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Job Description

We are Hiring...

Old Mutual Insure vis looking for a Team Leader within the Elite business unit. The role will report to the Elite: National Underwriting Manager and will be based at our Johannesburg Head Office.

Job Purpose:

Maintaining relationships with business partners to promote, sell and convert Elite’s product, including service and underwriting initiatives to achieve and maintain profitability and growth targets.
Manage a team of underwriters responsible for quotations, new business, driving higher conversion rates and increasing Elite policies.

Critical objectives and responsibilities

Exhibit a deep understanding of the market Elite operates in whilst finding solutions to unique risk challenges associated with the high net-worth market.

Execute excellent verbal and written communication skills to ensure continuous relationships with intermediaries.

Ability to closely collaborate with Elite senior management, subordinates and the wider Old Mutual environment to support Elite’s profit and growth targets.

Show strong ability to consult with internal and external stakeholders in order to find solutions to a wide range of underwriting- and claims-related challenges.

Exhibit the ability to maintain service levels to business partners and ensuring client satisfaction through innovative solutions to complex challenges.

Showing a strong ability to maintain excellent stakeholder relationships.

Risk management

Achieve Business Targets: Ensure the team meets or exceeds sales and service targets, contributing to the company's overall performance.

Client Satisfaction: Maintain high levels of client satisfaction by delivering exceptional service and addressing client needs promptly.

Team Development: Foster the growth and development of team members through training, mentoring, and performance feedback.

Operational Efficiency: Streamline processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs, ensuring smooth operations.

Experience, Knowledge & Skills Required

Bachelor degree and/or equivalent NQF Level 7 qualification in general insurance.

5 – 8 years’ experience in personal lines underwriting.

3 – 5 years’ experience in high net-worth underwriting and/or claims. (recommended)

3 – 5 years’ experience in Old Mutual Insure (recommended)

Maintaining relationships with business partners to promote, sell and convert Elite’s product, including service and underwriting initiatives to achieve and maintain profitability and growth targets.
Manage a team of underwriters responsible for quotations, new business, driving higher conversion rates and increasing Elite policies.

Competencies

Critical objectives and responsibilities

Business insightLeadership and Inspiring OthersCustomer FocusAnalytical ThinkingTechnical KnowledgeCommunicationCollaborationConsultationCustomerLeading with influenceInnovationPersonal masteryExecuting

Achieve Business Targets: Ensure the team meets or exceeds sales and service targets, contributing to the company's overall performance.

Client Satisfaction: Maintain high levels of client satisfaction by delivering exceptional service and addressing client needs promptly.

Team Development: Foster the growth and development of team members through training, mentoring, and performance feedback.

Operational Efficiency: Streamline processes to improve efficiency and reduce costs, ensuring smooth operations.

Responsibilities

Exhibit a deep understanding of the market Elite operates in whilst finding solutions to unique risk challenges associated with the high net-worth market.Execute excellent verbal and written communication skills to ensure continuous relationships with intermediaries.Ability to closely collaborate with Elite senior management, subordinates and the wider Old Mutual environment to support Elite’s profit and growth targets.Show strong ability to consult with internal and external stakeholders in order to find solutions to a wide range of underwriting- and claims-related challenges.Exhibit the ability to maintain service levels to business partners and ensuring client satisfaction through innovative solutions to complex challenges.Showing a strong ability to maintain excellent stakeholder relationships.Showing a can-do attitude.

Risk management

Perform risk and contract evaluation on all allocated business using underwriting guidelines, available statistics (e.g. renewal and growth statistics on Power BI), experience information (e.g. premium, claims, reserves, and average exposure) for assigned portfolio.Demonstrate a high degree of knowledge regarding underwriting quantitative and qualitative tools and communicate the outcomes clearly to relevant stakeholders.Research all problems and risk related issues by using initiative in problem solving that involves Elite management in decision making as necessary.Responsible for monitoring profitability as measured by loss ratio improvement. Determine policy terms including required premium level and risk management recommendations in respect of all policy lifecycle events. Accountable for the accuracy and completeness of all policy data.Accountable for quality assurance of policy data and information.Negotiate all appeals with Elite management regarding premium levels and policy plan provisions as necessary.Use creativity and underwriting knowledge to write appropriate risks and retain profitable business within delegated authority levels.Partner with subordinates to communicate with customers on underwriting issues including, but not limited to, decisions on cancellations, declinations, and exposure concerns.Partner with subordinates to identify patterns to resolve or improve issues.Promote the organisation’s product through customer networks and stay abreast of changes within the industry and at competitors.

