Actuarial Annuity Modeling Senior Director - REMOTE

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This position serves as the Annuity Modeling Lead within Nationwide Financial Actuarial department, responsible for end-to-end modeling strategy, execution, and people leadership for the annuity modeling portfolio. This role sits within the Corporate Modeling organization and partners closely with Valuation, Assumptions, Finance, Risk, Investments, and Technology to deliver high-quality models and insights that support business decisions and regulatory requirements.

Role Purpose

In addition to the enterprise expectations for a Senior Director, Actuary – NF, this role:

• Leads the centralized annuity modeling function, accountable for the design, implementation, testing, and maintenance of production models supporting valuation, reserving, and key risk and capital frameworks.

• Serves as the primary actuarial modeling point of contact for annuity stakeholders, ensuring that modeling capabilities, limitations, and risks are clearly understood and proactively managed.

• Drives scalability and modernization of the annuity modeling environment to support business growth, regulatory change, and operational resilience.

Key ResponsibilitiesStrategic Modeling Leadership

• Owns the annuity modeling strategy across AXIS and ALFA, ensuring models remain fit-for-purpose, well-controlled, and aligned to NF’s risk appetite and financial objectives.

• Leads the design and execution of large-scale modeling initiatives.

• Partners with internal stakeholders to shape reserve and valuation methodologies, providing thought leadership on modeling implications, trade‑offs, and long‑term impacts.

Delivery, Controls, and Model Risk

• Ensures robust, standardized model testing and control frameworks are designed, implemented, and maintained across annuity models, including documentation, unit testing, and end‑to‑end validation for major changes and new products.

• Owns quarter‑end and year‑end modeling execution for annuities, including planning, prioritization, and communication of timelines, risks, and rerun criteria to stakeholders and leadership.

• Partners with Model Risk Management, Risk, and Audit to address model risk findings, coordinate validation activities, and close issues in a disciplined and timely manner.

Modernization and Continuous Improvement

• Drives performance improvement of annuity models (e.g., consolidating models, leveraging compression approaches, reducing manual inputs, and enhancing run efficiency).

• Leads evaluation and, where appropriate, adoption of alternative or emerging modeling platforms and tools (e.g., external vendor solutions) to enhance scalability, control, and analytical capabilities.

• Partners with Technology and Data teams to improve data sourcing, integration, and compute strategies that support reliable, scalable model runs and analytics.

Stakeholder Engagement and Communication

• Acts as a trusted advisor to senior leaders on annuity modeling topics, translating complex modeling concepts into clear, decision‑relevant insights and recommendations.

• Maintains strong connectivity with valuation, pricing, ALM/Investments, Finance, and Risk stakeholders to align modeling priorities, manage expectations, and ensure transparency around model capabilities and limitations.

• Represents annuity modeling in key governance forums, ensuring materials and messages are accurate, balanced, and well‑supported.

People Leadership and Talent Development

• Leads, develops, and engages a team of actuarial professionals, setting clear expectations, providing timely feedback, and creating opportunities for growth, succession, and leadership development.

• Builds depth and breadth in the modeling bench by expanding expertise in annuity products, asset modeling, and emerging regulatory frameworks; creates pathways for associates to gain exposure across modeling and actuarial domains.

• Fosters a culture that can operate effectively under ambiguity and changing priorities, encouraging associates to frame options, trade‑offs, and recommendations rather than waiting for fully defined direction.

Experience and Qualifications

• Fellow of the Society of Actuaries (FSA) and Member of the American Academy of Actuaries (MAAA), or equivalent credentials.

• Significant experience (typically 10+ years) in life/annuity actuarial roles, with a strong focus on valuation, reserving, or financial reporting and deep familiarity with annuity products.

• Demonstrated leadership of complex modeling initiatives and teams, including responsibility for production models and quarter‑end / year‑end deliverables.

• Hands‑on experience with major actuarial modeling platforms (AXIS strongly preferred) and an understanding of end‑to‑end modeling processes (data, model design, compute, output, and analytics tools).

• Proven ability to influence across functions and levels, including senior leaders and external partners (e.g., regulators, auditors, consulting firms, software vendors).

• Strong people leadership track record, including performance management, coaching and development, and succession planning for future leaders.

This role can be staffed fully remote.

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Job Description Summary

Our Nationwide Financial Actuarial team members have opportunities to use state-of-the-art tools, are encouraged to innovate and learn to master actuarial methodologies. If this sounds like a place you could thrive, then we want to know more about you!
As a Senior Director, you’ll show a mastery of business operations, systems and actuarial methodologies. You will provide leadership, direction and oversight for the performance of sophisticated actuarial techniques and procedures and risk analysis. In addition, you’ll develop a strategic vision for the team to ensure efficient, consistent and integrated data and analysis. We’ll count on you to set strategy and business recommendations that are crucial to the success of Nationwide and the protection we provide our customers. You’ll need to work independently and may directly or indirectly lead others.

