Channel and Operations Enablement Lead at Santam Insurance

Role Purpose

• This is not a traditional channel management, service delivery, or IT role. It is an operational coordination, control, and enablement role at the centre of a multi-channel, multi-partner operating environment.
• As Channel and Operations Enablement Lead, you will own the operational performance of customer channels, operational platforms, servicing environments, and enablement capabilities across the NMSIS ecosystem.
• You will be the single point of accountability ensuring that once capabilities are delivered — propositions, customer journeys, enhancements, integrations, or partner service changes — they are embedded into BAU, standardised across channels, operationally governed, and actively monitored against SLA, customer experience, risk, and operational performance targets.
• This role is a key operational partner to Growth, Finance, Product, Technology, Compliance, and partner teams, ensuring that solutions are designed and executed with scalability, operational control, governance, and customer consistency in mind.

What Will You Do?

Channel & Operational Coordination

• Coordinate delivery across customer channels, assisted channels, partner-led environments, and supporting operational platforms
• Ensure channels operate as a unified DStv Insurance ecosystem rather than fragmented silos
• Align execution across partners, systems, and internal teams so that the customer experience feels consistent even where back-end execution differs
• Support proposition and solution rollouts by defining minimum viable operational consistency and improving it through controlled iteration
• Strategic Enablement & Integration Readiness
• Support the operational design and adoption of strategic enablement capabilities, including the Glue Integration Layer
• Translate operational requirements into integration and operational visibility needs across CRM, data, payments, policy administration, service platforms, and partner ecosystems
• Ensure each proposition or solution has clear requirements for customer servicing, data flow, reporting, operational control, and escalation management
• Help shape integration and operational enablement priorities based on customer impact, operational risk, regulatory requirements, and speed-to-market considerations

Channel & SLA Performance Ownership

• Own end-to-end performance across channel-enabled journeys and platform-supported services
• Define, monitor, and enforce SLAs across channels, platforms, and partners
• Implement performance dashboards and reporting that drive accountability and escalation for SLA breaches
• Identify and resolve channel-level inefficiencies, handover failures, and repeat operational breakdowns

Platform Performance & Operational Enablement

• Own the operational fitness-for-purpose of platforms supporting customer journeys
• Define and communicate operational requirements to Technology and delivery partners without owning the technical build
• Track and drive resolution of system issues impacting operations, service delivery, operational controls, or customer experience
• Ensure platforms support scalable, measurable, and standardised operational delivery

What Will You Do?

Operationalisation of Solutions

• Take ownership of initiatives from delivery into BAU, ensuring transition, stabilisation, adoption, and post-launch improvement
• Embed processes, SOPs, controls, governance requirements, training needs, and escalation paths across all channels and partners
• Ensure operational readiness before launch and active stabilisation after launch
• Drive continuous improvement within propositions and solutions based on operational performance, customer outcomes, and operational learning

Backlog Ownership & Demand Coordination

• Own the operational backlog across channels, platforms, and operational enablement improvements
• Prioritise enhancements and fixes based on business impact, customer impact, operational risk, and regulatory relevance
• Coordinate delivery through Technology and partners without becoming the IT delivery owner
• Create visibility of priorities, dependencies, decisions, and delivery progress

Risk, Compliance & Operational Governance

• Support first-line accountability for operational, channel, platform, and partner risks
• Ensure adherence to regulatory requirements and coordinate inputs for audits, assurance reviews, and operational reporting
• Operationalise operational policies, governance standards, and control requirements across channels, platforms, and partner environments
• Embed regulatory, outsourcing, and operational control requirements into day-to-day operational execution and customer journeys
• Ensure that SOPs, controls, escalation processes, and operational practices remain aligned to regulatory and internal policy requirements
• Implement monitoring mechanisms, early warning indicators, and issue management processes across channels, platforms, and partner services
• Lead resolution of high-impact incidents, driving Mean Time to Detect (MTTD), Mean Time to Resolve (MTTR), and post-incident learning

CX Consistency & Continuous Improvement

• Ensure a seamless and consistent customer experience across customer entry points, even where solutions are delivered through different partner ecosystems
• Identify and close customer experience gaps arising from multi-channel or multi-partner execution
• Track operational performance and value delivery across initiatives
• Drive continuous improvement aligned to customer experience, operational efficiency, scalability, risk management, and operational stability

What Will Make You Successful in This Role?

• The ideal candidate brings a systems-oriented mindset, strong multi-channel operations experience, and the ability to hold performance accountability across a distributed partner ecosystem without directly owning technology delivery.

Experience & Background

• Strong experience across digital channels, operational platforms, operations, or ecosystem delivery in financial services, insurance, fintech, or another regulated environment
• Proven track record in multi-partner or outsourced delivery models
• Deep understanding of multi-channel customer journeys, operational controls, and SLA-driven environments
• Experience operationalising solutions from delivery into stable BAU environments
• Experience embedding operational policies, controls, and governance frameworks into operational execution
• Exposure to integration-enabled operating models, platform-enabled delivery, or transformation programmes advantageous

Skills & Competencies

• Systems-oriented thinker with the ability to operate across complex partner ecosystems
• Strong performance management, operational problem-solving, and control orientation
• Ability to translate business, customer, regulatory, and operational requirements into practical operational standards
• Strong understanding of operational governance, controls, and policy implementation within regulated environments
• Commercial awareness — able to link operational performance to cost, value, scalability, and partner accountability
• Excellent stakeholder engagement and cross-functional collaboration skills
• Data-driven approach to performance monitoring, prioritisation, and continuous improvement

Qualification and Experience

• Relevant tertiary qualification in Business, Operations, Technology, or a related field
• Minimum 7–10 years’ experience in operations, channel management, operational enablement, service delivery, or ecosystem coordination roles
• Experience in financial services, insurance, or a regulated fintech environment preferred
• Demonstrated experience in multi-partner, outsourced, or distributed operating models
• Exposure to digital transformation, integration programmes, platform-enabled delivery, or operationalisation programmes advantageous