Pricing Analyst

This is an opportunity to join Ascot Group - one of the world’s preeminent specialty risk underwriting organizations.

Designed as a modern-era company operating through an ecosystem of interconnected global operating platforms, we’re bound by a common mission and purpose: One Ascot. Our greatest strength is a talented team who flourish in a collaborative, inclusive, and entrepreneurial culture, steeped in underwriting excellence, integrity, and a passion to find a better way, The Ascot Way.

The Ascot Way guides our people and our organization. Our underwriting platforms collaborate to find creative ways to deploy our capital in a true cross-product and cross-platform approach. These platforms work as one, deploying our capital creatively through our unique Fusion Model: Client Centric, Risk Centric, Technology Centric.

Built to be resilient, Ascot maximizes client financial security while delivering bespoke products and world class service — both pre- and post-claims. Ascot exists to solve for our clients’ brightest tomorrow, through agility, collaboration, resilience, and discipline.

Job Purpose:

Ascot’s pricing function has grown significantly since its establishment in 2020, with more recent focus on a London-wide multi-year pricing transformation project. With continued investment in pricing, Ascot is now seeking a Pricing Analyst to join and grow with the team.

This is an excellent early-career opportunity for a numerate, analytically-minded individual to build a career in actuarial pricing. Working under the guidance of experienced colleagues, the successful candidate will primarily provide day-to-day (BAU) actuarial pricing support to various underwriting teams, with some exposure to the ongoing pricing transformation project. The pricing team collaboratively contributes to Ascot’s actuarial function objectives and works closely with the wider group pricing functions.

Detailed Duties:

The role of the successful candidate may include the following, with the level of support and supervision tailored to experience:

Supporting the Actuarial Pricing function

• Working with underwriting teams to provide day-to-day, ad-hoc pricing support and individual case pricing, in line with best-practice actuarial techniques and under the supervision of senior colleagues.

• Supporting the ongoing maintenance and cyclical validation of rating tools and pricing capabilities across all classes of business, including model documentation.

• Contributing to the development of the Pricing Framework within the Syndicate and supporting the maintenance of Lloyd’s Pricing Maturity Matrix.

• Building positive working relationships with underwriting teams across the business to support adoption of technical pricing concepts and pricing tools.

• Assisting with the development of portfolio management reporting, using data from hx Renew to help generate new insights across lines of business.

• Supporting the preparation of:

  • Rate adequacy and rate change reporting, within internal MI and external reporting to Lloyd’s (PMDR);

  • Relevant documents, papers and analysis for committee meetings and external meetings with Lloyd’s and the PRA;

  • The annual Actuarial Function Report.

Supporting the Pricing Transformation project

• Assisting with the transfer of existing pricing models from Excel-based workbooks into hx Renew, a robust tool which offers underwriting efficiencies and technical capabilities in line with the Pricing Framework.

• Developing an understanding of the existing technical pricing models and helping to re-build them in Renew, in line with established principles and Python best practice, with guidance from senior colleagues.

• Supporting the upkeep of accurate documentation for technical pricing models within the hx Renew system, and providing Renew support to underwriting teams across the business.

• Helping to test and validate model functionality and results within hx Renew.

• Assisting with the integration of key data items between hx Renew and other overlapping data-driven systems.

Other

• Making a proactive and positive contribution to the (Group) actuarial function with respect to culture and teamwork, contributing to the overarching objectives of the team.

• Helping to identify and develop synergies within pricing across Ascot entities.

• Demonstrating commitment to personal and team development, including progress towards actuarial qualification.

• Identifying opportunities to work more efficiently.

• Attending relevant industry workshops and training.

• Liaising with other Ascot functions as necessary — such as IT, MI, Data, Underwriting, Reinsurance and Exposure Management — to support the objectives of the team.

Person Specification:

The successful candidate will have / be:

• A strong academic background in a numerate discipline (e.g. mathematics, statistics, economics, actuarial science, engineering or a related field).

• Typically 0–2 years’ relevant experience; recent graduates and those early in their career are encouraged to apply.

• Studying towards, or with a clear desire to begin, the IFoA actuarial examinations.

• Some exposure to, or a keen interest in, actuarial work — ideally within pricing, but not essential.

• Strong analytical and numerical skills, with good attention to detail.

• A proactive, self-motivated approach, with a willingness to learn and take on new challenges.

• Developing critical thinking skills — an aptitude for problem diagnosis and problem solving.

• Good written and verbal communication skills.

• An ability to build and maintain positive relationships across teams.

• Microsoft Office skills, particularly in Excel.

• Any exposure to Python, hx Renew or Power BI is advantageous, but not required — training and support will be provided.

• Familiarity with programming languages such as C#, SQL, VBA or R is beneficial but not essential.

• An appetite to learn new software and technical skills, not currently widely used within the business.

Please be aware that Ascot Group’s job opportunities will be posted on our official careers page. All official communication comes from @ascotgroup.com email addresses, if you receive a job offer or recruitment communication from Ascot Group that you suspect might be fraudulent, do not hesitate to contact us directly to verify its legitimacy. We will never ask for payment or sensitive personal information during any stage of the recruitment process. Your privacy and trust are of utmost importance to us, and we strive to ensure that you have a positive experience with Ascot Group.

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