Job Description

Key Responsibilities:

• Builds models and assumptions to evaluate the pricing metrics of a product design to advise business and risk management leadership of the expected profitability and most significant risks associated with new product concepts. 

• Demonstrates expert knowledge of pricing assumption-setting, model building, actuarial analysis, product mechanics and embedded policy owner options, valuation and non-forfeiture law.

• Works with business leadership to craft innovative concepts and product designs to meet customer needs, while at the same time figuring out how the new concepts and products provide adequate risk adjusted return on capital and meet regulatory constraints. May also be involved with risk management leadership on innovative reinsurance concepts and redundant reserve transactions. Requires collaboration skills and knowledge of markets and distribution systems as well as the underlying actuarial expertise.

• Evaluates, updates and maintains models and assumptions as experience emerges to manage risk and periodically resolve capital use and expected return on capital. Advises and informs business and risk management leadership of recommended product or process changes to support profitable growth and capital strength.

• Educates and motivates the cross-functional team to deliver results. Communicates and influences to gain top-down support as well as approval.

• Builds materials to support the state and interstate compact approval, implementation and administration of new products, including filing demonstrations and actuarial specifications.

• Hires and develop talent, provides consistent coaching and feedback.

May perform other responsibilities as assigned.

Reporting Relationships: Reports to Actuarial leader. Manages a team of four or more Actuarial professionals.

Typical Skills and Experiences:

Education: Undergraduate degree in actuarial science, mathematics, statistics or similar background requiring modeling, programming or quantitative analysis. 

License/Certification/Designation: Achievement of Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries. Has membership in the Society of Actuaries and American Academy of Actuaries. 

Experience: At least eight years of actuarial experience and Actuarial Council approval. The highest level of technical actuarial expertise in insurance product mechanics and embedded options, pricing models, pricing assumptions, valuation and non-forfeiture laws, tax code 7702, state regulations.

Knowledge, Abilities and Skills: The role will require leadership, influence and communication skills. An ability to use past actuarial experience to apply to new product concepts and requirements, such as Principles Based Reserves, is required. 

Other criteria, including leadership skills, competencies and experiences may take precedence. 

Staffing exceptions to the above must be approved by the hiring manager’s leader and Human Resources Business Partner.

Values: Regularly and consistently demonstrates Nationwide Values.

Job Conditions: 

Overtime Eligibility: Not Eligible (Exempt)

Working Conditions: Normal office environment. Some travel may be required. 

ADA: The above statements cover what are generally believed to be principal and essential functions of this job. Specific circumstances may allow or require some people assigned to the job to perform a somewhat different combination of duties. 

We currently anticipate accepting applications until 06/05/2026. However, we encourage early submissions, as the posting may close sooner if a strong candidate slate is identified before the deadline.

Benefits

We have an array of benefits to fit your needs, including: medical/dental/vision, life insurance, short and long term disability coverage, paid time off with newly hired associates receiving a minimum of 18 days paid time off each full calendar year pro-rated quarterly based on hire date, nine paid holidays, 8 hours of Lifetime paid time off, 8 hours of Unity Day paid time off, 401(k) with company match, company-paid pension plan, business casual attire, and more. To learn more about the benefits we offer, click here.

Nationwide is an equal opportunity employer. We celebrate diversity and are committed to creating an inclusive culture where everyone feels challenged, appreciated, respected and engaged. Nationwide prohibits discrimination and harassment and affords equal employment opportunities to employees and applicants without regard to any characteristic (or classification) protected by applicable law.

This position could be filled within any of the lower 48 U.S. states.

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For NY residents please review the following state law information: Notice of Employee Rights, Protections, and Obligations LS740 (ny.gov) https://dol.ny.gov/system/files/documents/2022/02/ls740_1.pdf

NOTE TO EMPLOYMENT AGENCIES:

We value the partnerships we have built with our preferred vendors. Nationwide does not accept unsolicited resumes from employment agencies. All resumes submitted by employment agencies directly to any Nationwide employee or hiring manager in any form without a signed Nationwide Client Services Agreement on file and search engagement for that position will be deemed unsolicited in nature. No fee will be paid in the event the candidate is subsequently hired as a result of the referral or through other means.

Nationwide pays on a geographic-specific salary structure and placement within the actual starting salary range for this position will be determined by a number of factors including the skills, education, training, credentials and experience of the candidate; the scope, complexity and location of the role as well as the cost of labor in the market; and other conditions of employment. If a Sales job, Sales Incentives, based on performance goals are possible in addition to this range. Note on Compensation for Part-Time Roles: Please be aware that the salary ranges listed below reflect full-time compensation. Actual compensation may be prorated based on the number of hours worked relative to a full-time schedule.

The national salary range for Sr Director, Actuary - NF - 170939 : $149,000.00-$279,000.00

The expected starting salary range for Sr Director, Actuary - NF - 170939 : $149,000.00 - $249,000.00