Head R&D Actuary: VitalityLife

About The Role Team - Enterprise R&D LAB Working Pattern - Hybrid - 2 days per week in the Vitality London Office. Full time, 37.5 hours per week.

We are happy to discuss flexible working!

Top 3 skills needed for this role:

• Strategic product innovation
• Stakeholder influence and communication
• Cross-functional leadership

What this role is all about:

At Vitality, we're committed to continually evolving our products and propositions to meet the changing needs of our members. This is a rare opportunity to be at the centre of the research, development and innovation agenda for VitalityLife, shaping future product strategy, driving commercial growth and bringing new ideas from concept through to market delivery. As Head R&D Actuary: VitalityLife, you will provide strategic leadership across product development, pricing, implementation and innovation, while acting as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders across the business.

Key Actions

• Define and deliver the long-term VitalityLife R&D strategy, aligning innovation, growth ambitions and member needs with the wider business strategy
• Become central in the identification, assessment and development of new product opportunities that strengthen VitalityLife's market position and commercial performance
• Shape the future direction of the product portfolio by translating market insights, customer trends and emerging risks into innovative actuarial solutions
• Own the end-to-end development of new propositions, from initial concept and business case through to approval, implementation and launch
• Shape complex actuarial modelling and scenario analysis to assess product viability, profitability, customer value and strategic impact
• Act as the senior actuarial adviser to Executive leadership, providing clear recommendations on product strategy, pricing and investment choices
• Influence and Partner with senior stakeholders across Product, Distribution, Finance, Operations, Digital and Technology to drive successful business outcomes
• Sponsor and be central to cross-functional programmes that deliver large-scale product enhancements and proposition innovation
• Monitor market developments, competitor activity and regulatory change to identify opportunities for competitive advantage and sustainable growth
• Build and develop a high-performing actuarial and product innovation capability, fostering a culture of curiosity, collaboration and continuous improvement

What do you need to thrive?

• Postgraduate degree in a quantitative subject and/or Qualified Actuary (FIA/FFA)
• Significant experience operating in a senior leadership capacity
• Experience developing and launching complex financial or insurance products
• Strong commercial acumen and strategic thinking capability
• Advanced Excel and data analysis skills
• Exceptional presentation and communication skills
• Ability to influence and question senior stakeholders effectively
• Experience of conducting cross-functional teams and complex business initiatives
• Strong analytical and problem-solving capability
• Experience working with life protection products
• Desirable experience using R, Python or SQL
• Experience within management consulting, strategy or technology-led environments

So, what's in it for you?

• Bonus Schemes - A bonus that regularly rewards you for your performance
• A pension of up to 12%- We will match your contributions up to 6% of your salary
• Our award-winning Vitality health insurance - With its own set of rewards and benefits
• Life Assurance - Four times annual salary

These are just some of the many perks that we offer! To view the extensive range of benefits we offer, please visit our careers page.

Fantastic Benefits. Exciting rewards. Great career opportunities!

If you are successfulin your application and join us at Vitality, this is our promise to you, we will:

• Help you to be the healthiest you've ever been
• Create an environment that embraces you as you are and enables you to be your best self
• Give you flexibility on how, where and when you work
• Help you advance your career by playing you to your strengths
• Give you a voice to help our business grow and make Vitality a great place to be
• Give you the space to try, fail and learn
• Provide a healthy balance of challenge and supportRecognise and reward you with a competitive salary and amazing benefits
• Be there for you when you need us
• Provide opportunities for you to be a force for good in society

We commit to all these things because we want you to feel that you belong, and are supported to be happy and healthy.

About Us

We're incredibly proud to be recognised for the culture we've created - recently being named one of Glassdoor's Best Places to Work 2026, and in 2024 we were delighted to be awarded Top 10 Places to Work in the Sunday Times Awards.

Vitality is a multi-award-winning UK insurance brand, here to make the world a healthier, happier place.
We've been a purpose and values-driven business from day 1- long before it became fashionable. Our core purpose is to make people healthier and enhance protect their lives. Vitality pioneered shared-value insurance. We incentivise people to live healthier longer lives - they benefit, our business benefits, and society benefits. We're successful because we attract, develop, and retain the best people - and because we care.
Plus, you get to join our 1.7+ million members with access to our unique health insurance and healthy living programme. Just to make sure you know our products inside and out.
Ready to find out if we're the right fit for you? We can't wait.

Diversity & Inclusion

At Vitality, we're committed to diversity and inclusion because it's good for our employees, for our business, and for society. We welcome applications from individuals of all backgrounds, experiences, and perspectives.

Vitality's approach to sustainability

Vitality is a business that drives positive change. We reward people for making and sustaining healthier choices. But healthy people also need a healthy environment. To learn more please visit our Careers page.

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