General Alliance Insurance Limited is seeking a highly motivated and experienced professionals to join our team! As a leading insurance provider, we offer a dynamic and supportive work environment, opportunities for growth and development, and a chance to work with a diverse range of clients. If you have the passion and a proven track record of success, we invite you to apply for the following exciting opportunities.

Reporting to the Chief Operations Manager and Underwriting Manager, the Assistant Underwriting Manager, will manage day-to-day underwriting operations, ensuring policies are issued efficiently, accurately, and in compliance with regulatory standards. The role requires strong leadership, attention to detail, and a comprehensive understanding of the insurance industry’s underwriting processes. He/she will also be responsible for mentoring and guiding a team of underwriters, fostering a collaborative work environment, and driving continuous improvement within the underwriting department for Lilongwe Branch.

Responsibilities or duties

1. Team Supervision & Leadership

• Team Oversight: Supervise a team of underwriters, providing guidance, support, and ensuring efficient and effective policy issuance.
• Coaching & Development: Mentor and coach team members, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to perform underwriting tasks in line with company standards and regulatory requirements.
• Performance Management: Conduct regular performance reviews, set individual goals for team members, and provide feedback to improve team productivity and underwriting accuracy.

2. Underwriting Process Management

• Policy Underwriting: Ensure the timely and accurate underwriting of new business, renewals, and endorsements, in line with the company’s underwriting guidelines.
• Risk Evaluation & Assessment: Oversee risk evaluations performed by underwriters, ensuring they are thorough, accurate, and aligned with the company’s risk appetite.
• Approval & Authorization: Review and approve policy applications, ensuring that underwriting decisions comply with internal guidelines and the Insurance Act.
• Documentation & Record Management: Ensure all policies and related documentation are properly filed, stored, and maintained in compliance with regulatory requirements and company standards.

3. Compliance & Regulatory Adherence

• Insurance Act Compliance: Ensure all underwriting activities are conducted in full compliance with the Insurance Act and relevant regulations, and adhere to internal audit standards.
• Internal Audits & Checks: Conduct regular audits of underwriting files to ensure compliance with company standards and regulatory guidelines, and address any issues identified in audits.
• Regulatory Reporting: Assist in the preparation of reports for regulatory authorities, ensuring that all required documentation is submitted accurately and on time.

4. Risk Management & Portfolio Oversight

• Loss Ratio Management: Monitor and manage the company’s loss ratio by ensuring that underwriting decisions are informed by accurate data and a clear understanding of risk exposure.
• Claims Feedback: Work closely with the claims department to assess the quality of underwriting decisions and ensure smooth claims handling that aligns with policy terms.
• Portfolio Review: Regularly review the underwriting portfolio, identifying trends, risks, and opportunities to optimize the risk profile.

5. Training, Development & Process Improvement

• Continuous Training: Identify training needs within the team and arrange for necessary sessions to keep underwriting practices aligned with current trends and regulatory requirements.
• Process Optimization: Suggest improvements to underwriting processes to improve efficiency, minimize errors, and ensure a seamless policy issuance process.
• Technology Adoption: Stay abreast of technological developments in the industry, exploring opportunities to enhance underwriting efficiency and accuracy through digital tools and automation.

6. Stakeholder Management & Client Interaction

• Customer Support: Act as a point of escalation for complex client queries, ensuring excellent customer service in the resolution of underwriting-related issues.
• Collaboration with Other Departments: Collaborate closely with the sales, risk management, and claims teams to ensure alignment across the company on policy issuance, risk assessment, and claims management.
• External Stakeholder Interaction: Support communication with brokers and agents to facilitate smooth policy placements and manage risk exposure.

Qualifications or requirements

Educational Background:

• A Bachelor’s degree in Insurance, Risk Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Professional certifications such as ACII (Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute) or equivalent are preferred.

Experience needed

• Minimum of 4-6 years of experience in underwriting, with at least 1-2 years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• Strong understanding of insurance products, risk management, and regulatory compliance (Insurance Act and other industry regulations).

