Pricing System Developer

The role

To assist in the maintenance, development and improvement of the pricing systems (in particular the Group Pricing Platform) so as to align to the strategic priorities of the Business and Actuarial management as agreed each year; the analyst will contribute to the successful and efficient implementation, delivery and maintenance of reliable models to the Underwriting Function so that business can be consistently assessed and evaluated; the analyst will also help ensure appropriate capture of any identified relevant associated identified information from the process to provide a feed into management reporting and model development.

Key accountabilities

Contribute to developing mechanisms to improve the quality and usefulness of pricing data captured to improve management insight and strategic decisions.

• Help to convert pricing tools in the existing pipeline into the Group Pricing Platform; so as to enable a consistent delivery, implementation and data capture process, where possible and appropriate, across the business.
• Assist in the development and management of data capture and storage of pricing information in a systematic and coherent structure which can be ultimately be used to feed into Actuarial model evolution and Management strategic decisions.

• Undertake investigations on model usage to identify misuse or to identify training needs, as required
• Identify and/or support improvement in delivery, efficiency, responsiveness and reliability, of the Group Pricing Platform (and pricing models more generally) so as to provide greater stability and improved user experience of models.

• Ensure user access lists are maintained and that backup systems and processes are used appropriately during model development to provide business continuity.

• Maintain regular contact with stakeholders to ensure models continue to operate efficiently.
• Help to provide a service-orientated culture within the Pricing System team by being adaptable to changing priorities within the team.
• Provide and participate in feedback and cross training to/from other members of Pricing or underwriting functions, as required.

• The analyst will work with pricing actuaries across the Group to understand the processes and methodologies behind the various pricing tools to help identify model improvements through alternative coding or validation mechanisms.
• Assist in wider system development within the pricing team, as required and prioritised by Actuarial Management so as to align to business needs.
• Support the Pricing System Lead to ensure that the infrastructure of the Pricing System Platform is designed, supported and managed in accordance with business needs.
• Support the Pricing System Lead to monitor and maintain the Pricing System Platform, ensuring it is working at optimal levels, adequately provisioned and has the capacity to support the business requirements.
• Endeavour to resolve technical problems within reasonable timeframe whilst also keeping stakeholders informed so as to appropriately manage and meet expectations.

Skills & experience

• Adequate VBA or SQL knowledge
• Adequate knowledge of computer hardware/software systems.
• Understanding of both internal business drivers and industry dynamics
• Understanding of underlying needs of the business and how own role contributes to these.
• Eager to learn and develop
• Ability to build and maintain effective relationships with customers and colleagues while remaining committed to providing quality results with positive service
• Able to explain technical solutions to audiences who don't have IT background.
• Ability to collaborate effectively within a team environment.
• Strong numeric and analytic capabilities
• Effective verbal and written communication
• Strong attention to detail
• Proficient in relevant software, including MS Office applications e.g. Excel as well as other departmental software packages.
• Able to work independently.
• Preferred experience would include, one of the following;
• Relevant degree in Computer Science/Information Technology
• Specific professional qualifications (e.g. computer science, management of information systems or similar).
• Strong A-Levels (including Mathematics) with demonstrable evidence of an interest in, and a basic understanding of, the fundamentals of how to program.