Insurance Risk Management Jobs - What Does A Risk Manager Do?

In the insurance sector the job of a risk manager in simple terms is to work out how likely someone is to claim and what premium would be required should they need to pay out on the policy.

An example of risk management in work could be, given the recent changes in the UK law, anyone found using a mobile phone whilst driving is liable to a fine and penalty points on their license. The idea follows anyone who has been found using their mobile and received penalty points is more likely to have an accident & claim on their policy. If they have disobeyed traffic laws in the past this implies they might do again in the future. Therefore their premium is higher to cover the greater likelihood of a claim.

The role of a risk manager typically goes through four stages

Planning - normally this involves understanding the process or what happens that needs to be insured. By understanding the detail a risk analyst is able to understand the potential outcomes of a situation and make reasoned judgments & recommendations.

Mapping out - this involves working out the various stake-holders and to what extent each risk needs to be assessed based upon the likelihood of the risk & consequences of that event.
Defining a framework - now that the risk itself has been identified a framework is important to understand & explain your findings.

Developing an analysis - here is where the experience & training really becomes important. It is the analysis & recommendations that are created during risk management that helps those creating premiums understand the situation even if they may not be familiar with the intricacies of that specific case.

However the role of an experienced and qualified risk manager can be a lot more complex & challenging. Field assessments as well as the production of detailed risk reports are all part of the job.

Given the important role insurance has within every area life an insurance job offers real potential for future growth. There are a number of organisations which risk analysts can become members of, which provide support, training & professional opportunities to their members. Chartered Insurance Institute (CII) is one of the main organizations and they offer a variety of specific qualifications which would be worth considering as part of your ongoing development in risk management.