Technical Skills:

• Proficiency in underwriting software, claims management systems, and Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Strong data analysis and reporting skills to support informed decision-making and continuous process improvement.

Leadership & Communication:

• Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage, coach, and motivate a team of underwriters.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, to interact with internal teams, brokers, agents, and clients.

Attention to Detail:

• Exceptional attention to detail to ensure underwriting decisions are accurate and comply with regulatory and internal guidelines.

Problem-Solving & Decision-Making:

• Ability to make sound underwriting decisions, even under pressure, balancing risk, compliance, and company profitability.

• Team Oversight: Supervise a team of underwriters, providing guidance, support, and ensuring efficient and effective policy issuance.
• Coaching & Development: Mentor and coach team members, ensuring they are equipped with the knowledge and skills to perform underwriting tasks in line with company standards and regulatory requirements.
• Performance Management: Conduct regular performance reviews, set individual goals for team members, and provide feedback to improve team productivity and underwriting accuracy.
• Policy Underwriting: Ensure the timely and accurate underwriting of new business, renewals, and endorsements, in line with the company’s underwriting guidelines.
• Risk Evaluation & Assessment: Oversee risk evaluations performed by underwriters, ensuring they are thorough, accurate, and aligned with the company’s risk appetite.
• Approval & Authorization: Review and approve policy applications, ensuring that underwriting decisions comply with internal guidelines and the Insurance Act.
• Documentation & Record Management: Ensure all policies and related documentation are properly filed, stored, and maintained in compliance with regulatory requirements and company standards.
• Insurance Act Compliance: Ensure all underwriting activities are conducted in full compliance with the Insurance Act and relevant regulations, and adhere to internal audit standards.
• Internal Audits & Checks: Conduct regular audits of underwriting files to ensure compliance with company standards and regulatory guidelines, and address any issues identified in audits.
• Regulatory Reporting: Assist in the preparation of reports for regulatory authorities, ensuring that all required documentation is submitted accurately and on time.
• Loss Ratio Management: Monitor and manage the company’s loss ratio by ensuring that underwriting decisions are informed by accurate data and a clear understanding of risk exposure.
• Claims Feedback: Work closely with the claims department to assess the quality of underwriting decisions and ensure smooth claims handling that aligns with policy terms.
• Portfolio Review: Regularly review the underwriting portfolio, identifying trends, risks, and opportunities to optimize the risk profile.
• Continuous Training: Identify training needs within the team and arrange for necessary sessions to keep underwriting practices aligned with current trends and regulatory requirements.
• Process Optimization: Suggest improvements to underwriting processes to improve efficiency, minimize errors, and ensure a seamless policy issuance process.
• Technology Adoption: Stay abreast of technological developments in the industry, exploring opportunities to enhance underwriting efficiency and accuracy through digital tools and automation.
• Customer Support: Act as a point of escalation for complex client queries, ensuring excellent customer service in the resolution of underwriting-related issues.
• Collaboration with Other Departments: Collaborate closely with the sales, risk management, and claims teams to ensure alignment across the company on policy issuance, risk assessment, and claims management.
• External Stakeholder Interaction: Support communication with brokers and agents to facilitate smooth policy placements and manage risk exposure.

• Proficiency in underwriting software, claims management systems, and Microsoft Office Suite (Excel, Word, PowerPoint).
• Strong data analysis and reporting skills to support informed decision-making and continuous process improvement.
• Strong leadership skills with the ability to manage, coach, and motivate a team of underwriters.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, to interact with internal teams, brokers, agents, and clients.
• Exceptional attention to detail to ensure underwriting decisions are accurate and comply with regulatory and internal guidelines.
• Ability to make sound underwriting decisions, even under pressure, balancing risk, compliance, and company profitability.

• A Bachelor’s degree in Insurance, Risk Management, Business Administration, or a related field.
• Professional certifications such as ACII (Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute) or equivalent are preferred.
• Minimum of 4-6 years of experience in underwriting, with at least 1-2 years in a supervisory or leadership role.
• Strong understanding of insurance products, risk management, and regulatory compliance (Insurance Act and other industry regulations).