actuary

executive director

senior underwriter

vice president

vice president of strategy

RGA is a large company, but it seems that not all managers are equal.  Mine set me up for failure by failing to provide expectations and then punishing me for failing to meet them.  After he put me on a performance improvement plan, it was clear his mind was already made up, as he specifically said "The employee has not demonstrated significant and sustained improvement" at the very first PIP meeting.  There was no time to even begin discussing sustained improvement, and although HR agreed, they allowed him to terminate me without even giving me the opportunity to apply to other positions within the company, as if I had done something unforgiveable.  This manager also HEAVILY played favorites and had employees who could do no wrong in his eyes, even though their work was not up to the new standard set for me in the PIP.  My coworkers were mostly very nice people.

I have worked at RGA for eight months. They were ready to offer me a full-time position and I was ready to accept the position until my partner was relocated to the east coast. I cried. This is by far the best company I have ever worked for and I enjoyed my job here more than any job I have ever had. There is a walking trail, cafe, workout room, yoga classes at lunch, flexible schedule and an amazing culture. Everyone is caring, thoughtful but very professional. There is NO drama. If you have the right attitude, are willing to show up every day and work hard, you will be recognized and you will succeed. I thoroughly enjoyed my job, found it challenging and engaging and I learned so much in 8 months I wish I could stay 19 years. I wish I could retire from RGA.

During my summer internship, I had the opportunity to work with the Fixed Income Credit Analysis Team. The colleagues I worked with were extremely supportive and approachable, and I was able to schedule job shadowing sessions with them whenever they were available. Not only did they provide guidance and expertise on various tasks, but they were also supportive in addressing any issues that arose. The team culture was positive, and interns were encouraged to participate in various community activities such as happy hours and yoga classes. Overall, my experience working at the company was excellent, and I greatly appreciated the supportive and friendly work environment.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Customer focused company and willingness to listen and find creative solutions. Lots of smart and committed people. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
The workload could be heavy at times. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Forward thinking and cared about improving industry as a whole. Has strong focus on education.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Balance of meetings, production, projects, and direct carrier relationship building.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Advancement opportunity and respectable compensation

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Unreasonable production requirements. No work / life balance.  Transparency and candid feedback have no place at RGA. 

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Clickish work environment. You’re either “in” or you’re “out”.  

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Perpetually overwhelmed.  Struggle between quality versus quantity is ever-present.

What is the best part of working at the company?
Good pay, good benefits and reputation of Company. 

What is the most stressful part about working at the company?
Heavy work load and long workhours.

What is the work environment and culture like at the company?
Heavy workload and long work hours. Everybody is so busy and have no time to help each other. 

What is a typical day like for you at the company?
Work for 9-10 hours everyday and still behind on work they expect you to finish.

Pros

Good pay, interesting work and very smart people to work for. The company also is constantly seeking to evolve and grow and as such it does not get boring.

Cons

There can be some stress with working on very challenging growth opportunities.

Advice to Management

Stay flexible and keep changing with the times as you ultimately have been doing.

The company as a whole is quite wonderful. However, the training is something one must navigate independently. While I did not personally object to this, it seems that mistakes are met with harsher treatment. It would be preferable if the training were accessible to all employees, rather than being limited to those who are favored.

-  Easy to follow the company guidelines
- Learned client management skills and consultative selling
- Growth opportunity and friendly culture
- Business development initiatives going through tough approval process
- Sales pitching to prospect clients is enjoyable

The culture is interesting with mostly actuaries filling the ranks.  The company is global, so the international offices are unique in that they are somewhat independent, but still follow company policies, though sometimes there is a rub when that clashes with country cultures or other regulators that do things differently than the US does.

Top Job Titles	Average Salary
Actuary 49 salaries reported	$126,593 per year
Executive director 34 salaries reported	$160,405 per year
Senior underwriter 24 salaries reported	$108,403 per year
Vice president 11 salaries reported	$207,985 per year
Vice president of strategy 11 salaries reported	$342,389 per year

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