Assistant Professor in Actuarial Mathematics

Role: Assistant Professor in Actuarial Mathematics

Grade and Salary: Grade 8, £47,389 - £58,225 per annum

FTE and working pattern: 1FTE, 35hrs per week, Monday - Friday

Holiday Entitlement: 33 days annual leave plus 9 buildings closed days (and Christmas Eve when it falls on a weekday)

Purpose of Role

Are you an actuary looking for a change in direction and a different environment? Have you thought about sharing your actuarial knowledge and skills with the next generation of actuaries?  In this role you will have the opportunity to use your industry experience and actuarial knowledge to help develop the actuaries of tomorrow. 

We have a strong community with many actuaries on our staff, in a friendly and supportive environment.  We will support you to develop your teaching skills, whether you have experience or not, to help you be confident in your teaching ability. With several of our staff on part-time contracts, we welcome applications for both full-time and part-time working. 

The Department of Actuarial Mathematics & Statistics wishes to appoint at the level of an assistant professor for teaching and related activities in actuarial mathematics.  You will teach a range of actuarial courses at both the undergraduate and postgraduate level. We particularly welcome applicants with experience in the field of life insurance.

As an Assistant Professor (Teaching & Scholarship), you will play an important role in the development of the Department, including supporting its delivery of the syllabus of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries and associated programme accreditation.  With campuses in Malaysia and Dubai, you will have the opportunity to work with global teaching teams from Edinburgh, while remaining located in Edinburgh, to coordinate delivery and assessment of courses across campuses.

Key Duties & Responsibilities

You will: 

• Deliver high-quality teaching in actuarial mathematics at undergraduate and postgraduate level.
• Work successfully in global teaching teams while remaining physically located in Edinburgh, UK.
• Carry out such administrative and recruitment activities as may be required to achieve these aims.
• Provide pastoral support to students.
• Be responsible to the Head of Department for performing the activities listed above at a standard that will maintain and enhance the School's reputation for excellence.

The successful candidate will be based at our Edinburgh campus.

Essential & Desirable Criteria

You must be a Fellow or Associate of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries (IFoA), or hold an equivalent professional designation from another actuarial professional body. 

You must have a number of years of professional actuarial experience and an interest in teaching and teaching innovation. We particularly welcome applicants with experience of actuarial work or consulting in the life insurance sector, or alternatively with experience of teaching life insurance at SP2 level, either in a university or for ActEd or similar organisations.

Essential

E1. Fellow or Associate of the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries, or a similar designation from another actuarial professional body.

E2. Industry experience of actuarial work in life insurance, or alternatively experience of teaching life insurance at SP2 level, either in a university or for ActEd or similar organisations.

E3. Be able to communicate effectively with students.

E4. Demonstrate understanding and confidence in applying a range of strategies for promoting and evaluating learning.

E5. Excellent interpersonal, teamwork and presentation skills.

Desirable

D1. Potential to provide leadership in the planning, organisation and development of learning and teaching activities in the Department.

D2. Experience in supervising actuarial projects in an education setting.

D3. Potential to contribute to outreach and promotional activities that enhance the visibility of the department within schools, industry and the wider community.

How to Apply

Applications can be submitted up to midnight (UK time) on Sunday 11th January 2026.

Please submit your CV & covering letter via the Heriot-Watt on-line recruitment.

If you have any questions, or would like to explore whether this opportunity is right for you, you are welcome to contact the Head of Department, Professor George Streftaris

We welcome and will consider flexible working patterns e.g., part-time working and job share options.

Heriot-Watt University is committed to securing equality of opportunity in employment and to the creation of an environment in which individuals are selected, trained, promoted, appraised, and otherwise treated on the sole basis of their relevant merits and abilities.  Equality and diversity are all about maximising potential and creating a culture of inclusion for all.

Heriot-Watt University values diversity across our university community and welcomes applications from all sectors of society, particularly from underrepresented groups. For more information, please see our website  and also our award-winning work in Disability Inclusive Science Careers  .

Use our total rewards calculator:  to see the value of benefits provided by Heriot-Watt University.

About the Team

The Department of Actuarial Mathematics and Statistics is a vibrant and welcoming place.  It is internationally renowned in actuarial science, statistics and statistical data science, applied probability and financial risk, through its world-leading research activities. It offers several high-quality degree programmes in actuarial science and actuarial management, all of which are accredited by the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries.

The Department also has long-established, global links with the actuarial profession. As well as our strong links with the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries in the UK, we were the first Center of Actuarial Excellence in Europe, recognised by the US-based Society of Actuaries.

Within Scotland, we have excellent links to the financial services industry through the Scottish Financial Risk Academy, a partnership between industry and Scottish academic institutions which has been led by Heriot-Watt University since its establishment in 2010.

The Department sits within the School of Mathematical and Computer Sciences, along with the Department of Mathematics and the Department of Computer Science. The School is a partner in the Maxwell Institute for Mathematical Sciences, an institute that brings together research activities at Heriot-Watt University and the University of Edinburgh. As part of the Maxwell Institute, we are ranked 3rd in the UK for the excellence and breadth of our research, in the 2021 UK government's 5-yearly assessment of university research.

The School has an Athena SWAN Silver Award and is committed to its equality charter, which includes having a diverse and inclusive workforce, and to offering equality of opportunity to all.  We encourage applications from under-represented groups.  We welcome requests for flexible working arrangements and can normally accommodate them

About Heriot-Watt University

At Heriot-Watt we are passionate about our values and look to them to connect our people globally and to help us collaborate and celebrate our success through working together. Our research programmes can deliver real world impact which is achieved through the diversity of our international community and the recognition of creative talent that connects our global team.

Our flourishing community will give you the freedom to challenge and to bring your enterprising mind and to help our partners with solutions that can be applied now and in the future. Join us and Heriot Watt will provide you with a platform to thrive and work in a way that also helps you live your life in balance with well-being and inclusiveness at the heart of our global community.