Life Underwriter - Senior or Principal

Zurich Insurance Group; North Sydney; Hybrid; AUD 110,000 - 150,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

5 weeks annual leave

Hybrid work arrangement

AUD$500 wellbeing payment per year

AUD$295 new starter e-voucher

Shine portal benefits

Award-winning training programs

Global mobility opportunities

Tree planting for new employees

Job summary

Zurich Insurance Group in Australia is seeking experienced Life Underwriters to join our Retail Underwriting Team across multiple state capitals. You’ll assess Life, TPD, Trauma and Income Protection, and deliver high‑quality underwriting decisions while supporting advisers and customers.

You’ll work with internal and external stakeholders, bring regulatory knowledge, and contribute to continuous improvement in underwriting guidelines and processes. Hybrid work and mobility support are offered.

Qualifications

• Minimum five years’ experience in Individual Life Underwriting in a retail environment.
• Strong knowledge of insurance products, services and underwriting frameworks.
• Familiarity with relevant regulation and legislation, with good time management.
• Ability to adapt to Agile ways of working and collaborate with cross‑functional teams.

Responsibilities

• Assess Life, TPD, Trauma and Income Protection applications across medical, financial and occupational factors.
• Make high‑quality underwriting decisions consistent with policy and risk appetite.
• Provide technical underwriting support to customers, advisers and stakeholders.
• Build Adviser and reinsurer relationships, and manage an Adviser panel.
• Contribute to underwriting quality through case checks and non‑disclosure recommendations.
• Support continuous improvement of guidelines and processes.

Skills

Life underwriting

Underwriting decisions

Stakeholder management

Regulatory knowledge

Education

ANZIIF Cert IV in Life Insurance

ALUCA CPLI accreditation

Job description

A new transformational adventure awaits you…

How does 5 weeks of annual leave, a fulfilling career you'll genuinely enjoy, and working for a reputable organization that promotes wellbeing and drives digital transformation sound to you?

As one of Forbes 2024 ‘World’s Best Employers’ and Fortune’s ‘World’s Most Admired Companies’ for 2025, Zurich - a leader in the insurance industry, is on a journey towards a brighter future… A brighter future for you - focused on your career, your wellbeing, and your community - as well as our customers and the planet.

Join us on this thrilling journey as we work towards our vision of becoming Australia's leading digital insurer. If you're eager to be part of a values-driven global organisation that's experiencing real growth and transformation, and if you share our commitment to making a tangible difference and taking continuous steps towards a sustainable future for our people, customers, communities, and our planet, then keep reading!

Let’s create a brighter future together, let’s make a difference

It’s important to know, what you do matters. At Zurich, we don’t just cover, we care.

We’re looking for experienced Life Underwriters to join our Retail Underwriting Team, with multiple opportunities available across Australia's state capital cities. Whether you’re currently working as a Life Underwriter, Senior Underwriter, Principal Underwriter or in a comparable role, if you’re passionate about making high-quality decisions and delivering a great experience for advisers and customers, we’d like to hear from you.

In these roles, you’ll play an important part in delivering sustainable underwriting outcomes, assessing new business and changes to Zurich Life Risk policies and making sound decisions aligned with our underwriting philosophy and risk appetite.You’ll build trusted relationships across our Adviser networks and work closely with internal and external stakeholders, combining your technical underwriting expertise with a strong focus on service, quality and continuous improvement.

You will also be responsible for the following:

• Assess individual Life, TPD, Trauma and Income Protection applications across medical, financial and occupational considerations.
• Make high-quality and timely underwriting decisions in line with Zurich’s underwriting philosophy and relevant frameworks.
• Provide technical underwriting support and guidance to customers, internal stakeholders and distribution partners.
• Build strong relationships with advisers, reinsurers and key internal and external stakeholders, including managing an aligned Adviser panel.
• Support underwriting quality through case checking, countersigning and recommendations on non-disclosure cases.
• Contribute to continuous improvement, development activities and reviews of underwriting guidelines and processes.

Important to your success – let’s grow together

You’ll bring sound judgement, curiosity and empathy to complex and sensitive situations. You build trust with diverse stakeholders, communicate clearly and balance practical client needs with professional, regulatory and advisory boundaries.

To be successful, you will have the following:

• A minimum of five years’ experience in an Individual Life Underwriting role, within a retail environment.
• Established high-level underwriting authorities and strong knowledge of the insurance industry and relevant products and services.
• Knowledge of relevant regulation and legislation, supported by strong time management and communication capabilities.
• The ability to adapt to Agile ways of working and the IT capability to work effectively in a contemporary underwriting environment.
• ANZIIF Cert IV in Life Insurance, or an equivalent qualification.
• ALUCA CPLI accreditation.

Belong. Zurich is here to support you

There are so many reasons why Zurich is a great place to be and the right choice for you, but here are just a few.

• Enjoy 5 weeks of annual leave for permanent staff through our Z leave initiative, along with 15 days of personal/carer’s leave as we empower our people to manage their own wellbeing. Plus, access to Family Care (parental leave).
• Benefit from a hybrid working arrangement – 3 days in the office and 2 days working from home per week for full-time employees.
• Access programs to stay healthy and feel healthier, receive an AUD$500 wellbeing payment per year, and a AUD$295 new starter e-voucher for your work-from-home setup (flex work - hybrid working), along with other great benefits through our Shine portal.
• Grow and thrive in your career with our award-winning training programs. We support and encourage your development because our strength lies in our people, and we value your individuality.
• Work with global, diverse, and inclusive teams; explore your passions, fuel innovation, drive equity, collaborate, and make a positive difference beyond your role.
• Take advantage of global mobility opportunities across more than 200 countries worldwide.
• Volunteer and work in our state-of-the‑star Green Star rated offices (when you are in the office) and dress for your day.
• We plant a tree for every new employee.
• Not to mention our various employer of choice awards/memberships – WGEA; Family Inclusive Workplace; Gold AWEI Employer, Pride in Diversity… to name a few.

We could go on, but the main point is that Zurich is a great place to be, where you can truly belong, be yourself, maintain work/life balance, and thrive in a supportive environment.

Zurich is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to ensuring that our recruitment process is fair and accessible for all candidates. If you require any special accommodations to participate in our recruitment process, we encourage you to please let us know at the time of your application.