Help shape how a growing life insurer underwrites- Lead in the management of the underwriting rules engine, the data, and the automation behind PPS Mutual’s straight-through processing.
BACKGROUND
PPS Mutual launched in Australia in 2016, built on the model of PPS in South Africa, a mutual that has looked after professionals for more than 85 years. We offer retail Life, TPD, Trauma, Income Protection and Business Expenses cover to a select group of degree-qualified professionals, exclusively through accredited independent financial advisers.
Because we’re a mutual, there are no external shareholders to satisfy. Members share in our profits through their Profit-Share Account, which builds over the life of their cover. With the lowest lapse rates in the industry, being Adviser Ratings’ Best Retail Life Insurer 3 years in a row and a growing portfolio of professionals, you’ll be joining an ambitious team built to serve our Members.
ABOUT THE ROLE
Underwriting is the largest team at PPS Mutual and one of our biggest areas of investment.
As the Underwriting Automation Specialist, you will own the configuration, optimisation, and ongoing management of our Underwriting Rules Engine (URE), with the goal of achieving and sustaining our target straight-through processing (STP) rate. You’ll make sure that when an application is referred to one of our underwriters, it genuinely needs their judgement. You’ll also build and automate the reporting and analytics that tell us how underwriting is performing and help us find the right places for AI to augment rules-based decisioning.
Our automated underwriting setting captures information through online applications, tele-interviews, medical questionnaires, financial assessments, and occupational and hazardous activity assessments. Deep experience on our specific platform isn’t essential, as support is available from our group. What matters most is how well you understand rules engine design, decision logic, information-gathering workflows, and user-friendly question design.
KEY RESPONSIBILITIES
Rules engine and straight-through processing
- Lead the configuration and testing of underwriting rules within our digital engine
- Work with underwriters to translate manual decisioning logic into automated rules
- Define and document the logic that determines which assessments fall outside STP and keep refining it, so referrals genuinely need an underwriter
- Test and validate rule changes so they work as intended
- Monitor STP performance and optimise rule sets to improve outcomes
Reporting and data analytics
- Develop, automate, and maintain underwriting reports and dashboards, covering STP rates, referral reasons, turnaround times, decision outcomes, and pipeline metrics
- Lead underwriting analytics to identify trends, emerging risks and performance insights and present clear, actionable recommendations
- Reduce manual reporting effort by automating data extraction, transformation, and distribution
- Work with Technology and Data to define reporting requirements, data sources, and data quality standards
AI and augmented underwriting
- Explore where AI can augment rules-based decisioning, and help implement it when the time is right
- Act as the liaison between Underwriting and Technology on rules engine and augmented underwriting initiatives
- Support change management and training as underwriters move to augmented underwriting
Governance and documentation
- Keep outcomes aligned with our underwriting philosophy, risk appetite, and compliance requirements
- Maintain documentation of rule logic, decision trees, reporting definitions, data sources, and change history
- Support the operations underwriting team when needed
ABOUT YOU
This role suits someone who sits comfortably between underwriting and data. You understand how an underwriter thinks and you know how to turn that thinking into rules, data and automated outcomes.
Essential
- Hands-on experience with underwriting rules engines,
including maintaining, building, or enhancing rules and automated decisioning
- Strong understanding of life underwriting principles, risk assessment and decisioning logic
- Testing, validation, and quality assurance experience on rule changes
- Proven ability to translate business requirements into technical specifications and practical automated solutions
- Solid data analysis skills, with experience building and automating reports and dashboards in tools such as Power BI, Excel, or SQL
- Clear communication and stakeholder engagement skills, with technical and non-technical audiences
Highly regarded
- Current or prior experience as a life insurance underwriter (not a requirement)
- Scripting or query languages
- Experience in digital transformation or process automation projects
- Familiarity with life insurance regulation, data governance, data quality, and privacy principles
Personal attributes
- Genuinely curious about automation, data, and AI and keen to apply them to underwriting
- A self-starter who can work independently, while taking direction and collaborating well
- Solutions-focused and comfortable without a perfect brief or a defined process
- Suited to a small, agile team where everyone’s contribution is visible
WHY JOIN PPS MUTUAL
- A rare blend of underwriting, data, automation and AI in one role
- Direct influence on our underwriting transformation and the future automation and AI roadmap
- A visible role with real impact across the underwriting function
- A collaborative team that values diverse skill sets and gives you room to shape the role around your strengths
- Professional growth as you become a key contributor to our underwriting technology strategy
- A member-first mutual with strong retention and continued growth in Australia
How To Apply
Please apply directly or reach out to our Talent Partner Chloe via email
[email protected] with any questions you may have.
PPS Mutual welcomes applications from people of all backgrounds, experiences, and abilities. If you need any adjustments during the recruitment process, just let us know.
📌 Underwriting Automation Specialist (Sydney)
🏢 PPS Mutual
📍 Sydney