Lead Senior Actuary

Job Type: Permanent  

Location: This role could be based in any of our London, Birmingham or Edinburgh offices with time spent working in the office and from home. 

Flexible working: All roles are open to part-time, job-share and other types of flexibility. We will discuss what is important to you and balancing this with business requirements during the recruitment process. You can read more about flexible working here. 

Salary and benefits: Up to £150,000 dependent upon experience, plus an indicative bonus range of 30% to 60%, private medical cover, 38 days annual leave, excellent pension, 12x salary life assurance, career breaks, income protection, 3x volunteering days and much more. 

Closing date: 14th August

Who are we? 
We’re Standard Life, a retirement specialist focused entirely on retirement savings and income. We champion the belief that everyone’s journey to and through retirement can be better, and for more than 200 years, we’ve been helping our customers plan and prepare for their financial futures.

Life today is increasingly complicated, uncertain and unpredictable. People move through different careers, face unexpected moments and navigate important choices. We offer our colleagues flexibility, trust and benefits that work for whatever life brings. In return we expect curiosity, connection, accountability and high standards. We make room for what matters - so you can bring your best, every day.

What are we looking for? 

The Senior Lead Financial Risk Actuary is a senior leadership role within the Balance Sheet & ALM Oversight team, providing strategic advice, independent challenge and Line 2 oversight across the Group’s balance sheets. Working closely with the Financial Risk Leadership Team and senior business stakeholders, the role holder will lead oversight of complex financial risk matters and help shape decisions that support the Group’s long-term financial strategy, financial resilience and risk appetite. 

Purpose of the role 

You’ll lead independent Line 2 oversight of the Group’s balance sheets, ensuring that financial risks are understood, challenged and managed effectively across the business. The role requires strong technical judgement, strategic perspective and the ability to influence senior decision-making where there are complex trade-offs between risk, capital, liquidity, commercial outcomes and long-term value. 

You’ll help ensure the Group’s financial risk framework, risk appetite and oversight model remain effective, proportionate and focused on the areas of greatest strategic importance. Key areas of oversight include asset-liability management, hedging, Matching Adjustment, balance sheet optimisation, Solvency UK, UK GAAP, IFRS 17, liquidity, capital management and climate-related financial risks. 

Key responsibilities 

• Lead Line 2 oversight of the Group’s balance sheets and long-term financial strategy, providing senior advice, guidance and independent challenge to the business. 
• Set the direction for proportionate, risk-based oversight activities, ensuring Line 2 focus is targeted at the most material balance sheet risks, decisions and transactions. 
• Provide clear, judgement-led opinions on material business decisions, balancing strategic objectives, commercial opportunities, financial resilience and risk appetite. 
• Influence and constructively challenge executive-level decisions, drawing on deep technical expertise, senior relationships, external market insight and understanding of the Group’s strategic priorities. 
• Provide technical and people leadership across the team, helping to build capability, focus resources on the highest-value activity and support a culture of high performance, development and continuous improvement. 
• Work independently with minimal oversight, producing high-quality Executive-level reports, opinions and materials that distil complex issues into clear, decision-ready insights. 

What are we looking for?

• Qualified actuary with significant experience in a life insurer, regulator, consultancy or reinsurer, including experience operating at senior leadership level. 
• Excellent understanding of life insurance products, particularly PRT and annuities, alongside Solvency UK, IFRS 17, UK GAAP, business planning and balance sheet management. 
• Extensive technical expertise across balance sheet modelling, solvency and liquidity analysis, asset-liability management, hedging, Matching Adjustment and climate-related financial risks. 
• Proven ability to lead financial risk oversight, including shaping effective risk frameworks, setting risk appetite and providing independent challenge on complex strategic issues. 
• Strong commercial judgement, with the ability to help the business navigate trade-offs between financial resilience, risk appetite, commercial outcomes and long-term value. 
• Proven ability to influence senior stakeholders, bring teams together and lead enterprise-wide change in a large, complex organisation. 
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to explain complex financial concepts clearly, concisely and in a way that supports executive and Board-level decision-making. 

We want to hire the whole version of you. 

We are committed to ensuring that everyone feels accepted and welcome applicants from all backgrounds. If your experience looks different from what we’ve advertised and you believe that you can bring value to the role, we’d love to hear from you.  

 If you require any adjustments to the recruitment process, please let us know so we can help you to be at your best.  

We’re reviewing applications as they come in and may close this role before the closing date, so apply early to avoid missing out. 

Find out more about working at Standard Life 

• Guide for Candidates: standardlifeplc.pagetiger.com/guideforcandidates 
• Find or get answers from our colleagues: www.standardlifeplc.com/careers/talk-to-us 

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