What does an actuary do?

An actuary is involved in evaluating certain risks in insurance, investment, and other such industries. Commonly known as actuarial science, the field usually deals with math, statistics, and computer science to understand the actualities of financial risks. An actuary performs the act of assessing, monitoring and estimating financial risks and repercussions that an organisation is likely to face. The job role is also known as an actuarial analyst or actuarial manager. By collecting data using computer science, an actuary minimizes risk and positively affects the big financial decisions of the company.

You might hire an actuary to:  :

  • Gather, maintain and keep a record of the data associated with risks and present them to the stakeholders of a company
  • Understand the nitty-gritty of financial risks using actuarial finance knowledge available
  • Work with math, statistics and economics, to predict financial risks and reduce the influence they will have on the company
  • Perform actuarial management tasks and create models to educate the same to clients by simplifying the communication
  • Finetune and tweak the existing strategies to improve the actuarial analysis

Introduction

At [Company X], we strive to give our client’s insurance and investment a safety blanket through our services. In order to safeguard our client’s interests, we are seeking a highly analytical and skilled actuary analyst. The actuary candidate must be proficient in business analysis, financial planning and data management. We are looking out for someone, who is a whiz at statistics and can whiff out a financial risk from miles away. Through the act of collecting and evaluating risks that might have a financial impact on the business, the actuary in question must be able to create models that predict risks in the dynamic business environment that is ever-evolving. Data analysis and strategy-building skills go a long way in providing sound actuarial services.

Objectives of this role

  • Develop and maintain a safe financial risk management model that is backed up by actuarial science
  • Minimise the impact of financial risks and predict the outcome of certain financial decisions through actuarial finance analysis
  • Understand the long-term goals of the insurer and insured and provide valuable insights about potential risks
  • Make future predictions using data analysis and actuarial modelling
  • Devise various scenarios that could bring in potential risks and have a contingency plan to tackle them effectively using actuarial management skills

Responsibilities

  • Analyse data to gauge patterns and trends in the financial markets to minimise risks as an actuary
  • Create reports, sheets and presentations for stakeholders and clients that depict their financial risks in layman’s terms
  • Collaborate closely with other professionals such as accountants, economists, bankers and underwriters to curate relevant risk management schemes
  • Use complicated mathematical actuarial modelling to help businesses make the best financial decisions
  • Provide guidance and education on the financial risks and provide alternative investment strategies through actuarial analysis 

Required skills and qualifications

  • Bachelor’s degree in business, finance, economics, statistics, mathematics or a related discipline
  • Prior experience working as an actuarial analyst
  • Knowledge of risk management from the actuarial science point of view
  • Strong analytical skills, along with proficiency in independent thinking and problem solving 
  • Awareness of financial laws in India, along with knowledge of actuarial principles  

Preferred skills and qualifications

  • Additional diploma or certification in actuarial sciences
  • Project management experience in developing financial plans 
  • Knowledge of common statistical software and tools