Head, L&H Contracts - APAC

Swiss Re - Schweizerische Rückversicherungs-Gesellschaft; Singapore; On-site; SGD 300,000 - 520,000; Full time

Job summary

Swiss Re is seeking a senior leader to head APAC Life & Health Contracts, accountable for contract discipline and governance across a high-volume underwriting environment. You will partner with APAC leadership to translate underwriting intent into disciplined contract execution, own governance and standardization, and accelerate digital workflow through GenAI-enabled practices across multiple APAC markets.

The role oversees a nine-person regional Contracts Specialists team, reporting to the

Qualifications

• 12–15+ years of Life & Health (re)insurance contracting experience including drafting and negotiation of (re)insurance agreements.
• Strong commercial judgment and ability to articulate risk trade-offs.
• Proven people leadership across multiple locations and markets in a regulated reinsurance environment.
• Decisive, commercially pragmatic, with the confidence to challenge stakeholders constructively and make disciplined risk decisions.
• Experience driving workflow modernization and technology-enabled change.

Responsibilities

• Strengthen Commercial Discipline by ensuring contracts reflect underwriting intent and disciplined risk-taking.
• Act as a trusted partner to cross-functional stakeholders shaping deal structure and outcomes.
• Lead deviation governance, tracking and transparency across APAC.
• Mentor and develop a regional team of Contracts Specialists across several locations.
• Lead GenAI-enabled contracting workflow initiatives and embed AI responsibly into drafting and review workflows.

Skills

Leadership

Contract drafting

Negotiation

Strategic thinking

People management

Education

Legal qualification preferred

Job description

The Opportunity

Ready to shape the future of Life & Health reinsurance contracts across Asia Pacific? Join Swiss Re in a regional leadership role with accountability for the APAC Contracts function. Partnering with APAC leadership and the Global Head of L&H Contracts, you'll strengthen commercial discipline and governance while leading a high-performing team. You'll also shape the future of the function by modernizing workflows and accelerating the adoption of GenAI-enabled solutions across the region.

About the Role

APAC is a diverse and strategically important region within Swiss Re’s L&H reinsurance portfolio. The role leads contract drafting discipline, governance rigor, and in-force contractual risk review within a high-volume, performance-driven underwriting environment.

You will serve as a business partner to Swiss Re L&H's APAC business, translating underwriting intent and legal advice into disciplined contract execution that protects long-term value. The role owns deviation governance, negotiation consistency and contractual analysis across the region, while driving modernization through workflow tools and GenAI-enabled practices. While strong legal and drafting expertise is important, this role sits within the L&H Chief Underwriting Officer's organization and partners closely with legal, underwriting, pricing, claims, portfolio management and risk functions.

You will lead a regional team of nine Contracts Specialists located across multiple markets in APAC, providing clear direction, building capability, and fostering strong collaboration and consistency across locations.

Reporting to the Global Head of L&H Contracts, this role is a member of the L&H Contracts Leadership Team and plays a visible role in shaping the evolution of the Contracts function.

About the Life & Health Contracts Function

The L&H Contracts function drafts, reviews and advises on reinsurance agreements between Swiss Re and its clients. In close partnership with underwriting, pricing, claims, legal, and risk, the team:

• Structures and documents traditional reinsurance agreements
• Provides clear advice on wording implications and risk trade-offs
• Supports disciplined portfolio management through contracts analysis

Contracts plays a critical role in safeguarding Swiss Re’s risk position while enabling sustainable long-term profitability.

Your Mandate

1. Strengthen Commercial Discipline

• Ensure contracts reflect underwriting intent and disciplined risk-taking
• Act as a trusted partner to Client Markets and cross-functional stakeholders (underwriting, pricing, claims, legal, etc), shaping deal structure and contract outcomes
• Provide clear, decisive recommendations on wording and structural trade-offs, with hands-on involvement in key client accounts
• Lead commercial interpretation, analysis, and revision of existing agreements

2. Strengthen Governance & Standardization

• Ensure consistent application of global contracting standards
• Own deviation governance, tracking, and transparency across the region
• Strengthen documentation rigor and decision traceability
• Lead, mentor, and develop a team of Contracts Specialists based across several locations in Asia
• Define clear roles, accountability, and career pathways for Contracts Counsels
• Represent APAC within the L&H Contracts Leadership Team

4. Accelerate Digital Workflow & GenAI Adoption

• Lead regional adoption of contracting workflow tools and GenAI-enabled practices, embedding responsible and scalable AI use into standard drafting and review workflows

About You

• 12–15+ years’ experience in Life & Health (re)insurance contracting, including significant drafting and negotiation of (re)insurance agreements; legal qualification preferred
• Demonstrated commercial judgment and ability to articulate risk trade-offs
• Proven people leadership experience, with the ability to lead, engage and develop a team of nine professionals working across multiple locations and markets in a regulated, complex reinsurance environment
• A high-accountability leader who drives performance and sets clear standards
• Decisive and commercially pragmatic, with the confidence to challenge stakeholders constructively and make disciplined risk decisions
• Committed to developing talent and strengthening capabilities
• Experience driving workflow modernization and technology-enabled change

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate based on race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided reasonable accommodation to participate in the job application or interview process. Please contact us to request accommodation.

About Swiss Re

Swiss Re is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. We anticipate and manage a wide variety of risks, from natural catastrophes and climate change to cybercrime. Combining experience with creative thinking and cutting-edge expertise, we create new opportunities and solutions for our clients. This is possible thanks to the collaboration of more than 15,000 employees across the world.
Our success depends on our ability to build an inclusive culture encouraging fresh perspectives and innovative thinking. We embrace a workplace where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive and develop professionally regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, skillset, thought or other characteristics. In our inclusive and flexible environment everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and their passion for sustainability.
If you are an experienced professional returning to the workforce after a career break, we encourage you to apply for open positions that match your skills and experience.

We may use AI-powered tools to support the review and evaluation of applications for this position. These tools provide additional insights to our recruitment teams, but all hiring decisions are carefully reviewed and made by people. To learn more about how we use AI in recruitment and how we handle your personal data, please review our Data Privacy Statement before applying.

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