Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Reinsurance Manager

🎯 Role Definition

As a Reinsurance Manager, you are the strategic architect of our company's risk transfer program. You're not just managing treaties; you're safeguarding the company's balance sheet, enabling profitable growth, and navigating the complex global reinsurance market. This pivotal role involves deep analytical work, sophisticated negotiation, and building rock-solid relationships with our key reinsurance partners and brokers. You'll be the go-to expert for all things reinsurance, providing critical insights that shape our underwriting strategy and overall corporate resilience.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

Senior Reinsurance Analyst
Reinsurance Broker
Senior Underwriter (with heavy reinsurance exposure)
Actuarial Analyst

Advancement To:

Director of Reinsurance
Head of Ceded Reinsurance
Chief Risk Officer (CRO)
Head of Capital Management

Lateral Moves:

Enterprise Risk Management (ERM) Leadership
Strategic Planning Manager
Corporate Development

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

Lead the end-to-end design, negotiation, and placement of corporate reinsurance treaties, encompassing both proportional and non-proportional structures, to ensure optimal risk transfer aligned with the company's risk appetite.
Manage and cultivate strategic relationships with a diverse panel of reinsurance brokers and reinsurers, serving as the primary point of contact to facilitate smooth negotiations and ongoing partnership management.
Conduct comprehensive financial and qualitative analysis of reinsurance proposals, scrutinizing pricing, terms, and conditions, and formulate clear, data-driven recommendations for senior management and underwriting leadership.
Oversee the entire facultative reinsurance placement process, providing expert support and timely guidance to underwriters on complex, high-value, or unusual risks that fall outside of existing treaty parameters.
Collaborate closely with actuarial and catastrophe modeling teams to analyze exposure data, interpret sophisticated model outputs (AEP/OEP), and leverage these insights to strategically structure and optimize all reinsurance programs.
Manage the full lifecycle of reinsurance contracts, from the initial drafting and in-depth review of wording to ensuring accurate and timely execution, sign-off, and recording in all relevant systems.
Ensure the accurate and timely calculation, billing, and settlement of reinsurance premiums and claims, working proactively with finance and accounting teams to investigate and resolve any discrepancies.
Prepare and present detailed, executive-level reports and presentations on reinsurance program performance, global market trends, and placement outcomes to executive leadership, risk committees, and the Board of Directors.
Continuously monitor the financial strength and creditworthiness of all reinsurer partners (e.g., A.M. Best, S&P ratings) to actively manage and mitigate counterparty risk across the reinsurance portfolio.
Develop and maintain a deep, nuanced understanding of global reinsurance market dynamics, including shifts in capacity, pricing trends, emerging risks, and new product innovations, to inform strategic decision-making.
Guarantee that all reinsurance activities and reporting are in strict compliance with all relevant regulatory requirements, such as Solvency II, NAIC regulations, and internal audit standards.
Own and project-manage the annual reinsurance renewal process, from establishing the strategic objectives and timelines to preparing submission materials and driving the project to a successful conclusion.
Analyze the financial impact of various reinsurance structures on the company's key performance indicators, including combined ratio, return on equity, and required regulatory capital.
Serve as the firm's subject matter expert, providing reinsurance advice and formal training to internal stakeholders including underwriting, claims, finance, and legal departments.
Manage the complete process for collecting, validating, and submitting high-quality exposure data to brokers and reinsurers, ensuring the integrity of the information that underpins our reinsurance placements.
Oversee the administration of reinsurance claims, ensuring proper and prompt notification to reinsurers, meticulous tracking of recoveries, and effective communication with the internal claims department.
Actively evaluate and recommend new reinsurance partners and innovative structures, including alternative risk transfer (ART) solutions like Insurance-Linked Securities (ILS) or catastrophe bonds.
Develop, implement, and refine internal controls and best practices for the reinsurance function to drive improvements in efficiency, accuracy, and corporate governance.
Support the corporate strategic planning and budgeting process by providing crucial insights into projected reinsurance costs, program effectiveness, and the potential financial impacts of market changes.
Act as a key mentor and leader for junior members of the reinsurance, finance, or actuarial teams, fostering their professional development and knowledge of the reinsurance landscape.

Secondary Functions

Support ad-hoc data requests and exploratory data analysis for senior leadership and special projects.
Contribute to the organization's enterprise risk management (ERM) framework and strategy.
Collaborate with business units and product development teams to translate new product needs into tangible reinsurance requirements.
Participate actively in industry conferences and seminars to maintain market knowledge, represent the company, and expand professional networks.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

Deep expertise in reinsurance structures, including Treaty, Facultative, Proportional (Quota Share, Surplus Share), and Non-Proportional (Excess of Loss, Stop Loss).
Strong financial acumen and advanced analytical skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial data, pricing models, and exposure curves.
Advanced proficiency in Microsoft Excel, including complex formulas, pivot tables, data visualization, and financial modeling.
Comprehensive knowledge of reinsurance administration and accounting principles, including premium cessions, loss recoveries, and collateral management.
Foundational knowledge of catastrophe modeling software (e.g., RMS, AIR, Verisk) and the ability to interpret and challenge model outputs.
In-depth understanding of insurance and reinsurance contract wording, clauses, and governing legal principles.
Familiarity with major regulatory frameworks such as Solvency II, IFRS 17, or NAIC statutory reporting requirements.
Proven ability to manage large datasets and work with data management systems to ensure data quality and integrity for submissions.

Soft Skills

Exceptional negotiation and influencing skills, with a proven track record of achieving favorable terms in complex, high-stakes negotiations.
Superior written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to distill and convey complex reinsurance concepts clearly to diverse audiences, from underwriters to C-level executives.
Excellent relationship management and networking abilities, adept at building and maintaining trust with brokers, reinsurers, and internal stakeholders.
Strategic and critical thinking, with a problem-solving orientation and the ability to see the "big picture" to develop creative, value-added solutions.
High level of attention to detail and outstanding organizational skills to manage multiple complex projects and competing deadlines effectively.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

Bachelor's Degree

Preferred Education:

Master’s Degree (MBA, Finance) or significant progress toward professional designations.

Relevant Fields of Study:

Finance
Economics
Risk Management
Business Administration
Actuarial Science
Mathematics

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 7-12 years of progressive experience in a dedicated reinsurance function, either within an insurance carrier, reinsurance brokerage, or a reinsurer itself.

Preferred: Possession of or progress towards professional certifications such as ARe (Associate in Reinsurance) or CPCU (Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter).