Area Manager: Funeral Services (Limpopo Region) (Limpopo) at AVBOB South Africa

Description

• We are looking for a highly motivated, proactive and resilient individual to lead the execution and monitoring of regional sales and operational strategies to achieve sales targets and profitability.
• Oversee the implementation of funeral services marketing and operational plans, managing both profitability and operational risks.
• Ensure that agencies are well-equipped to deliver dignified funerals and drive business growth through the cultivation of strong stakeholder relationships.
• You will be working for a well-established company that is over 100 years old with strong values. An organization that values employee development and rewards excellent performance.

YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES WILL INCLUDE:

ACHIEVE STRATEGIC OBJECTIVES

• Analyse the province’s strategic plan and create and execute a short- and medium-term regional sales, marketing and operational plan for the agencies under control.
• Collaborate with the Provincial Manager: Funeral Service to develop the integrated marketing and operational plans for the areas of responsibility, to operationalise and execute the province’s business plan.
• Create and implement plans to achieve the targeted conversion rate for fund funerals in the region.
• Create and implement plans to achieve the sales target for private funeral and tombstones within the region.
• Submit monthly progress reports on the achievement of the set objective as per the plan and any changes that were made to the plan.
• Identify inclusive of the financial implications, recommend business opportunities and innovative ways to improve current business practices and processes.
• Achieve the annual targets with regard to productivity, client services, profitability, etc for the region.
• Evaluate performance of the region by analysing and interpreting data and metrics.
• Ensure all agencies under your control meet the set targets and take corrective actions should the targets not be met.
• Ensure that agents and their staff members selling our insurance policies are properly accredited.
• Achieve the business split for Funeral Services between Private, Fund, and contract business

CUSTOMER SERVICE

• Actively participate with management and all relevant stakeholders in the process of developing and improving relationships so objectives are met.
• Attend funerals and oversee funeral arrangements to ensure the delivery of high-quality service and proper client care.
• Execute the customer service strategy to ensure that the objectives for customer service are met.
• Engage continuously with internal and external key stakeholders.
• Ensure good cooperation between the different departments in the region, such as insurance, funeral service and senior citizens and that all these stakeholders are involved in marketing activities
• Work closely with the senior citizen’s liaison consultant to increase market share in facilities that care for the aged.
• Utilise community Involvement funds effectively to create relationship and build trust with communities in the region.
• Investigate and resolve complaints that are escalated.
• Proactively build strong commercial relationships agenda with key stakeholders within business sources to increase funeral sales.
• Attend, manage and assist to execute high profile funerals.
• Achieve the targeted NPS and CSAT scores which are used to measure customer satisfaction.

FINANCIAL MANAGEMENT

• Ensure financial soundness of the province through profitability and cost control, Asset Efficiency, and optimisation.
• Compile a capital budget for revision by the Provincial Manager for the region that addresses vehicle, furniture, equipment, computers, telephones, and other ICT equipment, and fixed properties requirements.
• Ensure that all funeral agencies are profitable, and expenses are within budget.
• Manage the stock levels of coffins, wreaths, and other products offered at AVBOB Funeral Service Agencies
• Manage stock levels and, effective utilisation of the fleet and other assets
• Plan and implement effective cost-saving measures.
• Ensure that policy and procedures of financial transactions and management are met.
• Manage the ratio expense versus income in the region.
• Analyse and control funeral service expenditure within the region in line with the annual budget.
• Monitor and report on variances and remedial action implemented/to be implemented, where this is required.

RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• Create world-class infrastructure to stay relevant in a highly competitive world, expand and maintain existing infrastructure to the benefit of customers and policyholders
• Allocate resources and optimise infrastructure to effectively respond to market demands and operational priorities.
• Ensure that newly opened offices are meeting the set sales objectives.
• Ensure that the Company’s infrastructure (buildings, equipment, vehicles, stock, etc.) are maintained to the prescribed standards and standard operating procedures and attend accident committee meetings when a vehicle in the region was involved in an accident.
• Conduct regular stock counts to ensure accurate inventory management and report any discrepancies.
• Ensure that adequate infrastructure is in place at all agencies to serve customer needs.
• Conduct regular asset counts and report any deviations to ensure accuracy, compliance, and operational efficiency.

HUMAN RESOURCE MANAGEMENT

• Create an effective and successful team through open discussion, coaching and mentoring.
• Maintain a sufficient pool of Assistant Agents in training to support future workforce needs.
• Ensure that all agencies have signed performance contracts in place, aligning their objectives with the AVBOB goals.
• Oversee the development and implementation of development plans for funeral agents and their staff to ensure increased sales and high levels of customer service.
• Ensure that all agencies are adequately staffed to meet all operational and business requirements.
• Ensure that all the non-compliance and non-performance issues of agents are identified and that the required legal steps are taken to ensure compliance to the SLA.
• Regularly communicate regularly policies, practices strategies on marketing strategies, operational and other relevant business updates and issues to agents through multiple communication channels.

OPERATIONAL EFFECTIVENESS

• Ensure the optimisation, resource utilisation and adherence to quality standards to enhance performance, streamline workflows, and achieve the organisational goals.
• Achieve the set performance targets by ensuring that funeral service operations meet or exceed the performance targets set within the allocated budget.
• Oversee all funeral service-related operations and business activities in the region to ensure that agents produce the desired results and are consistent with the overall strategy.
• Liaise with business support services (HR, Fleet, Operations Support ICT and Finance) to increase operational effectiveness and efficiency to achieve business goals.

RISK MANAGEMENT

• Manage risk within respective departments/ business units and compliance to all relevant policies and legislations.
• Do a bi-annual audit in line with the requirement, at all agencies to ensure that operational risks are identified.
• Review Internal and External Audit reports and implement the necessary corrective action to ensure that clean audit reports are achieved across the business divisions to mitigate reputational damage.
• Ensure agents consistently follow established policies and standards operating procedures and guidelines to maintain operational integrity.
• Conduct annual audit and bi-annual asset count across all agencies under control to ensure proper asset management and compliance
• Manage the fleet of vehicles under control to ensure that vehicles are maintained in line with policy and that all kilometres travelled are recorded.
• Conducting a comprehensive audit and stock count when an agents is replaced.
• Due regular inspections on buildings to determine maintenance requirements and consider the bill of quantities and sign off on renovation and maintenance projects.

Requirements

QUALIFICATIONS

• Have a relevant tertiary qualification in marketing or sales and operations or Business Administration.
• Proficient in MS Office Suite (MS Word, MS Excel, MS PowerPoint)

KNOWLEDGE AND EXPERIENCE

• Well-developed commercial acumen gained through experience
• Understand the complexities of potential reputational risk in the delivery of funeral services.
• Have both operational and tactical strategic management experience.
• 5+ years in managing large and diverse teams in target-driven, sales-focussed, customer-centric environments.
• Have a sound understanding of and practical experience in the application of human resources, operations management, risk, and customer service practices and principles.
• Good understanding of financial management, budgeting, cost management, and financial reporting.

TECHNICAL AND BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

• Computer literacy – high level of proficiency in Microsoft Office,
• Decision making skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Leadership skills
• Analytical skills
• Research and information gathering abilities
• Planning and organising
• Business Acumen
• Negotiation skills