Group Underwriting Manager | Fourways

Are you a seasoned Group Underwriting Manager looking to elevate your career with a trailblazing financial services organization? Our Client, a dynamic industry leader, renowned for its commitment to innovation, integrity, and client satisfaction is looking for the right candidate to take on the role of a Group Underwriting Manager and will be responsible for the overall performance of the Underwriting Department and ensuring adherence to underwriting processes and procedures. This position manages a team of commercial and personal lines underwriters, provides guidance to branch and other staff, and gives insights on the underwriting function to management.

The Group Underwriting Manager will perform the role of Key Individual (Multi Admin – Underwriting) as defined in terms of the Financial Advisory and Intermediary Services Act (FAIS) and be the person responsible for overseeing the delivery of financial services by the FSP in respect of all Underwriters.

Key Performance Areas:

Mission, Values and Service Strategy:

• Uphold and support the Group Values of Focus, Resilience, Tenacity, Discipline and Relationships as well as the Company Vision and Brand Promise.

Leadership and Performance Management:

• Recruit, train and manage a team of underwriters and support them in their day-to-day activities
• Foster a collaborative and high-performance work environment within the underwriting team.
• Ensure that all direct subordinates have agreed individual objectives that align with the organisational and operational area objectives.
• Perform regular formal appraisals against set objectives for each direct subordinate per the Group standards.
• Identify and discuss non-performance and developmental areas and implement appropriate action plans.
• Continually monitor, update, review, and make recommendations to improve existing processes/best.
• practice standards to ensure delivery of high-quality service to customers within agreed time frames.

Treating the Customer Fairly (TCF):

• Ensure the demonstrable application of the 6 TCF outcomes in the day-to-day underwriting processes and procedures:

1. Customers must feel confident that they are dealing with an institution where TCF is at the core of their culture.
2. Products and services in the retail market which are sold and marketed are designed according to the needs of the customers identified and targeted accordingly.
3. Customers are provided with clear information and kept appropriately informed before, during and after point of sale.
4. Advice is suitable and according to the customer’s circumstances.
5. Service is of an acceptable standard and products perform as customers have been led to expect.
6. Customers do not face unreasonable post-sale barriers when they want to change a product, switch providers, submit a claim or make a complaint.

Relationships:

• Build inter-departmental relationships to ensure effective transaction processing and communication.
• Develop and maintain relationships with binder, outsource and other insurer partners.
• Foster and maintain strong relationships with key internal and external customers.

Reporting and Administration:

• Generate and distribute underwriting information reports to management and other internal stakeholders.
• Analyse data, provide insights to management and take corrective action, where necessary.
• Extract and submit accurate data and information reports in line with binder, outsource and other insurer partner contractual obligations.

Portfolio Management and Profitability:

• Continuously analyse the market for appropriate and competitive financial service offerings for customers.
• Develop and execute strategies to retain and expand the customer portfolio.
• Monitor portfolio profitability and implement corrective action, where necessary.

Risk and Compliance Management:

• Continuously evaluate and ensure that underwriting practices comply with legislative, binder, outsource and other contractual requirements.
• Identify potential risks and recommend risk mitigation measures.
• Stay updated on regulatory changes and adhere to company and industry standards.

Self-Development:

• Meet and maintain the FAIS fit and proper requirements for the position.
• Keep abreast of developments relevant to the position.
• Continually work towards further self-development.

Qualifications:

• Degree in Risk Management OR Short-term Insurance qualification (eg ACII)
• FAIS Fit & Proper requirements:

1. Short-term Insurance qualification.
2. RE5 certification.
3. RE1 certification.
4. Product Specific Training.
5. Class of Business Training (Personal Lines & Commercial Lines).
6. Continuous Professional Development.

Experience:

• A minimum of ten years in commercial and personal underwriting. Three of these must have been in a supervisory and/or management position with at least five subordinates.

Competencies:

• Strong leadership and team management skills.
• Effective interpersonal and communication skills.
• Extensive knowledge of commercial and domestic underwriting.
• Excellent analytical, decision-making and problem-solving skills.
• Sound knowledge of the insurance industry.
• Administration and organisational skills.
• Proficiency in Flexibroker and Cardinal 360 with the ability to generate reports.
• Proficiency in MS office suite, especially Word and Excel.