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Sr. Director, Actuarial

Roles & Responsibilities

  • Bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or related field; Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA); Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA).
  • 8+ years of actuarial experience with 4+ years in managerial roles, with significant experience in Employee Benefits or related products.
  • Proven experience leading actuarial teams and managing complex deliverables across reporting cycles.
  • Strong knowledge of statutory, GAAP, and tax reporting frameworks; demonstrated success supporting audits, governance routines, and regulator-facing work; excellent communication with senior leaders.

Requirements:

  • Lead actuarial teams supporting DBL, PFL, and PFML products, including pricing support, in-force management, experience analysis, and inputs for financial reporting; build leadership bench and succession planning.
  • Provide strategic oversight of quarterly valuation processes for Employee Benefit products; partner with Accounting and FPA to ensure actuarial inputs are complete, timely, explainable, and well-documented; ensure consistency of assumptions and methodologies.
  • Lead audit and regulatory initiatives (including SOX) and serve as primary actuarial liaison for audits, regulatory reviews, and actuarial opinions/regulatory filings.
  • Implement and maintain actuarial processes, controls, and governance; ensure adherence to Actuarial Standards of Practice and participate in governance committees; drive standardization and automation opportunities.

Job description

The work we do has an impact on millions of lives, and you can be a part of it.
We help protect our customers against life’s uncertainties. Regardless of where you work within the company, you’ll be helping provide protection and peace of mind when our customers need it most.

The Senior Director, Employee Benefits Actuarial is the senior operating leader for actuarial execution within the Employee Benefits business. Reporting to the VP, Product and Chief Actuary – Employee Benefits Business Line, this role is accountable for day-to-day actuarial leadership of ShelterPoint and its actuarial staff.  The role will focus heavily on people leadership and development of the current team and the new members as it expands.  In addition to supporting the existing ShelterPoint business, the leader will also concentrate on process development across the actuarial components of Financial Reporting and Experience Studies associated with the growing Employee Benefits product suite.

The Senior Director ensures that actuarial work is high-quality, well-controlled, timely, and scalable.  They partner closely with Product, ERM, Finance, Accounting, Underwriting, and Legal to support profitable growth and operational excellence across the Employee Benefits portfolio. This role is key to our existing business’ success and our ability to expand horizontally and geographically.

Key Responsibilities
1.    Actuarial Team Leadership (DBL / PFL / PFML)
•    Lead actuarial teams supporting DBL, PFL, and PFML products, including pricing support, in-force management, experience analysis, and financial reporting inputs
•    Set clear priorities, performance expectations, and development paths for actuaries and analysts across multiple levels
•    Build a strong leadership bench and succession pipeline within the Employee Benefits actuarial function
2.    Financial Reporting 
•    Provide strategic oversight and lead the quarterly valuation processes for Employee Benefit products, ensuring accuracy and compliance with Stat, GAAP, and Tax requirements 
•    Partner closely with Accounting and FP&A to ensure actuarial inputs are complete, timely, explainable, and well-documented
•    Ensure consistency of assumptions, methodologies, and results across reporting cycles
3.    Audit & Regulatory Support
•    Lead enterprise-level initiatives to enhance valuation methodologies, model governance, and internal controls (including SOX compliance).
•    Serve as the primary actuarial lead for audit interactions, including external audit, internal audit, and targeted regulatory reviews
•    Coordinate responses, documentation, and analysis across the actuarial team to ensure audit readiness and credibility
•    Support the VP and Appointed Actuary with analysis and materials for actuarial opinions, memoranda, and regulatory filings
4.    Actuarial Governance & Controls
•    Implement and maintain strong actuarial processes, controls, and documentation standards
•    Ensure adherence to Actuarial Standards of Practice and internal governance expectations
•    Participate in governance committees and business routines, escalating risks or issues appropriately
5.    Product & Business Partnership
•    Provide actuarial leadership and insight to Product, ERM, Underwriting, Government Affairs, and Finance partners
•    Support product development, repricing initiatives, and legislative or regulatory changes impacting ShelterPoint’s Paid Leave products
•    Translate actuarial results into clear business implications for non-actuarial stakeholders
6.    Process & Capability Development
•    Design and improve scalable actuarial processes across modeling, assumption setting, experience studies, and reporting
•    Drive standardization and efficiency to support growth of the Employee Benefits business
•    Identify opportunities for automation and operating model enhancements

Qualifications
•    Bachelor’s degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics, or related field
•    Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA)
•    Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA)
•    8+ years of actuarial experience with 4+ in managerial roles, with significant experience in Employee Benefits or related products
•    Proven experience leading actuarial teams and managing complex deliverables across reporting cycles
•    Strong knowledge of Statutory, GAAP, and Tax reporting frameworks
•    Demonstrated success supporting audits, governance routines, and regulator-facing work
•    Strong communication skills, with the ability to operate confidently with senior leaders

 

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Employee Benefits:  
We aim to protect the wellbeing of our employees and their families with a broad benefits offering. In addition to offering comprehensive health, dental and vision insurance, we support emotional wellbeing through mental health benefits and an employee assistance program. Work/life balance is important and Protective offers a variety of paid time away benefits (e.g., paid time off, paid parental leave, short-term disability, and a cultural observance day). The financial health of our employees is just as important as physical and emotional health.  Some of the financial wellbeing benefits include contributions to healthcare accounts, a pension plan, and a 401(k) plan with Company matching. All employees are encouraged to protect their overall wellbeing by engaging in ProHealth Rewards, Protective’s platform to improve wellbeing while earning cash rewards.   

Eligibility for certain benefits may vary by position in accordance with the terms of the Company’s benefit plans.

Accommodations for Applicants with a Disability:
If you require an accommodation to complete the application and recruitment process due to a disability, please email eric.hess@protective.com. This information will be held in confidence and used only to determine an appropriate accommodation for the application and recruitment process.

Please note that the above email is solely for individuals with disabilities requesting an accommodation.  General employment questions should not be sent through this process.

We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer committed to being inclusive and attracting, retaining, and growing an inclusive workforce.

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