Associate Director, Actuarial Systems & Innovation

Role Summary

Please note that we do not offer visa sponsorship for this position.

The Actuarial Innovation team is a forward-looking group focused on advancing actuarial capabilities through modern data, analytics, automation, and technology solutions.  The Associate Director will partner closely with Actuarial Valuation, Modeling Center of Excellence (MCoE), IT, Finance, and other cross-functional teams to support actuarial production processes, system maintenance, data analytics, change management, process automation, and actuarial platform modernization.

The Associate Director will help translate business needs into actionable technology and data solutions, support prioritization of actuarial system and data requests, coordinate testing and implementation activities, and ensure that actuarial systems and data processes are reliable, scalable, well-controlled, and aligned with business objectives.

This position is expected to serve as a hands-on partner to the Senior Director, helping execute the actuarial systems and data roadmap while supporting day-to-day issue resolution, stakeholder coordination, governance, documentation, and continuous improvement efforts.

This position currently offers an onsite work schedule, with the expectation that you will be in the office four (4) days per week during onsite core days.  Our current onsite core days are Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday.  The work schedule type and core days are subject to change with advance notification and manager discretion. 

Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Actuarial Systems Governance & Change Management

• Support the actuarial change management lifecycle for systems, data pipelines, model-related infrastructure, reporting processes, and production workflows.
• Assist with intake, prioritization, planning, and execution of actuarial data and systems requests across Actuarial Valuation and MCoE.
• Support compliance with company policies, actuarial governance standards, and regulatory expectations related to actuarial systems, data, and model-supporting processes

Actuarial Data Management & Platform Enablement

• Partner with IT, Actuarial Valuation, and MCoE to improve data quality, consistency, accessibility, lineage, and controls across actuarial systems and platforms.
• Assist with enhancements to the Actuarial Data Platform and analytical capabilities supporting valuation, modeling, forecasting, experience studies, and financial reporting.
• Support data governance practices that improve the reliability, transparency, and usability of actuarial data across lines of business.
• Assess IT-sanctioned tools, platforms, and software capabilities for potential use in actuarial data processing, modeling, analytics, and reporting. 

Technology Partnership, Transformation & Process Improvement

• Translate actuarial business needs into clear requirements, user stories, process documentation, and implementation plans.
• Support backlog management, roadmap execution, stakeholder communications, and prioritization discussions.
• Foster collaboration across actuarial, IT, finance, and business teams to ensure solutions are practical, sustainable, and aligned with enterprise technology standards.
• Support transformation initiatives involving actuarial models, data platforms, systems, processes, and controls.
• Support AI innovation opportunities by identifying practical use cases for automation, advanced analytics, and AI-enabled tools that improve actuarial data processing, modeling, reporting, controls, and decision-making.Top of FormBottom of Form

Minimum Qualifications

• 8+ years of progressive experience in actuarial, finance, data analytics, technology, or related roles within the life insurance industry.
• Proven experience partnering with Actuarial, Finance, Data, and IT teams to support business-critical systems, data processes, analytical platforms, or reporting environments.
• Strong project management skills, including the ability to prioritize competing requests, manage timelines, track dependencies, and coordinate cross-functional deliverables.
• Strong understanding of data management principles, including data quality, data controls, reconciliation, lineage, documentation, governance, and issue resolution.
• Working knowledge of the system development lifecycle, including requirements gathering, change management, testing, deployment, production support, and control frameworks.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to diagnose issues, identify root causes, evaluate alternatives, and drive practical solutions.
• Demonstrated ability to translate business needs into clear requirements and partner with technical teams to design and deliver effective solutions.
• Ability to build relationships, influence without direct authority, and collaborate effectively across actuarial, technology, finance, data, and business teams.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical, data, and process concepts to both technical and non-technical audiences.

Preferred Qualifications 

• Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Computer Science, Data Science, Finance, Engineering, or a related field.
• PMP, Agile, data management, cloud, technology, or related professional certifications.
• Hands-on experience or working knowledge of SQL, Databricks, Python, cloud data platforms, workflow automation tools, business intelligence tools, or similar technologies.
• Experience supporting complex system implementations, data platform enhancements, process automation, actuarial modernization, or enterprise transformation initiatives.
• Experience developing and maintaining business requirements, process documentation, control documentation, data lineage documentation, test plans, user acceptance testing materials, deployment plans, and production support procedures.
• Prior experience mentoring analysts, coordinating project teams, or serving as a lead for cross-functional initiatives.

 

AI Proficiency Expectations

At National Life Group, we view AI as an enabler of human potential. We use AI to help us work smarter, serve more clients, and keep our promises, while remaining a relationship-driven business where our people are our greatest strength.

All applicants are expected to:

• Leverage approved AI tools, where appropriate, to improve the efficiency, quality, and impact of their work.
• Stay curious and open to new AI-enabled ways of working.
• Exercise sound judgment by reviewing and validating AI-generated content.
• Maintain accountability for the accuracy, quality, fairness, and integrity of work products by adhering to National Life’s AI guiding principles.
• Use AI responsibly and in accordance with company policies related to confidentiality, data privacy, security, compliance, retention and intellectual property.

Benefits

• Your benefits start day one and are flexible and customizable to your and your family’s specific needs. Check out the BENEFITS of a Career at National Life!