Intermediate Underwriter

PPS; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 500,000 - 900,000; Full time

Job summary

PPS in Johannesburg is seeking an Intermediate Underwriter to underwrite life, disability, critical illness, sickness and permanent incapacity cover within delegated authority. You will take end-to-end ownership of cases and discuss decisions with advisers in a professional, service-oriented manner.

The role emphasises accurate risk assessment, adherence to SLA, and the use of approved AI-enabled underwriting and workflow tools to support decision making, audits and continuous improvement across

Qualifications

• Medical diploma (NQF 6) or equivalent required.
• Medical degree would be preferred.
• 3+ years underwriting experience in long-term insurance.
• 3+ years insurance industry experience.
• Fluent in English (written and verbal).
• Proficient with MS Outlook, Excel and Word.

Responsibilities

• Underwrite life, disability, critical illness, sickness and permanent incapacity cover within delegated authority.
• Take end-to-end ownership of cases, meeting SLA and quality standards.
• Assess medical, financial and other evidence and document clear decision rationales.
• Communicate decisions and requirements to advisers.
• Manage queues, priorities and escalation of delays.
• Apply underwriting standards and guidelines consistently.
• Participate in QA, audits and improvement projects.

Skills

Medical knowledge

Life assurance knowledge

English fluency (written and verbal)

MS Outlook

Excel

Word

Independent and collaborative

Deadline/target driven

Analytical thinking

AI-enabled underwriting tools

Underwriting initiative

Interpersonal skills

Resilience

Education

Medical diploma (NQF 6) or equivalent

Medical degree

Job description

Job Description

This role reports to the Team Manager: Underwriting. The Intermediate Underwriter is responsible for underwriting life, disability, critical illness, sickness and permanent incapacity cover within agreed delegation of authority limits. The role makes underwriting decisions within its assigned authority and takes end-to-end ownership of allocated cases. The incumbent is customer facing and is responsible for clearly motivating underwriting decisions and discussing these with advisers in a professional, factual and service-oriented manner. The role also deals with reviews, non-disclosure matters, technical underwriting queries and complaints as and when required. The Intermediate Underwriter plays a key role in ensuring accurate risk assessment and member satisfaction through timely, well-reasoned and quality underwriting decisions. The role is accountable for sustainable productivity, achievement of underwriting service levels, quality and audit compliance, completion of mandatory learning, adoption of approved AI-enabled ways of working, and conduct aligned to PPS values and leadership principles. Performance against these accountabilities will be assessed using the approved productivity, SLA, quality assurance, audit, learning, AI-adoption and behavioural measures defined in the current performance contract.

Requirements

Education

• Medical diploma (NQF 6) or equivalent
• Medical degree would be preferred

Experience

• 3+ years underwriting experience in long-term insurance
• 3+ years insurance industry experience

Knowledge And Skills

• Sound medical & life assurance knowledge
• Fluent in English both written and verbal. Business writing skills
• Good computer knowledge - MS Outlook, Excel and Word are necessary
• Must have a mature, disciplined and driven personality
• Ability to work independently as well as being a good team player with excellent interpersonal skills
• Deadline/target driven, with ability to work under pressure
• Logical and analytical
• Digital literacy and the ability to use approved AI-enabled underwriting, automation and workflow tools responsibly and effectively.

Competencies

• Must use underwriting initiative and discretion in decision making
• Planning and organising
• Attention to detail
• Critical evaluation of AI-generated outputs and recommendations
• Client-centricity
• Building and maintaining relationships
• Resilience

Duties and Responsibilities

Process Optimisation and Efficiencies

• Underwrite life, disability, critical illness, sickness and permanent incapacity cover within assigned delegation of authority.
• Take end-to-end ownership of cases, meeting agreed SLA, step-time, productivity, quality and service standards.
• Assess medical, financial, occupational and other relevant evidence and document clear decision rationales.
• Complete financial underwriting by assessing insurable interest, affordability, evidence and cover justification.
• Clearly communicate decisions, terms, outstanding requirements and rationale to advisers.
• Proactively manage work queues, case ageing, priorities and complexity, escalating delays, risks and matters outside authority.
• Apply approved underwriting standards, guidelines, referral requirements and work instructions consistently.
• Participate in quality reviews, R&D audits and improvement projects and implement agreed actions.

AI, Automation and Digital Enablement

• Use approved AI and automation tools for assessment, decision support, documentation and workflow management while retaining accountability for final decisions.
• Validate AI outputs against available evidence, underwriting standards, delegated authority and referral requirements.
• Identify and elevate inaccurate, incomplete or inappropriate AI outputs and do not rely on unsupported recommendations.
• Protect member, adviser and business information by complying with privacy, information security and AI governance requirements.
• Support testing and continuous improvement of underwriting automation, AI tools and alternative decision pathways.
• Provide feedback on system rules, AI accuracy, workflow and user experience.
• Complete required AI training and share approved AI-enabled practices with colleagues.

Risk and Compliance

• Achieve underwriting SLA, step-time and quality requirements through proactive case management and timely decisions.
• Maintain complete case records covering evidence, rationale, terms, referrals and stakeholder communication.
• Comply with underwriting protocols, delegated authority, regulatory, privacy, record-keeping and governance requirements.
• Apply medical and financial underwriting principles consistently to minimise errors, rework, non-conformance and operational loss.
• Participate in underwriting rule reviews, quality assurance and audit-readiness activities.
• Identify and record errors, risks and non-conformances and implement required corrective actions.

People and Culture

• Refer cases outside assigned authority or requiring specialist input.
• Collaborate with R&D, Member Services, Intermediary Services, advisers and other stakeholders to support effective case resolution.
• Provide technical input and underwriting rationale for reviews, non-disclosure matters, complaints, Arbitration and Ombudsman cases.
• Contribute to improvements in underwriting processes and protocols.
• Build effective relationships with internal stakeholders and advisers.
• Demonstrate PPS values and leadership principles through professionalism, accountability, collaboration and member-focused service.
• Support new-underwriter onboarding through ProFlow and team knowledge-sharing.

Knowledge Champion

• Share underwriting knowledge, practical experience and lessons with junior underwriters without assuming formal checking, authorisation or line-management responsibility.
• Promote consistent application of approved underwriting standards and practices.
• Maintain current knowledge of industry, regulatory, product and underwriting developments.
• Complete mandatory PPS Academy, product, compliance, regulatory and role-specific training within required standards and timeframes.
• Provide technical information and support to colleagues.
• Participate in training and contribute to SOPs and work instructions.
• Apply and share learning from QA, audits, referrals and process changes.