Job Title : Senior Systems Architect (Level: Associate Director)
Location: New York, NY
Experience : 10+ years
Primary Skill : Workshop Facilitation techniques
About the Role
We are seeking a highly skilled Senior Systems Architect (Associate Director level) with deep hands-on experience in Insurance Technology and Actuarial Systems, especially within Retirement Benefits (DB/CB). This role focuses on assessing current-state actuarial systems, data processes, and operational models, and shaping a prioritized roadmap for improvements.
The ideal candidate combines strong actuarial domain knowledge with technical expertise across valuation accuracy, data quality, controls, gain/loss logic, and system scalability.
Key Responsibilities
• Lead a comprehensive assessment of actuarial calculation engines, plan rule configurations, data pipelines, environments, and system controls.
• Review gain/loss attribution logic across assumptions, demographic experience, plan changes, and methodologies.
• Validate tie-outs against prior valuations to ensure accuracy and consistency.
• Evaluate data quality across census, compensation history, service records, and roll-forward processes.
• Review reconciliation practices, auditability, and documentation gaps.
• Analyze operational workflows, SLAs, and risks across valuation cycles (annual, quarterly, interim).
• Identify systemic gaps, risks, and technical debt, and propose target-state architecture improvements.
• Recommend enhancements to rule governance, test automation, audit/SOC controls, and data lineage practices.
• Produce key deliverables including:
• Current-State Assessment Report
• Gap & Risk Register
• Prioritized Recommendations & Roadmap
• Effort/Benefit Estimates for Implementation
• Collaborate with Mercer teams to align on actuarial assumptions, operational updates, and transition plans.
Required Skills & Experience
• 6–10+ years working in Retirement/Actuarial Systems (DB/CB), ideally in insurance or consulting environments.
• Strong background in systems assessment, requirements analysis, and evaluation of actuarial workflows.
• Deep knowledge of actuarial calculations including:
• Eligibility, service, accruals, vesting
• Early retirement factors
• Interest crediting
• Gain/loss rules
• Proficiency in SQL and Excel for validation, diagnostics, and reconciliation.
• Working knowledge of Python or scripting tools is a plus.
• Experience in UAT/test design, data lineage modeling, documentation, and audit/SOC controls.
• Exposure to valuation engines, rules frameworks, and benefits calculation systems.
• Strong communication skills with the ability to present findings and executive-level recommendations.
• Familiarity with BI tools such as Power BI or Tableau for diagnostics and reporting.
