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GOVERNMENT EMPLOYEES MEDICAL SCHEME (GEMS)
SENIOR MANAGER: ACTUARIAL RESEARCH AND DEVELOPMENT
- Pretoria
- Permanent
- Full Time
- Disabled, EE/AA, Non EE/AA
Introduction
The position of Senior Manager: Actuarial Research and Development is vacant. The Senior Manager: Actuarial Research and Development will report directly to the Chief Research Officer and form part of the Research and Development (R&D) division. The position is based at Head Office, Pretoria.
The total remuneration package will be R 2,107,120 per annum, based on the Scheme's Remuneration Policy.
The closing date for applications will be Tuesday, 18 August 2026.
Duties & Responsibilities
The Senior Manager: Actuarial Research and Development will be required to provide support to the Chief Research Officer through the implementation of the following Key Performance Areas (KPAs):
- Oversee and strengthen the actuarial function in Research and Development.
- Lead actuarial and health financing research activities.
- Develop actuarial models to assess healthcare utilisation, expenditure and risk.
- Develop products and benefits and conduct impact assessments.
- Assess affordability, sustainability, and member value of proposed benefits.
- Collaborate with clinical, health policy, and economics experts in developing new products, interventions and cost-mitigation strategies.
- Lead forecasting and predictive scenario-modelling activities.
- Evaluate emerging trends in healthcare costs, utilisation and risk, and perform long-term sustainability assessments.
- Strengthen internal actuarial capabilities.
- Partner with data analytics, ICT teams, and actuarial partners to strengthen and enhance systems for actuarial analysis.
- Maintain relationships with actuarial partners, academic partners, and consultants.
Desired Experience & Qualification
Qualification Requirements:
- B.Sc. or equivalent degree in Actuarial Science
- Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (“FASSA”), holding a Practising Certificate in Healthcare issued by ASSA
- A relevant postgraduate qualification, such as a Master's degree, will be an added advantage
- Minimum of 8 years of actuarial experience
- Minimum of 5 years of leadership and influencing experience at a senior level of an organisation
- Minimum of 3 years of healthcare experience, including pricing, benefit design, IBNR calculations, and experience in monitoring medical schemes
Behavioural Competencies:
- Strong risk management experience
- Strong stakeholder management experience
- Strong organisational change management experience
- Experience in establishing high-performance teams
- Good written and oral communication skills, especially at Board and senior levels of the organisation
- Strong influencing and interpersonal abilities – both internal and external
- Solid judgement and leadership abilities
- Knowledge of finance, accounting and economics, especially health-related matters
- Understanding of complex or technical concepts
- Keen analytical abilities – quantitative and qualitative
- Excellent problem-solving capabilities
- Experience in actuarial model development, data analysis and manipulation, and the use of artificial intelligence
- Statistical analysis skills
- Experience with advanced analytical modelling tools, e.g. SAS and R
- Report-writing and presentation skills, with proficiency in MS Office, particularly Word, PowerPoint, and Excel
Desirable:
- Understanding of the medical schemes industry
- Experience in the healthcare industry would be advantageous
Interested?
GEMS employs people with the highest level of integrity – submission to the appropriate pre-employment assessment is obligatory to be considered for the position.
Kindly note that the information provided on application of the position may be shared with a third party for vetting purposes and will be stored by GEMS for a period of 5 years.
Kindly note that information is required for Employment Equity Purposes and information gathered is strictly used according to the intended purpose of collection, unless there is a legal need or permission is granted from the applicant themselves to make use of it for other purpose.
Should you wish to have your information removed from the GEMS database, kindly send a request in writing to jobs@gems.gov.za.
GEMS adopts a hybrid work model.
GEMS is guided by the principles of employment equity. Preference will be given to groups who are underrepresented in accordance with GEMS employment equity plan.
Successful candidates will be required to seek approval to conduct other work outside of GEMS.
GEMS Employees are required to conduct themselves in a manner that reflects the organisation's paramount values: Excellence, Member Value, Integrity, Innovation, and Collaboration.
