Zurich offers many rewarding alternatives - locally and globally. Of course, the right one for you will depend on your expertise and personal situation. If you decide to further your career in another function or another country, appropriate training is available to you.
Demand is strong for people with valuable skills across a wide spectrum, and particularly the core insurance skills: actuarial; claims and underwriting. Here are some possible directions you might take working for Zurich:
Actuarial
Good actuaries have an unrivalled appreciation of financial risk management - a fundamental expertise of the insurance business.
Actuaries analyze historical data, assess present risks and create models of what could happen in the future, forecasting the long-term financial implications of business decisions.
Liaising closely with the claims and underwriting specialists, Zurich's actuarial teams apply statistical techniques to set reserves and price risks, and play an important role in turning knowledge into insights for our customers.
They're actively involved in helping both Life and General Insurance business customers identify, manage and finance the short and long-term risks they face.
Claims
Claims people conduct investigations on assigned cases, confirm coverage within the terms of the policy, establish the extent and nature of injuries, ascertain damages, develop case strategies, prepare and report status updates, and establish reserves for the claim.
Claims teams include many different specialists from claims handlers to claims inspectors, motor engineers and lawyers.
They could be dealing with any size claim - damage to vehicles or property, or someone slipping on a pavement or having an accident at work resulting in large claims or serious injuries.
They could also be dealing with the claims arising from a class action as a result of a defective product.
Finance
Finance specialists help to drive the performance of the business by enabling the decision-making process, through financial planning, reporting and analysis.
There are many interesting job opportunities for finance specialists within the Finance department, which provides financial support to such diverse areas as new products, business projects and initiatives, reinsurance and investments.
The Reinsurance team manages contracts, payments and recoveries against Zurich's reinsurance policies. This team includes experts in credit management, risk assessment, technical insurance and asset management.
The Group Treasury and Capital Management team manages the company's liquidity needs and capital requirements and interfaces with the capital markets.
Human Resources
Human Resources specialists make sure that Zurich attracts the right people for the right job at the right time and that the roles which Zurich needs to achieve its strategic goals are filled with talented and motivated people.
Human Resources specialists can choose from a large variety of exciting job opportunities ranging from operational to strategic and from specialist to generalist HR roles. They support business functions by creating a friendly and productive atmosphere that helps our employees to feel more comfortable in their business environment enabling them to concentrate on their work.
The Human Resources department also focuses on learning and development, talent management and performance management, and ensures the employee management systems are in place to help Zurich meet its goals efficiently and effectively.
Internal Consulting (iCON)
Internal consultants work in teams on project-based assignments that range from strategy development to impact-oriented implementation efforts in exotic locations to help achieve Zurich's ambitions on growth and operational transformation.
As an internal consultant, early on you'll be given opportunity to take on responsibility, focus on high impact projects and drive the solutions for our strategic and operational hot topics in close collaboration with the businesses.
Regular interaction with senior managers and coaching from highly experienced top consultants will enable you to get results that really help Zurich grow and transform. Internal Consulting (iCON) supports all business units on all topics of the insurance value chain such as Distribution, Product Management, Underwriting, Operations, IT and Finance/Risk Management.
An attractive, performance-based compensation package and the opportunity to work on high profile projects in an international setting await the right consultant for the job.
Marketing & Communication
Marketing and communications specialists focus on making sure customers (and other stakeholders) feel that Zurich is meeting their needs in a way that differentiates Zurich from other insurance companies.
Marketing and communications specialists nurture the Zurich brand which is our promise to customers of what we will deliver. They are also responsible for communicating authentically to our stakeholders to help them understand what we do, how we work and what Zurich stands for.
These specialists may be involved in such activities as organizing events, sponsoring relevant activities and tournaments, and developing and implementing inspiring campaigns.
They may also conduct research to help Zurich adapt to change, detect trends, observe competitor activities, and develop innovative products that meet customer needs.
They help position Zurich as a thought leader, and build close relationships with the media, governments, academics and other key stakeholders.
Risk Engineering
As key members of the whole customer care team, risk engineers systematically identify, assess and improve the management of risk, both for the customer and for Zurich. Risk engineers facilitate earnings and balance sheet protection, and help Zurich and its customers grow profitably and operate efficiently.
For underwriters, they determine the technical quality and magnitude of risk as part of risk selection and pricing processes.
For the Claims function, they help with loss cost management information and settling claims equitably.
For customers, they give insights into risk to manage loss by systematic analysis and advice at both decision-making and implementation levels.
Sales & Distribution
Sales & distribution specialists are in the frontline for profitable growth, making sure Zurich delivers the service that customers and distributors expect.
Sales & Distribution functions vary from country to country and so do the roles on offer. Opportunities can range from seller, general agent, distributor consultant, relationship manager or proposition specialist to area manager or sales director.
As a consequence, responsibilities vary from analyzing customer needs and giving advice, to promoting products and services, recruiting and coaching new agents, acquiring and supporting independent distributors like brokers and banks, managing and developing commercial activities, defining business goals and assigning budgets, and providing sales management and controlling.
Underwriting
Underwriters evaluate the customer's risks, determine the price and terms for accepting the transfer of those risks and work with internal and external parties to sell the customer an insurance solution.
Underwriters try to out-perform the markets through superior risk selection and pricing. This means selecting well-managed, quality risks rather than writing every risk known to man. Zurich covers insurance risks for individuals, e.g. car being damaged in an accident, and businesses, e.g. a fire at business premises interrupting business.
Some risks are bigger than others in terms of both the chance of the occurrence and the potential cost of the claim. Once underwriters have assessed all the risks involved, they decide whether to cover them and on what terms (including the insurance premium and any excess to apply).