Continuous improvement to ensure effective service

Actively participate in continuous improvement by fully engaging in team meetings, generating suggestions, following appropriate procedures and continuous process improvement work principles, participating in problem solving activities, and utilising continuous improvement tools to support the work of the team.Manage the complaints process in close collaboration with Elite management.Ensure statutory and legislative knowledge is always current in order to resolve customer complaints, to advise the business on corrective solutions to mitigate risks and to improve the customer experience whilst complying with governance requirements.Ensure adherence to organisational policies, practices and procedures.Identify solutions to enhance cost effectiveness and increase operational efficiency

Service delivery to ensure customer satisfaction

Maintain service, quality and desired outputs within a specific functional process through ensuring compliance to tactical policies, procedures and standards.Establish productive operational relationships with key internal and external stakeholders.Develop work routines in line with operational plans / schedules in order to manage achievement of service delivery goals.Share knowledge on, and participate in the creation of new standards, control systems and procedures to maintain service delivery.

Cost control and governance adherence

Proactively ensure use of time, of resources, money, materials or equipment is in line with policies and procedures.Comply with corporate governance policies, procedures and standards.Operate within agreed mandates.

Quality people practices

Align own behaviour with the organisation culture and values.Share and transfer product, process and systems knowledge to colleagues.Ensure achievement of own performance objectives.Actively share information with other team members regarding successes, issues, trends and ideas.Actively participate in own professional development and career path.Actively promote a culture of learning and high performance culture amongst team members.

Experience, knowledge & skills required

Bachelor degree and/or equivalent NQF Level 7 qualification in general insurance.5 – 8 years’ experience in personal lines underwriting.3 – 5 years’ experience in high net-worth underwriting and/or claims. (recommended)3 – 5 years’ experience in Old Mutual Insure (recommended)

Competency descriptors

Business insight: Able to make decisions to meet customer needs whilst supporting profit and growth targets.Communication: Able to effectively communicate verbally and in writing with a wide range of stakeholders.Collaboration: Creates trust, respect and builds meaningful relationships. Able to handle a wide range of relational challenges to ensure collaboration across boundaries.Leading with Influence: Influences and rallies people behind common goals; actively supports growth and inspires others to exceed expectations. Communicates clear strategies and objectives for own function.Innovation: Generates creative/out of the box solutions. Challenges the status quo and/or demonstrates ability to relate to challenges from a range of diverse but relevant perspectives. Willing to take calculated risks when introducing novel ideas.Personal mastery: Learns and actively works to build self-awareness; develop through experience and feedback from others. Copes effectively with stress and has the resilience to take on stretching and challenging assignments. Adjusts effectively to work within new work structures; processes; requirements and cultures.Executing: Displays consistent energy, drive and perseverance in order to deliver results. Demonstrates a willingness to take calculated risks to achieve stretch performance goals.Best-practice service delivery: Optimise customer service and relations to ensure customer attraction and retention.        Drive continuous improvement to ensure optimisation and best practice: Implement continuous improvements initiated.Financial and corporate governance to ensure efficiencies: Adhere to all financial requirements and ensure cost efficiency through effective management of planned vs. actual.     Implement governance controls to effectively manage risks and potential returns.Persuading and influencing: The capacity to persuade, convince and influence others for the purpose of achieving desired results.Results orientation: Consistently delivers required business results; achieves achievable, yet aggressive, goals; consistently complies with quality standards and meets deadlines; maintains focus on organisational goals.Decision making and problem solving: The extent to which an individual is able to recognise and analyse a problem and/or a difficult situation and develop an appropriate and results-oriented course of action.Customer focus: Able to demonstrate concern for customer expectations & needs; make it a priority. Address and manage customer complaints to provide good quality customer careProduct knowledge: Provide a service/sell a product through an awareness of the product/service.Relationship management and networking: The capacity to develop and maintain personal and working relationships, and foster an organisational culture that promotes optimal individual job performance and overall organisational effectiveness. The ability to form and sustain relationships with key client base.

Skills

Accounting, Budget Management, Change Management, Data Compilation, Executing Plans, Financial Acumen, Legal Practices, Management Reporting, Numerical Aptitude, Oral Communications, Policies & Procedures, Presenting Solutions, Professional Presentation, Risk Management, Servant Leadership

Competencies

Action OrientedBusiness InsightCommunicates EffectivelyDecision QualityEnsures AccountabilityFinancial AcumenInstills TrustManages Complexity

Education

NQF Level 7 - Degree, Advance Diploma or Postgraduate Certificate or equivalent

Closing Date

29 April 2025 , 23:59

The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.

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