An actuary job description usually covers pricing or reserving analysis, risk modeling, exam progress, and communication with underwriting, finance, or product teams. This guide breaks down duties by level and practice area, with salary context and links to open roles.
Actuary job description in plain English
Short answer: an actuary measures and manages financial risk for insurance, retirement, health, and related products. A typical actuary job description mixes quantitative analysis, modeling or reporting, exam progress, and clear communication with underwriting, product, finance, or consulting stakeholders.
Exact duties change by level and practice area. Use the tables below to map a posting to the right search filters, then browse live roles on Acturhire.
Browse: Analyst jobs · Entry-level · Internships · Salary insights
On this page
If you are searching for an actuary job description, you usually want two things: a clear picture of the work, and a way to tell whether a posting is junior, mid-level, or specialty-heavy. This guide is written for candidates. If you are an employer writing a posting, see how to write an actuarial job description.
What an actuary does day to day
Most actuarial job descriptions cluster around the same core activities, even when the product line differs:
- Build, run, or maintain pricing, reserving, forecasting, or capital models
- Analyze experience studies, trends, and actual-to-expected results
- Support product, underwriting, finance, or capital decisions with quantified recommendations
- Document assumptions, methods, and limitations so work can be reviewed and audited
- Present results to non-actuarial stakeholders in plain language
- Progress through SOA or CAS exams while contributing to production work
For a more narrative view of the role, read a day in the life of an actuary and what does an actuary do.
Actuary job description by level
Title inflation is common. Use duties and exam expectations, not the job title alone, to place yourself.
| Level | Typical titles | Core duties | Exam signal | Browse |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Intern / co-op | Actuarial intern | Support analyses, clean data, Excel/SQL work, shadow pricing or reserving | 0–2 exams | Internships |
| Entry / analyst | Actuarial analyst, actuarial assistant | Own pieces of studies, reporting, model runs, documentation | 1–3 exams common | Entry-level · Analyst |
| Associate | Associate actuary, actuarial associate | Lead projects, peer review junior work, more ownership of assumptions | ASA / ACAS track | All jobs |
| Senior / leadership | Senior actuary, pricing/reserving lead, chief actuary | Strategy, team leadership, regulatory or sign-off accountability | FSA / FCAS often expected | All jobs |
For title decoding across employers, see actuarial job titles.
Actuarial analyst vs associate actuary vs assistant
Actuarial analyst job description
An actuarial analyst job description usually emphasizes execution: pulling data, running models or workbooks, preparing exhibits, and supporting pricing, reserving, or forecasting cycles. Analysts are expected to ask good questions, document work clearly, and show exam progress. Independence is growing, but senior review is still normal.
Associate actuary job description
An associate actuary job description typically adds ownership. You may lead a study end-to-end, challenge assumptions, review junior work, and present recommendations with less hand-holding. Employers often expect ASA/ACAS progress or credential proximity, plus deeper practice-area judgment.
Actuarial assistant job description
An actuarial assistant title is often early-career and overlaps with analyst work. Some employers use it for roles that are heavier on reporting and process support; others use it interchangeably with junior analyst. Always read the duties and exam language, not just the title.
Quick compare
- Analyst / assistant: execute and learn; narrower ownership
- Associate: lead workstreams; review others; stronger credential signal
- Compensation: steps up with exams, ownership, and scarce specialty skills — benchmark on salary insights
How the job description changes by practice area
The math toolkit overlaps. The business problems do not.
- Life / annuity: pricing, valuation, ALM support, product design, assumption setting for mortality/lapse/interest-sensitive products
- P&C: rating plans, loss development, catastrophe considerations, reserving, profitability by segment — start with P&C roles and what a casualty actuary does
- Health / Medicare: trend, risk adjustment, provider analytics, medical economics, regulatory reporting
- Retirement / pension: valuations, funding, contribution strategies, pension risk transfer support
- Consulting: client-facing analysis, faster context-switching, stronger communication and project management expectations
Skills and requirements employers put in the JD
A credible actuarial job description usually lists some mix of the following. Full requirement deep-dives live in actuary jobs requirements and technical skills for entry-level actuarial jobs.
- Education: math, statistics, actuarial science, economics, or a related quantitative degree is common
- Exams: number passed and SOA vs CAS path matter more than a perfect GPA
- Technical: Excel is baseline; SQL is widely requested; Python/R appear often; vendor tools show up in specialty teams
- Soft skills: written documentation, stakeholder communication, and the ability to explain uncertainty without hand-waving
Still choosing an exam path? Read CAS vs SOA.
Actuary job description and salary
Pay context: compensation in an actuary job description depends on exams, practice area, location, employer type, and remote/hybrid policy. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reports a national actuary median of about $125,770, with the lowest 10 percent below about $75,240 and the highest 10 percent above about $206,430. Entry-level offers are usually lower than the overall median and move quickly with exams and experience.
For current posting-based ranges, use Acturhire salary insights and the entry-level guide: actuary starting salary in 2026.
How to read an actuarial job description and apply faster
- Match exams first. If the JD asks for 2–3 exams and you have zero, prioritize internship or true entry filters.
- Map tools to proof. If SQL or Python is listed, show a project, internship, or coursework example on your resume.
- Identify practice area language. Words like loss development, risk adjustment, or ALM tell you which specialty hub to search.
- Check work arrangement and location early. Do not spend interview cycles on onsite-only roles if you need remote.
- Apply where titles are messy. Search both analyst and assistant, then filter by duties.
Ready to turn this into applications? Start with entry-level actuarial jobs or actuarial analyst jobs, or browse all actuarial jobs.
Actuary job description FAQ
Is actuary the same as actuarial analyst?
Not always. Many early-career postings use analyst titles for people doing actuarial work. Credentialed or more senior roles more often say actuary, associate actuary, or a specialty title.
Do I need exams before applying?
Many internship and some entry-level roles hire candidates with zero or one exam. Competitive analyst roles often prefer at least one or two. See entry-level actuary jobs with no experience.
What is the difference between SOA and CAS roles in a JD?
SOA language usually points to life, health, or retirement work. CAS language usually points to P&C. Some employers accept either early on. Details: CAS vs SOA.
Where can I see real postings that match this job description?
Browse live roles on Acturhire analyst jobs and compare pay on salary insights.