Contracts Specialist

Are you a sharp, curious contract professional who loves getting to the heart of a complex transaction? Do you thrive on translating intricate commercial arrangements into precise, enforceable language — and want to do it in one of the world's most dynamic reinsurance businesses? If so, this could be the role for you.

About the Role

This is a high-ownership individual contributor role at the center of Swiss Re's Life & Health reinsurance business across the US, Canada, and English Caribbean markets. You'll take meaningful responsibility for drafting and managing reinsurance contracts, working hand-in-hand with underwriters, client managers, pricing, claims, legal, and operations teams to bring complex deals to life on the page — clearly, accurately, and with real commercial impact.

Reporting to the Head of Contracts L&H North America, you'll have direct exposure to live transactions from day one and genuine influence over how deals are documented and executed. Whether you come from an insurance or reinsurance background, or bring strong commercial contracting experience from another environment, what matters most is your drafting excellence, analytical judgment, and collaborative spirit.

Key Responsibilities

- Draft and own reinsurance contracts — draft, review, and revise Life & Health traditional reinsurance contracts, addenda, and related documents, taking increasing ownership as your expertise grows

- Translate complexity into clarity — convert technical and commercial inputs into precise, accurate, and enforceable contractual language that reflects deal structure, underwriting intent, pricing assumptions, and agreed terms

- Manage quality and timelines — deliver high-quality contract work across multiple concurrent assignments while meeting expected deadlines

- Identify and manage contractual risk — assess commercial, operational, and contractual risks embedded in deal structures and language, applying internal frameworks to develop sound positions and identify approval pathways

- Resolve issues proactively — surface and address ambiguous terms, emerging wording concerns, and problematic clauses before they become problems

- Strengthen team knowledge and consistency — contribute to standard wordings, templates, and playbooks to improve quality and support knowledge transfer across the team

- Partner with stakeholders — collaborate closely with client managers, underwriting, pricing, claims, legal, and operations to clarify deal requirements, resolve ambiguity, and act as a trusted advisor on contract wording and risk trade-offs

- Engage with clients and counterparties — participate in contract discussions and wording negotiations, communicating complex issues clearly and constructively

- Embrace technology and innovation — use workflow tools, contract management platforms, and GenAI thoughtfully to improve quality, efficiency, and ways of working

About the Team

The Life & Health Contracts team is a critical enabler of Swiss Re's reinsurance business across the US, Canada, and English Caribbean markets — and a genuine center of expertise within the organization. The team is responsible for drafting, reviewing, and advising on traditional reinsurance agreements, working in close partnership with client managers, underwriting, pricing, claims, legal, and operations.

The team's work spans three interconnected areas:

- Structuring and documenting agreements that are aligned with underwriting intent and commercial objectives

- Advising on wording implications and commercial risk trade-offs to support sound decision-making

- Driving disciplined portfolio management through rigorous contract analysis, effective knowledge-sharing, and continuously improving ways of working

Contracts plays a pivotal role in safeguarding Swiss Re's risk position while enabling sustainable, long-term client performance — making the team both a technical center of excellence and a trusted strategic business partner. It's a collaborative, intellectually stimulating environment where your work has real visibility and real impact.

About You

You are a precise, analytical thinker and a skilled contract drafter who enjoys understanding the full picture of a transaction — not just the words on the page, but the commercial intent behind them. You ask thoughtful questions, communicate with clarity, and are energized by working directly with business stakeholders to turn complex concepts into airtight contractual language.

You may come from an insurance or reinsurance background, or you may bring strong contracting experience from another complex commercial environment and be genuinely excited to learn the reinsurance business. Either way, you are collaborative, adaptable, and curious — including about how technology and new ways of working can make the contracting process smarter and more effective.

We Are Looking for Candidates Who Meet These Requirements:

- Strong contract drafting capability — demonstrated experience drafting, reviewing, and/or negotiating complex commercial agreements, producing clear, precise, and enforceable contractual language

- Analytical and legal reasoning skills — the ability to identify issues, assess contractual risk, and develop practical, well-reasoned solutions

- Excellent communication and stakeholder engagement — able to explain complex concepts clearly, build trusted relationships, and engage constructively with diverse audiences

- Sound judgment and business orientation — the confidence to ask questions, challenge assumptions when appropriate, and balance risk with commercial objectives

- Intellectual curiosity and learning agility — the ability and genuine willingness to learn complex products, transactions, and reinsurance concepts

- Comfort and curiosity with technology tools , including workflow platforms, contract management systems, and GenAI applications

These Are Additional Nice to Haves:

- Experience in Life & Health insurance, reinsurance, financial services, or another complex or highly regulated commercial environment

- Experience drafting or negotiating reinsurance treaties or other complex financial or transactional agreements, including direct engagement with clients or counterparties

- Legal education or experience in a law firm, in-house legal team, contracts function, or comparable role involving sophisticated contract work

- Familiarity with reinsurance structures, underwriting concepts, Life & Health products, or US, Canadian, or Caribbean insurance markets

Our company operates under a hybrid work model, with the expectation that employees will work from the office three days per week every week .

Please note that this role is not eligible for visa sponsorship/visa transfers/visa extension or relocation support.

The estimated base salary range for this position for NYC and Armonk, NY is $88,000 to $132,000, and for Chicago, IL, Fort Wayne, IN and Kansas City, MO, the range is $80,000 to $120,000. The specific salary offered for this, or any given role will take into account a number of factors including but not limited to job location, scope of role, qualifications, complexity/specialization/scarcity of talent, experience, education, and employer budget. At Swiss Re, we take a "total compensation approach" when making compensation decisions. This means that we consider all components of compensation in their totality (such as base pay, short-and long-term incentives, and benefits offered), in setting individual compensation.

About Swiss Re

Swiss Re is one of the world’s leading providers of reinsurance, insurance and other forms of insurance-based risk transfer, working to make the world more resilient. We anticipate and manage a wide variety of risks, from natural catastrophes and climate change to cybercrime. We cover both Property & Casualty and Life & Health. Combining experience with creative thinking and cutting-edge expertise, we create new opportunities and solutions for our clients. This is possible thanks to the collaboration of more than 15,000 employees across the world.

Our success depends on our ability to build an inclusive culture encouraging fresh perspectives and innovative thinking. We embrace a workplace where everyone has equal opportunities to thrive and develop professionally regardless of their age, gender, race, ethnicity, gender identity and/or expression, sexual orientation, physical or mental ability, skillset, thought or other characteristics. In our inclusive and flexible environment everyone can bring their authentic selves to work and their passion for sustainability.

If you are an experienced professional returning to the workforce after a career break, we encourage you to apply for open positions that match your skills and experience.

Swiss Re is an equal opportunity employer. It is our practice to recruit, hire and promote without regard to race, religion, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, pregnancy, sexual orientations, marital status, military status, or any other characteristic protected by law. Decisions on employment are solely based on an individual's qualifications for the position being filled.

During the recruitment process, reasonable accommodations for disabilities are available upon request. If contacted for an interview, please inform the Recruiter/HR Professional of the accommodation needed.

We may use AI-powered tools to support the review and evaluation of applications for this position. These tools provide additional insights to our recruitment teams, but all hiring decisions are carefully reviewed and made by people. To learn more about how we use AI in recruitment and how we handle your personal data, please review our Data Privacy Statement before applying.

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