Head of Short Term Insurance VAPS | Sandton

Our Listed client is urgently looking to place a professional to take on the role of Head of VAPS who will be mainly responsible for growing the VAPS business through designing, implementing and managing strategic initiatives to unlock new markets, build and improve on the existing value proposition

Responsibilities:

Functional Strategy Formation:

• Execution of core strategic focus areas. Lead the development and implementation of strategy for VAPS.
• Remain current on competitor activity and market landscape and anticipate mega-trends and complex challenges and opportunities, and ensure integration with wider corporate strategy.
• Identify potential commercially viable distribution channels and build business models in support of Group strategy and objectives.
• Accountable for delivery of projected growth opportunities of existing and new businesses efficiently within or below agreed OPEX.
• Continuously review performance and initiate appropriate strategies.
• Ensures that all operational aspects are effectively managed by continuously reviewing quality and efficiency targets.

Leadership and Direction:

• Set and communicate the strategy for achieving the VAPS mission, vision and values within a function, together with the broad actions needed to implement it; inspire a large or diverse workforce to commit to these and to doing extraordinary things to achieve VAPS business goals.
• Responsible for all aspects of staff resourcing, succession planning, management and development ensuring the right people are in place to support service delivery, achieving production and performance targets at all times.
• Hold monthly team meetings and ensure that actions are recorded and executed.
• Operational oversight and management of the VAPS business.

Improvement / Innovation:

• Enhancing the pace and effectiveness of execution, unlocking accelerated growth and lifting competitiveness in the market.
• Initiate, formulate and implement new business practices and research and develop new technologies and product lines within VAPS, while managing the development and delivery of a significant element of the organisation’s change management program.
• Leverage all available information from our partners, the industry and internal stakeholders to ensure we are constantly reviewing our products, underwriting criteria, departmental processes, systems and protocols with a view to ensure profitability, improve efficiencies and to ensure best practice.

Business Planning:

• Develop and gain agreement to annual business plans for VAPS, ensuring alignment with strategy; quantify business outcomes (i.e. revenues or other key performance indicators); detail expense and headcount budgets; and develop business cases for key projects, ensuring cross-functional integration.
• Delivery and reporting on board-agreed milestones and targets.

Stakeholder Engagement:

• Identify and manage stakeholders up to C-suite level, finding out their needs/ issues/concerns and reacting to these by leading and coordinating the development of stakeholder engagement plans to support the communication of business information and decisions.
• Active collaboration with the Commercial Lines , VAPS and Distribution executive team on creating, building and refining growth agendas for the business.

Performance Management:

• Manage and report on business performance; hold direct reports accountable for achievement of business plans, and take corrective action where necessary to ensure the achievement of business objectives, balancing the need to deliver short term business objectives with the longer term delivery of stakeholder value.

Organisational Capability Building:

• Identify the capabilities needed to meet the current and emerging business needs of a significant business area. Evaluate current capabilities, identify gaps, and prioritise development activities. Motivate others to develop their capabilities and fulfill their personal potential. Build capabilities elsewhere in the organisation through mentoring and other informal methods.

Personal Capability Building:

• Act as subject matter expert in an area of technology, policy, regulation, or operational management for the function. Maintain external accreditations and in-depth understanding of current and emerging technologies, external regulation, and industry best practices through continuing professional development, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.

Compliance:

• Take responsibility for developing and implementing compliance policies for VAPS.
• Ensure that the correct employee on-boarding process is adhered to.

Promoting Customer Focus:

• Develop internal marketing plans and work collaboratively with other departments to improve internal relationships in a large organisation and to build strong external customer relationships.

Budgeting & Costing:

• Take responsibility for setting and managing the provisional budgets to meet business and profit targets.

Behavioral Competencies:

Strategic Mindset:

• Sees ahead to future possibilities and translates them into breakthrough strategies. For example, keeps business strategies up to date to address evolving dynamics in the market and organization. Leverages key differentiators in the market. Aligns the strategies of different business units to address long-term opportunities.

Drives Results:

• Consistently achieves results, even under tough circumstances. For example, urges the organization to focus on the topics that matter to business performance. Eliminates barriers to organizational performance. Provides reinforcement and support to help people overcome obstacles.

Manages Complexity:

• Makes sense of complex, high quantity, and sometimes contradictory information to effectively solve problems. For example, sees the systematic elements of issues’ the major connections, linkages, and interdependencies. Ensures the organization has reliable ways to gather needed information.

Builds Effective Teams:

• Builds strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals. For example, builds a leadership team that advances organizational strategies. Enables cross-functional teamwork; builds team spirit across the organization. Models teamwork; partners well with a wide range of leaders.

