Vice President & Chief Underwriter

PartnerRe; Toronto; Remote; CAD 150,000 - 190,000; Full time

Job summary

PartnerRe is seeking a Chief Underwriter to lead the Canadian life reinsurance underwriting strategy and execution. You will set guidelines, evaluate complex cases, and ensure alignment with risk appetite, treaty terms, and pricing assumptions.

This remote, senior leadership role partners with actuarial, legal, and claims teams, drives innovation through data analytics, and mentors underwriters to deliver competitive, responsible solutions for clients and brokers.

Qualifications

• Extensive technical underwriting knowledge.
• Strong leadership and communication skills.
• Ability to manage change in a dynamic environment.
• Negotiates effectively with clients and treaty partners.
• Knowledge of life reinsurance products, underwriting tools and processes.

Responsibilities

• Develop and enforce underwriting guidelines, standards, and practices in alignment with company objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Make decisions on complex, high-face-value, and impaired risk cases; act as final signatory within authorized limits.
• Partner with actuarial, legal, and claims teams to ensure alignment across business units.
• Monitor underwriting metrics (e.g., turnaround times, quality scores, acceptance ratios) and implement corrective actions when necessary.
• Represent the underwriting function in audits, regulatory reviews, and executive-level meetings.
• Set and lead the strategic direction for life reinsurance underwriting in line with corporate objectives and risk appetite.

Skills

Underwriting knowledge

Leadership

Communication skills

Change management

Negotiation

Education

Bachelor’s degree in Business, Actuarial Science, Life Sciences, or related discipline

FLMI, AALU or FALU

Job description

Company Description

PartnerRe is a leading, privately owned, multi-line global reinsurer with a reputation of financial stability and strength, and a commitment to rebuilding businesses and communities after risk events around the world.

Our mission is to continue to be a financially stable and predictable business partner, supporting our clients with solutions tailored to their needs, delivering superior returns to our owner, providing rewarding opportunities for our people and making a positive contribution to society. To achieve this, we live by our values of Integrity, Performance, Collaboration, Straightforward Communication and Respect and Care.

Core to The PartnerRe Experience is our global nature. No matter where you sit in the company, you are part of something bigger. Our teams represent our truly international mindset, forging connections across office locations and all levels of the organization and building a network of mutual success. The result is a day-to-day experience that will allow you to:

• Shape your own career
• Grow in a supportive environment
• Connect with a community of experts
• Make an impact

PartnerRe is an equal opportunities employer.

Compensation And Benefits

In addition to base salary, eligible employees may participate in our annual incentive program, payment under which is at the discretion of PartnerRe and subject to individual and company performance. Eligible employees also have the opportunity to participate in an array of benefits, including medical, dental and vision coverage, a health spending account, a defined contribution pension plan, life insurance, short- and long-term disability coverage, etc.

This position is for an existing vacancy within our organization.

PartnerRe is committed to an inclusive, accessible recruitment experience. Reasonable accommodations for candidates with disabilities are available upon request throughout the hiring process.

This is a REMOTE job opportunity.

About The Position

The Chief Underwriter is responsible for overseeing the underwriting strategy and execution for the Canadian life reinsurance business. This senior leadership role manages risk selection, establishes underwriting guidelines, and ensures alignment with the company’s risk appetite, treaty terms, and pricing assumptions. This individual is a key technical authority and decisionmaker on complex facultative and treaty underwriting cases, works with Business Development to build and manage relationships with clients, and champions innovation to enhance efficiency and competitiveness.

Responsibilities

Underwriting Strategy & Governance

• Develop and enforce underwriting guidelines, standards, and practices in alignment with company objectives and regulatory requirements.
• Make decisions on complex, high-face-value, and impaired risk cases; act as final signatory within authorized limits.
• Partner with actuarial, legal, and claims teams to ensure alignment across business units.
• Monitor underwriting metrics (e.g., turnaround times, quality scores, acceptance ratios) and implement corrective actions when necessary.
• Represent the underwriting function in audits, regulatory reviews, and executive-level meetings.
• Set and lead the strategic direction for life reinsurance underwriting in line with corporate objectives and risk appetite.
• Ensure compliance with internal controls, treaty terms, and Canadian and international regulatory requirements.

Underwriting Oversight

• Ensure underwriting decisions are consistent with reinsurance treaties, pricing assumptions, and mortality expectations.
• Evaluate underwriting information for potential and current clients, including RFPs and underwriting changes. Provide an assessment of the underwriting risks, including any areas where the client's guidelines may be an outlier, to the actuarial team for their consideration.

Innovation & Digital Transformation

• Oversee the evaluation and adoption of advanced underwriting technologies, including AI, predictive analytics, and new data sources.
• Identify and implement innovative solutions to streamline underwriting workflows and improve decision-making.
• Collaborate with actuarial, data science, and IT teams to develop tools that enhance risk assessment and provide solutions to our clients.
• Stay abreast of industry innovations and integrate best practices into underwriting operations.
• Drive underwriting transformation initiatives, including automation, analytics, and operational efficiency improvements.

Leadership & Team Development

• Lead and mentor a team of underwriters
• Promote continuous learning and development in underwriting best practices.
• Foster a culture of excellence, compliance, and innovation.

Client & Market Engagement

• Build and maintain strong relationships with clients
• Support business development through underwriting insights and client consultations.
• Represent the company at industry events, conferences, and client meetings.

Other Skills And Compentencies

• Extensive technical underwriting knowledge
• Deep knowledge of life reinsurance products, underwriting tools and processes, and risk assessment methodologies
• Strong leadership and communication skills
• Ability to manage change in a dynamic environment
• Negotiates effectively with clients and treaty partners
• 15+ years of experience in life insurance underwriting, including significant leadership and complex case experience.
• Bachelor’s degree in Business, Actuarial Science, Life Sciences, or related discipline.
• FLMI, AALU or FALU

Additional Information

PartnerRe provides a working environment in which diversity is valued, where all employees feel welcome, respected, and empowered to perform at their best. We invite you to learn more about D&I at PartnerRe.

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