APL Actuarial Sourcing

Objective

A Big Four professional services firm engaged Graeme Group to source contractors for an actuarial systems conversion at a US life insurer. The client team was rewriting long-standing APL tools in Python.

The firm needed specialists who could read the existing APL code, explain its actuarial calculations and help Python developers reproduce them. The combination of APL programming and relevant modeling experience made the search difficult.

Graeme Group identified, assessed and placed the contractors and arranged replacements as needed. The client firm's team performed the conversion work.

Scope of Work

The search required contractors with legacy APL experience, near-full-time availability and rates within the client's budget. It also needed to support replacements during the program.

We assessed which models candidates had built or maintained, which APL dialects they had used, how recently they had used them and whether they could explain the calculations to Python developers. Candidates also had to meet the client's independence, background screening and onboarding requirements.

Services Provided

Searching Our Existing Network

We first searched our database of more than 550 contractors and candidates. Roughly one percent had potential APL experience. We checked each match carefully because APL can also mean automatic premium loan on an actuarial CV.

Searching the Wider Market

We reviewed several hundred external profiles and ranked candidates by evidence of APL programming, life and annuity experience, and actuarial qualifications. The shortlist recorded relevant experience, gaps against the role, contact details and proposed next steps.

The search included language vendor networks, APL user groups, past conference participants and practitioner directories, as well as recruitment sources.

Qualification and Submission

A credentialed actuary interviewed shortlisted candidates about the models and calculations they had worked on. Interviews were recorded and transcribed. Submissions included anonymized CVs, relevant experience, limitations and confirmed availability. One candidate also supplied working code demonstrating the required translation.

Documenting the Search

The search tracker recorded candidate status, contact attempts and the sources reviewed. It distinguished completed outreach from profile research and unsuccessful contact attempts from candidates who had been ruled out.

Deliverables

• Anonymized CVs with relevant experience, role fit and any limitations clearly stated.
• Ranked candidate shortlists with supporting evidence, contact checks and gaps against the requirements.
• Recorded technical interviews and a tracker documenting candidate progress and search coverage.
• Full contracting and onboarding administration: contractor agreements, background screening, independence acknowledgements, and ongoing timesheet and invoice management.
• A documented search method that could be reused for other specialist roles.

Outcome

• Team Growth: The engagement grew from one contractor to three working concurrently, each approved by the end client. When the original contractor left, a replacement had already been identified and contracted, allowing work to continue without interruption.
• Broader Experience Accepted: The client expanded its requirements to include strong APL programmers from related quantitative fields. The next two placements came from this broader search.
• Specialist Network Documented: The search identified APL practitioners and recorded their relevant experience and availability. Some had retired, had not used APL for many years or were not interested in conversion work.
• Placements Through Referrals: The wider search helped document the market; the successful placements came through referrals and existing contacts.