Job Title

Job Description

The Role

The role of AVP, Underwriting & Claims Services, Protection, Asia involves serving as a senior member of the Underwriting & Claims Services & Transformation global leadership team contributing to strategies and initiatives that enhance PL Re’s underwriting and claims capabilities and support the long-term UWC strategy. The role will also work closely with market heads to ensure the client needs and expectations are delivered.

As the face of Pacific Life Re in Asia for Underwriting & Claims Services, the AVP will maintain strong relationships with key clients and market stakeholders while delivering a differentiated service proposition aligned to client needs, risk appetite and business priorities. The role is responsible for balancing service excellence, operational scalability, governance and commercial value creation while ensuring alignment with PL Re’s strategic and risk management focus.

The AVP is expected to contribute to the development of a One UWC culture through cross-regional collaboration, knowledge sharing, resource pooling initiatives and the consistent delivery of service standards across markets.

In addition, the role will support the evolution of scalable operating models, including growth markets such as India, whilst maintaining clear accountability, robust controls and transparent governance. This includes driving operational efficiency, innovation and the responsible adoption of AI and technology to improve consistency, quality and scalability across underwriting and claims services.

The role will also provide oversight of portfolio performance, risk controls, audit activity and management information, using insights from referrals, audits, claims experience and portfolio trends to identify emerging risks, strengthen governance and support commercially appropriate decision making.

Team Management (40%)

• Lead a team of direct reports, utilising appropriate resources, networks, and tools to ensure delivery against plan, while providing performance management, technical development, and coaching.

• Ensure that the team meets their defined goals and objectives by providing support and facilitating collaboration within specified timeframes, achieving key results.

• Develop and foster a high-performance culture by setting clear expectations, providing regular feedback, and encouraging continuous improvement and innovation.

• Champion, role model, and encourage a culture in line with PL Re values and behaviours.

• Recruitment focuses on ensuring the right people are matched to roles and the team culture.

• Lead team resourcing and capacity planning, ensuring the operating model, skills mix, and deployment of resources remain aligned with business priorities, client needs, and future demand.

• Build future-ready capability by maintaining development plans, identifying skills gaps, supporting career pathways and providing opportunities for employees to gain broader regional and global exposure.

• Support the development of a One UWC culture by fostering collaboration across markets, functions and disciplines, encouraging knowledge sharing and creating an environment where employees feel connected to the broader organisation.

Scale Capabilities - Internal Governance, Training, System Enhancement, Ocean (Underwriting Manual) Development (20%)

• Maintain oversight and strategic understanding of relevant regulatory changes and their impacts on the insurance and reinsurance markets.

• Maintain expert knowledge of and provide strategic oversight to the regular maintenance of risk management policies.

• Identify role-relevant knowledge gaps within the team and deliver appropriate training to ensure all identified gaps are fully addressed, resulting in a more skilled and knowledgeable team.

• Lead or serve as SME for Chorus (Internal UWC assessment system), with responsibility for continuous efficiency gains and user testing of new functionality.
• Drive operational efficiency initiatives across underwriting and claims, including the exploration and responsible adoption of AI-enabled tools, automation, and workflow improvements where they enhance quality, consistency, and scalability.

• Support Ocean development work, including client engagement regarding risk philosophy changes and client-requested enhancements.

• Support the ongoing development of global operating models and governance frameworks, ensuring clarity of accountability, decision-making authority and escalation pathways.

• Leverage operational, referral, audit and portfolio data to provide actionable insights, improve service quality, identify emerging risks and support strategic decision making.

• Drive adoption of data, automation and AI-enabled capabilities to enhance consistency, scalability and operational effectiveness.

• Strengthen portfolio management disciplines by monitoring experience, referral trends, audit outcomes and risk indicators, ensuring insights are translated into risk controls, underwriting philosophy updates and targeted management actions.

External Focus - Client Engagement and Training (20%)

• Leverage our deep understanding of clients' businesses and market differentiators to enhance relationships through strategic engagement and leadership ensuring sustained client loyalty and satisfaction. Utilise this insight to strengthen high-value client partnerships, positioning PL Re as a market leader.

• Develop and deliver differentiated service propositions for key clients, including referral support, audits, training, service standards and value-added activities aligned to client needs and business priorities.

• Use client interactions and market insight to proactively identify opportunities for innovation, operational improvements and enhanced client outcomes.

Client Auditing and UnderwriteMe Rules Auditing (10%)

• Audit plans are overseen and audit activities governed accordingly, including providing strategic support for client initiatives such as quote due diligence and new client onboarding.

• Provide oversight of external audits, including the preparation and execution of reports, and the tracking and completion of audit actions. Audit actions include the strategic review and planning of future audits, case referral criteria, cedant authorities, and other related activities.

• UnderwriteMe rules are audited to ensure alignment with risk philosophies and to identify opportunities for improving STA and/or risk selection.

• Use audit outcomes, portfolio insights and client feedback to drive continuous improvement in underwriting philosophy, governance frameworks and service delivery models.

