Manager Actuarial

at Highmark Health in Springfield, Illinois, United States

Job Description

Company :

Highmark Inc.

Job Description :

+ responsibilities to include but are not limited to: involved in hiring and termination decisions, coaching and development, rewards and recognition, performance management and staff productivity. Plan, organize, staff, direct and control the day-to-day operations of the department; develop and implement policies and programs as necessary; may have budgetary responsibility and authority.

+ Independently manage the time and resources of both themselves and assigned actuarial staff in many cross departmental projects. Demonstrate responsiveness, confidence, and flexibility in the wake of change. Effectively implement a range of coping mechanisms in the face of adversity. Anticipate, absorb, adapt to and rapidly recover from a potentially disruptive event, assisting staff to do the same. Thrive in a dynamic, changing environment and approach new challenges with anticipation and a view towards success. Encourage new ideas and innovations in team members. Proactively identify emerging opportunities; establish project objectives, specify strategies, and organize necessary tasks for themselves and their teams. Consider both short and long term outcomes as well as the consequences of their teams actions. Positively respond to & resolve challenges. Encourage creative tension and differences of opinion and anticipate and take steps to prevent counter-productive confrontations.

+ Assume full ownership of strategic projects. Utilize subject matter expertise and industry knowledge to quickly yet comprehensively define & diagnose a problem, anticipating stakeholder needs before they arise. Outline overall objectives and assign responsibilities to staff in the development of complex studies and expert analyses. Devise insightful and creative solutions, critically thinking through how the solutions will evolve into long term processes and what future implications could be. Assign responsibilities based on team member abilities & interests while providing opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods. Develop the ability of others to uncover the root causes of problems, rejecting superficial explanations. Review the appropriateness of the results in light of experience and industry knowledge. Consider alternate explanations or viewpoints before drawing conclusions. Make timely and sound decisions based on analysis of the information presented in the face of ambiguous or conflicting situations when there is an associated risk.

+ Interact with assigned staff and stakeholders in a manner that fosters cooperation and teamwork while conveying engagement, competence and ownership of outcomes. Enhance department influence by providing responsive service and understanding customer needs. Effectively present information and provide decision support to team members and executive management, ensuring highly visible and effective channels of communication are implemented to monitor sentiment, feedback and acceptance of change. Appropriately balance the need for clarity and brevity with the need to fully inform customers of all aspects of a situation which may be material to a decision. Anticipate a customer’s needs and proactively craft message to address. Consider alternate points of view on issues, demonstrating sensitivity to others’ situations. Maintain positive, productive working relationships despite differing or conflicting situations and personalities. Exhibit foresight to identify and diffuse conflicts before they occur. Correctly interpret direct and indirect messages and verbal and non-verbal behaviors and respond appropriately. Foster an inclusive workplace where diversity and individual differences are valued and leveraged to achieve the vision and mission of the organization. Provide clear and consistent feedback. Actively listen to staff’s concerns and ideas and demonstrate understanding and empathy. Effectively communicate to staff the overall project objectives, purpose, performance standards & measurements of success, deadlines, key milestones, risks, boundaries of authority and available resources.

+ Exhibit a thorough understanding of both corporate and division goals and values and position the organization for future success by setting a long-term strategy and building a shared vision. Apply corporate, professional, and industry knowledge & insight to all tasks under incumbent’s control or influence and act as a catalyst for organizational change for their team. Use expertise to envision and implement innovative new processes and propose changes to existing processes, motivating staff to do the same and leading to improved outcomes that better conform to corporate goals, objectives, and values. Demonstrate a capacity to shift between ""big picture"" and ""detailed"" thinking when analyzing issues and their strategic importance and take calculated risks to accomplish organizational objectives, influencing others to translate vision into action. Effectively advocate across entire corporation for appropriate positions, processes, and systems which can reasonably be adopted. Break down business initiatives into key tasks and identify accountabilities.

+ Proactively ensure the internal and external consistency of all work and hold self and assigned team accountable for results. Continuously monitor and maintain knowledge of the market and industry competition to perform reasonability checks as well as exceed customer expectations. Demonstrate broad expertise and ingenuity, and as a result is sought out by others for advice on methodology, strategy and delivery of results, and to improve existing best practices, protocols and standard operating procedures. Form reasonable approximations in advance of results of an analysis and determine whether deviations are reasonable or suspect. Recognize systemic risks to change realization and escalate the concerns to senior executives immediately after recognition. Display an ongoing commitment to continuous learning and self-improvement by independently seeking out the use of both internal and external sources. Develop the ability of assigned staff to perform and contribute to the organization by providing ongoing feedback and opportunities to learn through formal and informal methods.

+ Engage, motivate, and lead team in a positive manner that fosters teamwork and excellence, including planning and organizing work in a managerial role. Purposefully assign meaningful work to allow individuals and their team to develop and contribute to results. Match task to appropriate team member based on their knowledge & skills, motivations & interest, strengths & weaknesses, ambition & career path, capacity, workload, and attitude. Facilitate cooperation and motivate team members to accomplish goals. Develop the ability of others to perform and contribute to the organization by providing ongoing feedback and opportunities to learn, taking action to address performance issues as necessary. Represent the department’s perspectives and needs on large corporate initiatives, and negotiate appropriate compromises and solutions and build support in a way that results in effective action. Proactively tailor the work of team members to the anticipated needs of direct management and business partners, develop detailed specifications and standards for implementation, and help guide staff recommendations. Assume responsibility for their own actions and those of their team. Demonstrate assertiveness and self-assurance in resolving conflictive situations and/or standing by unpopular decisions.

+ Other duties as assigned or requested. ?

EDUCATION

Required

+ Bachelor’s Degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics or closely related field

Substitutions

+ None

Preferred

+ None

EXPERIENCE

Required