Assistant Actuary

Ameritas•Lincoln, NE

12d•Hybrid

About The Position

Ameritas is seeking an Assistant Actuary Life Insurance Statutory / PBR Valuation to join the Corporate Actuarial Life Insurance Valuation team. This detail-oriented, results-driven individual will contribute to the growth of the life insurance portfolio of the organization through active collaboration within valuation and across functional areas, bringing advanced knowledge of industry practices and standards to their assigned responsibilities. This role supports Ameritas’ VM-20 Principle-Based Reserving function, supporting the ongoing VM-20 valuation of life insurance products and new products launch, requiring the team to maintain and enhance valuation infrastructure and product knowledge continuously. Reporting to the Director, Life Insurance Statutory Valuation with matrix reporting to both the functional Valuation leader and the Liability Product Owner, the incumbent is primarily responsible for performing quarterly statutory and PBR valuations, developing and enhancing analytical tools, and providing analysis of financial results. The individual in this position is expected to contribute actuarial judgment, intellectual ownership, and technical depth across the full VM-20 valuation lifecycle. This position can be hybrid or can be remote (within the U.S.A.) based on proximity to an office location.

Requirements

Bachelor’s degree in actuarial science, mathematics, statistics, or equivalent required.
3–5 years (or greater) of life insurance valuation experience; hands-on experience with VM-20 statutory valuation required.
ASA designation required, active pursuit of FSA strongly preferred.
1-3 years of Prophet modeling experience; PBR modeling experience strongly preferred.
Strong technical writing skills with ability to produce clear documentation of actuarial methodology, assumptions, and results; VM-31 Actuarial Report drafting experience and familiarity with regulatory examination processes preferred.
Superior analytical and problem-solving skills with a genuine desire to learn; effective communication skills with ability to convey complex actuarial concepts to Finance, Risk, FP&A, and senior management audiences all preferred.

Nice To Haves

Experience with statutory auditing and state examination preferred.
Hands-on experience in SQL, Snowflake, and Power BI preferred.
Intimate knowledge in VM-20 preferred.
ALM modeling experience/knowledge preferred.
Knowledge of life products (i.e. IUL and ULSG), is preferred.
Knowledge and experience with hedging program preferred.
Life insurance GAAP/LDTI experience preferred; knowledge of life insurance actuarial guidelines preferred; Knowledge of life insurance RBC frameworks (C-1 through C-3) and asset adequacy testing (CFT/AAT); knowledge in experience study and assumption setting preferred.

Responsibilities

Perform quarterly statutory and tax valuation for life insurance products under both CRVM and Actuarial Guideline frameworks and the VM-20 PBR framework; produce quarter-over-quarter reserve movement analysis with clear attribution of drivers for management review and audit; ensure compliance with all valuation controls including confirming calculations reflected in detailed policy audits.
Partner with the Liability Product Owner (LPO) to complete assigned valuation tasks, including valuation model user acceptance testing (UAT) and implementation of new product features; ensure valuation data integrity and model soundness through established governance procedures, controls, reasonableness checks, and audit processes; effectively partner with data management team to ensure accurate valuation data integrity and model accuracy.
Serve as SME for VM-20 process maintenance and enhancements— define valuation model and data requirements, participate in user acceptance testing, ensure data, model and valuation process production readiness.
Key contributor to VM-20 actuarial assumption setting and testing — including mortality, lapse, persistency, premium payment patterns, expenses, and other actuarial assumptions; actively participate in assumption working groups by quantifying the impact of proposed changes and providing reasonableness assessments.
Manage VM-20 valuation data pipelines from input to output; ensure end-to-end data lineage and audit traceability.
Draft and maintain VM-31 Actuarial Report content, valuation procedure documentation, and workflow controls; fulfill annual statement, tax reporting, and survey obligations; support internal and external audit, regulatory and state examination, and IRS exam requests; review and implement new valuation requirements to ensure ongoing compliance; execute 1st line controls and attest to required governance deliverables quarterly.
Develop and enhance PBR valuation and reporting processes and analytical tools to deliver greater management insights into financial results; take initiative to improve existing valuation processes, controls, and risk assessments; serve as the primary actuarial source for VM-20 reserve attribution analysis supporting FP&A earnings analysis and management presentations; respond to ad hoc senior leadership requests on reserve movements, assumption change impacts, and capital strain; independently manage the valuation function to which assigned while working in a team environment.
Produce liability assumption and scenario sensitivity analyses; support other functional areas as well as industry and rating agency surveys; successfully complete special projects as directed by senior leadership; collaborate across the organization with Finance, Risk, Pricing, IT, and Capital Management, and external consultants on VM-20 production readiness and cross-functional initiatives.