Head of Insurance Risk - Actuarial in London

About AXA: AXA is a global leader in insurance and financial services, dedicated to helping customers protect what matters most to them. As the sixth-largest insurance company in the world, we provide a wide range of services, including health, car, home, and business insurance. We support millions of customers worldwide, helping them navigate life's uncertainties with confidence.

AXA UK Support Functions look after our three customer-facing business units, providing the infrastructure and expertise to make sure we can be there for our customers.

Job overview: We’re looking for an experienced and strategic professional to lead the insurance risk management function at AXA UK. You’ll support the Chief Actuary by developing and overseeing frameworks to identify, assess, and monitor insurance risks across the business. You’ll utilise your background in pricing or actuarial to collaborate with cross‑functional teams including underwriting, actuarial, and reinsurance, providing independent challenge and insight to ensure sound risk practices. You’ll play a key role in shaping AXA UK’s risk strategy, maintaining compliance, and supporting effective decision‑making across the organisation. This role is ideal for someone with an actuarial background seeking to leverage their expertise in a strategic risk environment, contributing to impactful decision‑making and advancing their leadership capabilities.

Key responsibilities:

• Provide independent review and challenge of the business strategy, focusing on performance, reserving, pricing, underwriting, and reinsurance risks.
• Ensure accurate insurance risk input for reports to management, committees, and regulators, highlighting areas needing further investigation and monitoring emerging risks.
• Maintain and monitor the Risk Management Framework and risk appetite across AXA UK, including breach management and recovery planning.
• Oversee the product and deals approval processes, providing second opinions on new products, pricing models, and performance relative to strategic and financial targets.
• Collaborate with the Actuarial team to ensure risks are reflected in capital models, reserves, and reinsurance strategies.
• Lead annual stress testing and scenario analysis, working with teams to identify actions for prudential risk management.
• Contribute to actuarial opinions on underwriting, reserves, reinsurance, and strategic plans, providing second‑line challenge to Chief Risk Officers.

Work arrangements:

At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You’ll work at least two days a week (40%) away from home, moving to three days a week (60%) in the future. Away from home means attending the office, visiting clients or attending industry events. We’re also happy to consider flexible working arrangements, which you can discuss with Talent Acquisition.

Your skills & experience:

• Chartered or fully qualified actuary, actuary experience or holds an equivalent senior level insurance qualification is essential.
• Technical experience of both risk and pricing within a consultancy or insurance environment, with expertise to demonstrate how pricing affects business revenue, growth and optimisation is essential.
• Proven ability to build and manage strategic relationships with key stakeholders, working independently with confidence.
• Exceptional stakeholder management skills, capable of engaging and influencing senior executives, board members, and regulators.
• Expertise in insurance products, industry trends, and regulatory frameworks, with a strategic mindset.
• Strong business acumen, demonstrating leadership in risk management and decision‑making.
• Strategic planning experience, prioritisation, and managing complex, cross‑functional initiatives.
• Advanced analytical and problem‑solving skills, committed to continuous professional development and industry leadership.

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom. Please be aware that this position is a Certified Function and Senior Management Function role under the SM&CR regime, which means the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced level of background screening requirements.

We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer and don’t discriminate against employees or potential employees based on protected characteristics. If you have a long‑term condition or disability and require adjustments during the interview process, we’re proud to offer access to the AXA Accessibility Concierge.