Director of Annuity Valuation

Full-Time

Springfield, MA or Boston, MA

The Opportunity

The Director of Annuity Valuation will lead the team responsible for the valuation and actuarial reporting of various annuity blocks including acquired and ceded blocks of business. This leadership role within the Valuation department will drive the delivery of accurate and timely financial information and analysis that is actionable and forward-thinking. This leader will be a trusted partner to various internal and external stakeholders and manage a team of quantitative professionals. The role requires valuation knowledge and expertise in both individual and group annuity products.

What Great Looks Like

This leader will exhibit strong leadership and communication skills in all aspects of this role ranging from presenting to management, interacting with internal and external stakeholders, to managing own team. This leader will demonstrate the ability to develop sound valuation methodologies and assumptions, efficient processes, and robust modeling capabilities to effectively deliver timely and insightful results. In addition, this individual will be proactive in developing team vision & strategy, driving continuous improvement of our valuation capabilities, and executing on projects effectively. This leader will play a key role in actively managing team performance and developing talents within the Valuation department at Mass Mutual.

The Key Objectives and Impact:

Leadership, Culture and Engagement: Consistently drive continuous improvement mindset and foster inclusive and engaging team culture

• Exhibits passion, curiosity and pursue learning opportunities. Takes ownership of professional development of self and team.
• Drive collaborative solutions and results by seeking and valuing diverse backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives, and driving execution.
• Maximize team effectiveness by driving a compelling vision & strategy, managing priorities effectively and adapting quickly to achieve goals.
• Earn confidence and trust by demonstrating ownership, commitment, and follow-through in achieving results.
• Give employees opportunities to learn and grow; and help them identify the developmental actions to help them improve.
• Create an environment where the team is inspired, engaged and motivated to deliver quality work and continuously improve capabilities.
• Reporting and Analysis: Produce quality and timely valuation results and provide business insights
• Oversee monthly/quarterly preparation, analysis and reporting of US Stat and GAAP reserves, other actuarial items.
• Ensure effective application of valuation governance framework for monthly/quarterly responsibilities, including process efficiency, control effectiveness, new product implementation, actuarial assumption/model change management, etc.
• Ensure accurate and timely delivery of annual actuarial exhibit filings, as well as ad-hoc regulatory inquiries on valuation matters.
• Drive thought process and implement reserve movement and attribution analytics, delivering business insights to management and stakeholders.
• Trusted Business Partner: Collaborate effectively and provide solutions for business partners
• Prepare and effectively communicate financial information to various customers (e.g. Corp Finance, ERM, Investment Management, Tax, Audit, etc.), demonstrating strong understanding of the drivers of the results.
• Understand and proactively manage valuation implications to pricing/repricing, reinsurance, and capital initiatives.
• Partner on new business initiatives and ensure appropriate implementation into valuation processes.
• Contribute to review of Annuity valuation assumptions and actively participate in experience studies/assumption governance framework.
• Valuation Methodology, Data and Models Management: Interpret, develop, and implement valuation methodologies, ensure appropriate usage of valuation input and output data, as well as valuation model management
• Perform or lead others through analysis and implementation of valuation issues, providing financial impact analysis and recommendations for action.
• Perform or lead others to monitor/influence/implement relevant emerging valuation regulation, determine appropriate actions, inform, and influence others, participating on industry committees as relevant.
• Apply knowledge of Annuity products and regulations to navigate complexity, ambiguity, and limitations in valuation software.
• Work directly with various audit stakeholders to demonstrate compliance with regulatory and model governance standards.
• Lead team on development, analysis, and enhancement of valuation data through partnering effectively with the Enterprise data team.
• Lead team on development, analysis and enhancement of valuation models through partnering effectively with the modeling team.

The Minimum Qualifications

• Bachelor's Degree or higher
• Fellow of the Society of Actuaries
• 5+ years' actuarial experience in valuation and reporting, and/or in annuity pricing, assumptions development, and risk management
• 3+ years' exposure to valuation regulations and financial statements under US Statutory and GAAP reporting
• 1+ year of experience leading a project or key initiative

The Ideal Qualifications

• Member of the American Academy of Actuaries, and "Compliant" with regards to SOA CPD Attestation Status
• Strong modeling and technical skills, but also a healthy intellectual curiosity and willingness to think outside the box
• Ability to build and maintain strong working relationships across cross-functional groups and to proactively resolve issues
• Knowledge of annuity products, risk management techniques, regulations, and methodologies
• Experience with VBA, CASE and Prophet modeling platforms
• Expertise in data and model management
• Continuous improvement and strong controls mindset
• Strong working knowledge of US annuity products
• Strong communication skills, both written and verbal

What to Expect as Part of MassMutual and the Team

• Regular meetings with the Annuity Valuation Team
• Focused one-on-one meetings with your manager
• Networking opportunities including access to Asian, Hispanic/Latinx, African American, women, LGBTQ, veteran, and disability-focused Business Resource Groups
• Access to learning content on Degreed and other informational platforms
• Your ethics and integrity will be valued by a company with a strong and stable ethical nosiness with industry leading pay and benefits