Job Description
Actuarial Specialist - Asia Portfolio: Group Strategy
Posting Start Date:  26/10/2026
Job Location:  South Africa

Who are we?

Sanlam was established as a life insurance company in South Africa but has since transformed into a diversified financial services group that operates across the African continent, India, Malaysia and selected developed markets, with listings on the Johannesburg, A2X and Namibian Securities Stock exchanges. In 2018 the Group celebrated its centenary as well as 20 years since demutualisation and listing in South Africa and Namibia. Sanlam is one of the largest internationally active insurance groups in the world with a presence in 27 countries and has the biggest non-banking financial services footprint on the African continent.

 

The Group's four business clusters (Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz and Santam) house the Group's business operations. The Group Office provides strategic direction and support to the four clusters, assisting them in realising their strategies and meeting their business objectives. The Group Office is responsible for governance and for the Group's centralised functions, which include: Group Tecnhnology, Finance, Actuarial, Risk and Balance Sheet Management, Strategy, Human Capital, Brand, Marketing and Corporate Affairs. The Group Office ensures cohesive management across the organisation.

 

Purpose of the Role

The Actuarial Specialist will support the Asia CFO and regional leadership by providing high-quality actuarial, financial and risk analysis across the Asia portfolio. The role combines recurring financial and actuarial reporting with forward-looking modelling, capital and solvency analysis, business planning, technical support and strategic business development. It will provide an independent regional view of performance and constructively challenge business forecasts, assumptions and in-country actuarial outputs.

 

A central focus will be supporting the Indian insurance entities through IFRS 17 conversion and embedding, strengthening asset-liability management, and preparing for the transition to risk-based capital requirements. The role will translate complex actuarial and financial information into clear insights for executive decision-making, while working across Finance, Actuarial, Risk and Balance Sheet Management.

What will make you successful

Financial and Actuarial Reporting

  • Deliver actuarial and financial reporting, performance insights and decision support across the Asia portfolio.

 

IFRS 17 and Technical Actuarial Leadership

  • Support IFRS 17 implementation, technical actuarial oversight and reporting alignment across the region.

 

Planning, Forecasting and Business Performance

  • Contribute to budgeting, forecasting and strategic planning, including capital and value projections.

 

Scenario Analysis and Risk Assessment

  • Provide scenario modelling, stress testing and risk insights to support business decision-making.

 

Capital, Solvency and Dividend Management

  • Support capital, solvency and dividend management to drive sustainable growth and regulatory compliance.

 

Asset Liability and Balance Sheet Management

  • Contribute to asset-liability management, investment strategy and balance sheet optimisation.

 

Enterprise Risk Management

  • Support the monitoring, assessment and mitigation of key financial and insurance risks.

 

Business Development and Strategic Initiatives

  • Provide actuarial and financial input into strategic projects, growth opportunities and business development initiatives.

 

Stakeholder Management and Collaboration

  • Build strong relationships across regional and Group stakeholders while supporting actuarial capability development.

Qualification and Experience

  • Qualified actuary through a recognised professional body, with typically 6 to 10 years of relevant insurance or financial-services experience.
  • Strong life insurance experience, with practical capability in financial reporting, actuarial modelling, forecasting, solvency and capital analysis.
  • Ability to work collaboratively with local actuarial teams and specialist Group functions, and to communicate technical conclusions clearly to senior stakeholders.
  • Advanced Excel and analytical skills; familiarity with actuarial modelling and data-analysis tools.

Key deliverables

  • Accurate actuarial reporting and clear analysis of portfolio performance.
  • Robust IFRS 17 conversion and implementation support for the Indian insurance entities.
  • Integrated budgets, forecasts and multi-year earnings, capital, solvency and dividend projections.
  • Stronger in-country actuarial capability and effective collaboration with Group specialist functions.
  • Timely actuarial input into risk management, growth initiatives and strategic decisions.
  • Commercially grounded actuarial input into growth initiatives, transactions and strategic decisions

Advantageous experience

  • Experience in insurance markets, IFRS 17 implementation, ALM, risk-based capital or balance-sheet management.
  • Exposure to general insurance, credit, asset management, transactions, product development or programming and analytics tools.

 

A detailed job profile is available during the recruitment process and will be provided to shortlisted candidates.  Should you have any further questions feel free to reach out to Rene.Francis@Sanlam.co.za or Danielle.Houtzamer@Sanlam.co.za

 

Build a successful career with us

The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers. 

 

The closing date for applications is 06 November 2026. 

 

Required Behavioural Competencies

Financial Acumen
Ensures Accountability
Manages Complexity
Business Insight
Instils Trust
Optimises Work Processes

The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity.  This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa.  The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.