Financial Acumen:

• Interprets and applies key financial indicators to make better business decisions. 
• For example, uses sophisticated analysis and modeling to determine the returns and risks associated with investments; consistently makes wise choices in this area. Creates systems to gain a clear and accurate picture of organizational performance.

Collaborates:

• Builds partnerships and works collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives. For example, promotes a culture of collaboration across boundaries, where people can express themselves honestly; addresses major barriers to collaboration. Seeks out a broad range of perspectives to address issues.

Communicates Effectively:

• Develops and delivers multi-mode communications that convey a clear understanding of the unique needs of different audiences. For example, ensures a free flow of information throughout the organization. Delivers messages effectively to all levels of the organization; creates forums for people to express themselves openly and regularly.

Optimises Work Processes:

• Knows the most effective and efficient processes to get things done, with a focus on continuous improvement. For example, emphasizes continuous improvement and quality outcomes across the organization and with external partners.
• Facilitates organization-wide adoption of best practices and lessons learned.

Plans and Aligns:

• Plans and prioritizes work to meet commitments aligned with organizational goals. For example, takes steps to coordinate and align plans across workgroups; supports strategic objectives with aggressive yet realistic time frames; shares some critical objectives to help with prioritizing and planning.

Interpersonal Savvy:

• Relates openly and comfortably with diverse groups of people. For example, takes steps to ensure healthy interpersonal and group dynamics inside and outside the organization. Builds relationships with key people in the community.
• Exercises diplomacy in representing the organization externally.

Customer Focus:

• Builds strong customer relationships and delivers customer-centric solutions. For example, supports efforts to build customer satisfaction, loyalty, and commitment, and secures organizational resources to do so. Creates partnerships with customers; identifies some ways to build and strengthen these relationships.

Being Resilient:

• Rebounds from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations. For example, shows appropriate stability and resilience in crises; puts the situation in perspective, helps the organization stay focused; helps the organization move forward. Stays persistent in the face of adversity or obstacles; urges others to adopt a similar approach.

Builds Networks:

• Effectively builds formal and informal relationship networks inside and outside the organization. For example, connects people with one another in ways that help advance the organization’s goals. Has a presence in the wider industry and across various boundaries; is active in the conversations that shape the landscape.

Directs Work:

• Provides direction, delegating, and removing obstacles to get work done. For example, provides the support people need to achieve objectives and move initiatives forward. Identifies and addresses current and potential barriers to optimal performance. Stays informed on organizational progress toward key goals.

Skills:

Strategic Planning:

• Applies comprehensive knowledge and/or skills to independently engage in strategic planning.

Commercial Acumen:

• Acts independently to apply comprehensive understanding of the business environment and objectives developing solutions while providing guidance and training to others.

Action Planning:

• Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to work independently while providing guidance and training to others on developing appropriate plans or performing necessary actions based on recommendations and requirements.

Account/Client Management:

• Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others on managing client accounts in a way that provides benefits both for the organisation and its clients.

Financial analysis:

• Applies comprehensive knowledge / skill, acts with independence and provides guidance and training to others

Presentation skills:

• Uses expertise to act as the organisational authority on communicating with other people by speaking in a clear, concise and compelling manner.

Policy and Regulation:

• Works independently and provides guidance and training to others while interpreting and applying comprehensive knowledge of laws, regulations and policies in area of expertise.

Analytical Processes:

• Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to act independently while guiding and training others on supporting appropriate analytical processes and procedures.

Verbal and Written Communication:

• Applies comprehensive knowledge to act independently while providing guidance and training to others on using clear and effective verbal & written communications skills to express ideas, request actions and formulate plans or policies.

Review and Reporting:

• Applies comprehensive knowledge and skills to work independently while providing guidance and training to others on reviewing and creating relevant, lucid and effective reports.

Policy and procedures:

• Uses comprehensive knowledge and skills to work independently while providing guidance and training to others on developing, monitoring, interpreting and understanding policies and procedures, while making sure they match organisational strategies and objectives.

Computer Skills:

• Independently supports business processes with comprehensive understanding and effective use of standard office equipment and standard software packages, while also providing guidance and training to others.
• Proficient in MS Office.

Education:

• Relevant degree (Essential); 
• Relevant Post Graduate – Masters Degree (Advantageous); 
• Professional qualification; 
• FASSA or CERA (Advantageous)

Experience:

• 6 – 10 years substantial general work experience together with comprehensive job related experience in own area of expertise to fully competent level (Essential); 
• Experience in the short term insurance industry (Essential);
• Experience in value added product (Advantageous); 
• Experience in Risk management or Actuarial practices (Advantageous)
• 6 or more years experience of planning, managing and organising resources within short / medium timescales within the overall policy framework (Essential)