Director, Underwriting Innovation

You are as unique as your background, experience and point of view. Here, you’ll be encouraged, empowered and challenged to be your best self. You'll work with dynamic colleagues - experts in their fields - who are eager to share their knowledge with you. Your leaders will inspire and help you reach your potential and soar to new heights. Every day, you'll have new and exciting opportunities to make life brighter for our Clients - who are at the heart of everything we do. Discover how you can make a difference in the lives of individuals, families and communities around the world.

Job Description:

The Director, Underwriting Innovation for Sun Life Canada will be recognized in the Canadian insurance underwriting community as a high performing underwriting leader who thrives on the challenge of applying innovative problem-solving skills to improve Client experience while recognizing and managing appropriate risk tolerance.  Through active, hands on leadership this person will foster a forward thinking, collaborative, and results-oriented team with a focus on data and innovation as they relate to underwriting risk across Sun Life Canada.   

What will you do?

• Support the AVP, Underwriting Risk Management
• Key member of the Underwriting Risk Management leadership team
• Lead underwriting innovation team with a goal to integrate traditional and non-traditional underwriting tools to ensure best in class risk assessment across Sun Life Canada
• Drive the discovery, development, and delivery of data and human based innovation in underwriting to align with a holistic risk management framework
• Align underwriting data-based tools with existing Enterprise Privacy, Advanced Analytics, and Underwriting Operating Guidelines
• Drive the development and training of skills required in underwriting teams to ‘future-proof’ underwriting risk management practices
• Promote excellence and consistency in underwriting risk assessment across SLF Canada
• Contribute to development of the organization's Underwriting philosophies by monitoring emerging trends and best practices. Recommends and implements changes to underwriting philosophies, methodologies, practices, processes, and technologies
• Provide deep technical leadership and underwriting risk perspective on product development, medical, financial, and non-medical underwriting, application revisions and new business processes.
• Champion and advocate for a positive and consistent underwriting client experience for all clients of SLF Canada
• Lead as senior underwriting resource for complex underwriting cases, providing deep technical expertise, consulting with Legal, Medical and Chief Underwriter as necessary to resolve escalations
• Ability to engage and influence internal stakeholders and business leaders on matters pertaining to underwriting risk management, philosophies, methodologies, practices, processes, technologies and strategy

What do you need to succeed?

• Minimum of 10 years Life and Health Underwriting experience including 5 years in a leadership role
• Previous authority limit of $5,000,000 life insurance and $1,000,000 critical illness insurance with a minimum of two years of experience at that level
• Strategic and leadership lens on the use of new technology and data in underwriting
• Experience developing and maintenance of risk-based data and rules engines frameworks used in underwriting
• Comprehensive understanding of risk management policies and framework
• Experience with multiple lines, products, and distribution channels
• Understanding of the financial impact of underwriting decisions to the Company
• Proven effective interpersonal and leadership skills
• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills with proven partnership capabilities
• Comfortable navigating in a matrix organization
• Strong influencing and negotiation skills
• University degree, with preference given to medical, science, mathematics, legal, or business
• Completion of or working towards recognized professional qualifications including Fellowship, Academy of Life Underwriting (FALU) and Fellowship Life and Health Claims (FLHC)
• Willingness to represent SLF on industry associations and committees
• As this position is posted in several locations, we specify that bilingualism (French, English, both oral and written) is required for Quebec only for the frequent interactions with English and French-speaking colleagues or internal partners across Canada or worldwide

What's in it for you?

• A collaborative and inclusive culture
• An environment of continuous learning and improvement