership & Development – Builds underwriting capability through coaching, mentoring and performance management.
9. Stakeholder Management – Develops effective relationships across underwriting, claims, finance, legal, distribution and ReTakaful partners.
10. Technology & Digital Capability – Supports effective utilisation and implementation of underwriting, MIS and core Life insurance technology platforms.