Job Title: Senior Catastrophe Modeling Specialist
Location: UAE (Remote)
Employment Type: Full-Time
Work Arrangement: Fully Remote
Level: Senior
About UsWe are seeking an experienced Senior Catastrophe Modeling Specialist to develop, analyze, and maintain catastrophe risk models that support underwriting, portfolio management, reinsurance strategy, and enterprise risk management. This role focuses on assessing exposure to natural and man-made catastrophe events, interpreting model outputs, conducting scenario analysis, and providing data-driven insights that strengthen risk-based decision-making.
The successful candidate will work closely with Underwriting, Reinsurance, Actuarial, Risk Management, and Data Analytics teams to ensure catastrophe modeling results are accurate, well-governed, and aligned with business objectives and regulatory expectations.
Key Responsibilities
- * Develop, run, and interpret catastrophe models for perils such as earthquake, flood, windstorm, tropical cyclone, wildfire, severe convective storm, and other relevant catastrophe risks.
- Analyze portfolio exposure, probable maximum loss (PML), average annual loss (AAL), tail risk, and event loss distributions across insurance and reinsurance portfolios.
- Validate exposure data, geocoding accuracy, construction characteristics, occupancy classifications, and other modeling inputs to improve model reliability.
- Conduct scenario analysis and stress testing to evaluate portfolio performance under historical, hypothetical, and extreme catastrophe events.
- Review and challenge catastrophe model assumptions, vulnerability functions, hazard parameters, financial structures, and secondary uncertainty settings.
- Collaborate with underwriting teams to assess catastrophe accumulations, pricing decisions, portfolio diversification, and risk selection strategies.
- Support reinsurance purchasing decisions through catastrophe exposure analysis, treaty optimization, retention assessments, and recovery projections.
- Monitor catastrophe exposure concentrations across regions, business lines, peril types, and insured values.
- Investigate significant changes in modeled losses following portfolio updates, exposure changes, or model version upgrades.
- Maintain catastrophe accumulation reports, management dashboards, regulatory reports, and portfolio risk summaries.
- Coordinate catastrophe data quality initiatives, exposure cleansing activities, and model input validation processes.
- Evaluate new catastrophe model releases and assess their impact on portfolio risk and business decision-making.
- Support internal model governance, documentation, validation activities, audit requests, and regulatory examinations.
- Prepare technical presentations explaining catastrophe modeling results, assumptions, limitations, and key risk drivers for senior management.
- Work with Data Engineering and Technology teams to improve model automation, reporting workflows, and data integration.
- Provide technical guidance to junior catastrophe analysts and promote consistent modeling standards across the organization.
Qualifications and Experience
- * Bachelor's degree in Actuarial Science, Mathematics, Statistics, Engineering, Geography, Environmental Science, Physics, Finance, or a related quantitative discipline.
- A master's degree in a relevant field is advantageous.
- Significant experience in catastrophe modeling, insurance analytics, reinsurance risk analysis, actuarial modeling, or exposure management.
- Strong understanding of catastrophe risk concepts, hazard modeling, vulnerability assessment, financial modeling, and portfolio accumulation analysis.
- Hands-on experience with catastrophe modeling platforms such as RMS (Moody's RMS), Verisk AIR, or comparable catastrophe modeling solutions.
- Experience analyzing PML, AAL, exceedance probability curves, event loss tables, and catastrophe portfolio metrics.
- Familiarity with property insurance, commercial lines, reinsurance treaties, facultative placements, and catastrophe exposure management.
- Understanding of model validation, exposure quality assessment, uncertainty analysis, and catastrophe model governance.
- Proficiency in Microsoft Excel; experience with SQL, Python, R, Power BI, GIS tools, or other analytical platforms is highly desirable.
- Knowledge of UAE and regional catastrophe exposures, including flood, wind, seismic, and climate-related risks, is an advantage.
- Strong analytical, quantitative, and problem-solving skills with excellent attention to detail.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including the ability to explain technical modeling concepts to non-technical stakeholders.
- Ability to manage multiple modeling projects independently in a remote working environment.
- High standards of integrity, professional judgment, and documentation quality.
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)Performance will be evaluated using measurable indicators, including:
- Model Accuracy: Reliability and consistency of catastrophe model outputs based on validated exposure data and approved methodologies.
- Exposure Quality: Improvement in data completeness, geocoding accuracy, and exposure validation across modeled portfolios.
- Reporting Timeliness: Delivery of catastrophe reports, accumulation analyses, and management insights within agreed deadlines.
- Portfolio Risk Analysis: Effectiveness in identifying concentration risks, accumulation issues, and emerging catastrophe exposures.
- Scenario Analysis: Quality and relevance of stress testing and catastrophe event analyses provided to business stakeholders.
- Reinsurance Support: Timely delivery of catastrophe insights supporting reinsurance purchasing and portfolio optimization decisions.
- Model Governance: Compliance with model documentation, validation, version control, and review requirements.
- Issue Resolution: Timely investigation of unexpected modeling results, data anomalies, and model-related discrepancies.
- Automation and Efficiency: Improvements in modeling workflows, reporting processes, and data integration capabilities.
- Stakeholder Support: Quality of analytical support provided to underwriting, actuarial, reinsurance, and risk management teams.
- Audit Readiness: Maintenance of complete documentation, model assumptions, and supporting evidence for internal and external reviews.
- Continuous Improvement: Successful implementation of enhancements to catastrophe modeling processes, reporting standards, and analytical capabilities.
What We Offer
- * Competitive compensation aligned with experience and technical expertise.
- Fully remote working arrangements within the UAE-based role structure.
- Opportunities to work on sophisticated catastrophe risk models and global insurance portfolios.
- Professional development in catastrophe modeling, reinsurance analytics, and climate risk assessment.
- A collaborative environment that values analytical rigor, innovation, and continuous improvement.
- Opportunities to contribute to portfolio resilience, underwriting strategy, and enterprise risk management initiatives.
How to ApplyInterested candidates are invited to submit an updated CV highlighting their experience in catastrophe modeling, exposure management, reinsurance analytics, and quantitative risk analysis.
Please include examples of catastrophe modeling projects, exposure validation initiatives, portfolio risk assessments, or process improvements you have supported.
Email Subject Line: Application – Senior Catastrophe Modeling Specialist (UAE Remote)
- We welcome applications from experienced professionals who combine strong quantitative expertise, practical catastrophe modeling experience, and a commitment to delivering high-quality risk insights for informed business decisions.
