Manager, Underwriting Automation Specialist

About FWD Group

FWD Group (1828.HK) is a pan-Asian life and health insurance business that serves approximately 34 million customers across 10 markets, including BRI Life in Indonesia. FWD's customer-led and tech-enabled approach aims to deliver innovative propositions, easy-to-understand products and a simpler insurance experience. Established in 2013, the company operates in some of the fastest-growing insurance markets in the world with a vision of changing the way people feel about insurance. FWD Group is listed on the main board of the Hong Kong Stock Exchange under the stock code 1828.

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FWD Technology and Innovation Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., known as FWD TIM, was established in late 2019. Strategically located in Kuala Lumpur, FWD TIM serves as a pivotal shared service location within FWD Group, providing services to multiple markets across the Group. FWD TIM houses a diverse and talented workforce focused on essential business and technology services such as information security, cloud operations, IT solutions delivery, digital and data, actuarial, finance, investments, and customer service, among many others. FWD TIM is dedicated to drive and deliver operational excellence and efficiency, foster innovation and ensure regulatory compliance across all business functions as well as maintain a competitive edge in the market.

PURPOSE

• Support the automation of underwriting process across markets to support the delivery of configuration for the distribution of life and health products to meet and exceed customer needs and achieve sustainable business growth.

• Design and configure intelligent underwriting rules to enable product and channel launches across markets with consistency and alignment to our Group Underwriting Framework and Underwriting Policy.

• Collaborate with group and markets to analyse and provide insights to drive continuous improvement of key metrics to meet our customer needs and business ambitions.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Responsible for configuring underwriting rules in automated underwriting system and ensuring these comply with signed off requirements and conduct unit testing which is robust to ensure accuracy and quality delivery for optimal implementation.

• Participate in workshops and discussions with markets on the solution detail and walk-through group standard requirement templates, providing guidance on data requirements and preparation work.

• Configure the rulebook with the agreed requirements including performing unit testing to ensure accuracy of automated rule outcomes; take into consideration to ensure seamless flow from sales to policy issuance, optimal outcomes and next best actions when conducting the rule configuration.

• Support the business refinement and grooming sessions of user stories in markets and collaborate with cross functional teams for successful conclusions.

• Work with markets to implement the change governance process in markets for adherence to rules management.

• Work with assigned markets to launch a post implementation plan to analyse underwriting rules performance and outcomes, driving continuous improvement of straight through underwriting and straight through acceptance rates.

• Conduct rules analysis to identify areas of enhancement and collaborate with group and markets to deliver incremental improvement and overall greater values for customers and resulting better business outcomes.

KEY PERFORMANCE INDICATORS

• Contributes to the implementation of the Group automated underwriting strategy across the business units to contribute to FWD's business and customer outcomes around purchasing.

• Balancing the risk amongst operations shared services; monitor and deliver the automated underwriting rule engine configuration, measure performance outcomes within agreed timeline and SLA; drive continuous improvement for higher efficiency and increased customer promise outcomes for purchasing. Identify gaps for leadership actions.

• Ensure that related risks are well understood and managed so that the underwriting outcomes are within the agreed risk preference for underwriting and escalate risks up as required for resolution.

• Quarterly / Annual achievement of SLA's for each in-scope market; and provide feedback on performance and value creation through delivery of shared services operations capability.

EXTERNAL & INTERNAL CONTACTS

• Internal: Country Operations and Customer Experience, Product teams and Group Office stakeholders.

• External: Automated rules engine vendor.

DECISION MAKING

• In accordance with FWD Delegated Authorities.

QUALIFICATIONS / EXPERIENCE

• Bachelor or master's degree in business or related

• Minimum 6 years' experience in Financial Services / Insurance industry working in multi-national environments.

• Minimum 3 years' experience in underwriting risk management in insurance or reinsurance operations. Minimum 1 years' working experience in underwriting automation and rules design.

• Experienced in communicating business requirements with logical and clear acceptance criteria, which are easily understood by users, developers, testers and stakeholders.

• Experience in applying data and analytics to track performance, identify problems, source solutions and influence business outcomes where and when needed.

• Experienced in underwriting business processes and automation.

• Good communication, stakeholder management and relationship building skills.

• Eye for detail and a creative and strategic thinker.

• Ability to influence and earn trust with functional leadership and within working teams across markets.

• Knowledge of financial services, insurance operations and customer experience.

KNOWLEDGE & TECHNICAL SKILLS

• Good interpersonal skill; Able to  handle multitask simultaneously; Good analytical, problem solving and decision-making skills; Demonstrated proficiency to work and adapt in a dynamic environment and recognise priority issues, solving problems and escalating quickly where relevant.

• Understanding of how product/solution can solve customer and business problems and create sustainable value.

• Knowledge of underwriting risk management practices.

• Customer/people centred design skills and how this translates into customer and business benefits. 

• Understand Agile methodologies, processes, principles and ways of working to deliver iterative value to customers consistent with market trends.

• Ability to collaborate and provide technical expertise to markets to formulate strategies aligned to strategic outcomes.

• Demonstrated proficiency to work and adapt in a dynamic environment and recognize priority issues, escalating quickly where relevant.

• Familiar with international insurance regulations, standards and protocols.

COMPETENCIES

Customer led:

• Anticipates and acts on emerging customer needs, data and feedback to identify customer values and to create the desired customer experience.

Market led:

• Undertakes analysis of market data and applies relevant market segments and directions for the business with trends in mind.

Deliver the vision:

• Can articulate what plans are for own role, function and broader FWD strategy and how they link to the company vision.

Strategy focused:

• Implements the Functions strategy and can articulate the link between corporate strategy and functional strategy.

People orientated:

• Encourages safe, open and honest debate about the team's performance and builds aligned development plans.

Cultural alignment:

• Promotes cultural standards and procedures. Is active in supporting others and thinks beyond own role and function for the broader business.

Decision making:

• Taps into knowledge from a wide variety of sources to make decisions and create solutions for the short term.

Drive results:

• Sets own KPI's and strives to exceed them. Supports the team and clears barriers to achieving the team KPI's.