• Collaborate with Solutions and Client Solutions teams to ensure audit findings and market insights are translated into practical enhancements.

Client Referrals (10%)

• Provide oversight of client referral assessment to ensure they are in line with agreed risk philosophies, exercising strategic judgment to ensure work is conducted within SLAs. This may include approving referrals that exceed the delegated authority of assessors.

• Continuously challenge current practices and improve processes and documentation.

• Leverage all aspects of Chorus, including portal and cross-regional working, to further optimise underwriting and claims activities.

• Maintain clear accountabilities, escalation pathways and hand-off processes across UWC Services, UWC Solutions, Pricing and Client Solutions to support timely and effective decision making.

• Support consistent service standards and governance across markets, including participation in cross-regional initiatives designed to improve resilience, knowledge sharing and operational efficiency.

Essential Qualifications & Experience

Knowledge

• Typically educated to degree level or equivalent professional experience.

• Senior-level experience in underwriting and optional claims within a life insurance or reinsurance environment.

• Strong technical understanding of underwriting and optional claims across major life insurance protection products.

• Sound working knowledge of life insurance industry regulation, risk management principles, and market practice.

Leadership Skills

• Executive-level communication, influencing, and presentation skills, with the confidence to engage senior internal and external stakeholders.

• Proven ability to make proactive, commercially balanced decisions in complex or ambiguous situations.

• Ability to establish clear priorities and lead teams toward strategic objectives while maintaining strong delivery discipline.

Commercial Judgement

• Strong analytical capability, sound judgement, and commercial awareness, with the ability to balance client needs, risk appetite, and business outcomes.

• Demonstrated ability to challenge convention and develop practical, innovative approaches to underwriting and claims issues.

• Ability to build trusted relationships across the business and with external partners at multiple levels of seniority.

• Highly organised, conscientious, and outcome-focused, with strong attention to detail and commitment to timely delivery.

• Comfortable managing competing demands, short-notice requests, and non-standard work in a fast-moving environment.

• High level of personal ownership, resilience, and motivation to take on broader responsibility.

Desirable Experience

• Broad technical and leadership experience spanning both underwriting and claims.

• Experience gained across both life insurance and reinsurance environments, with an appreciation of insurer and reinsurer perspectives.

• Experience supporting high-net-worth propositions or complex large-sum-assured cases, with an understanding of the underwriting, claims, client, and governance considerations associated with this segment.

• Experience supporting growth markets within Asia, including working within evolving operating models, governance frameworks and regulatory environments.

• Experience operating across multiple Asian markets, such as Southeast Asia and/or India, with the ability to adapt underwriting and claims approaches to different regulatory, market, client, and distribution environments.

• Experience leading initiatives involving cross-market collaboration, resource sharing and service model transformation.

• Strong data literacy, including the ability to extract, manipulate, analyse, and draw actionable conclusions from data.

Risk Management Responsibilities

The AVP role has responsibility for risk management which includes but is not limited to:

• Demonstrating awareness and understanding of risk policies, key risks, and associated controls

• Translating risk management principles and objectives into priorities, processes and activities that make sense to team members

• Fostering a culture of risk management in the team through training and performance management

• Taking a pro-active approach to identifying, fixing, and learning from control failures

• Where relevant, report and effectively manage issues and/or loss events as they arise

Working For Pacific Life Re

Every person in our global team is valued for the unique qualities they bring to our business and we seek to build their expertise and support their individual ambitions at every step. Of course, we take our work seriously and we know our team can operate under great pressure. We work hard and thrive on achievement, but we also know how to have fun and relax too. We regularly host a range of team building days to strengthen our team's connection with each other and reflect on their successes.

Providing employees with a healthy work-life balance is very important to our culture. We have a wide range of employee benefits and we host regular social activities and well being initiatives. We are also committed to supporting our employee's involvement in their communities, by actively fundraising, hosting charity events and overseeing volunteering opportunities.

Benefits

Leave

• 23 days of annual leave with option to buy/sell more days

• Adoption and fertility leave 

• Generous enhanced parental leave  

Healthcare

• Comprehensive private insurance coverage for employee and dependents

• Group Term Life Insurance coverage of 5x basic annual salary, Group Accelerated CI of 1x annual basic salary and Group Accidental Death & Dismemberment of 3x annual basic salary 

• Optical & Dental benefits 

• Additional flexi benefits

Wellness

• Access to Employee Assistance Program 

• Time off for volunteering 

• Charitable matching of employee donations

You Can Be Who You Are

We are committed to a culture of diversity and inclusion that embraces the authenticity of all employees, partners and communities. We support all employees to thrive and achieve their fullest potential.



As part of our commitment to diversity and inclusion, we will provide reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process to ensure equal access to applicants with disabilities. Please contact us about your needs so that we can discuss these with you to make sure that suitable adjustments are made, where possible.

Pacific Life Re Values

Please click here to view our company values