Chief Operating Officer (Lumkani) at Hollard Insurance

The role

• As COO, you will own the “how” of Lumkani. You will translate strategy into reality by building robust, repeatable, and scalable operational systems across Finance Operations, Human Capital, and Client Care. This is not a traditional corporate COO role. Lumkani is lean, fast-moving, and impact-driven. You will spend approximately 30% of your time on executive strategy and 70% working side-by-side with teams, building processes, improving systems, and solving complex operational challenges as the business scales. You will work closely with the CEO and Board, playing a central role as Lumkani transitions from a scale-up into a sustainable, profitable market leader.

Why join Lumkani?

• A seat at the table: You will directly shape the future of the business alongside the CEO and Board.
• Work that truly matters: Your operational decisions will have a visible, daily impact on the safety and resilience of South African communities.
• Autonomy and influence: In a lean organisation, good ideas move fast. You will have the authority to implement change.
• A culture of care: You will join a values-driven team that prioritises empathy, inclusion, and excellence.

Required Knowledge and Experience    
Who you are

You are someone who combines head, heart, and hands:

• Mission-driven: You are motivated by work that delivers tangible social impact alongside commercial sustainability.
• An entrepreneurial owner: You think and act like a founder, treating resources, processes, and decisions as if the business were your own.
• A full-stack operator: You are as comfortable interrogating spreadsheets and financial models as you are reviewing contracts, mapping workflows, or improving customer journeys.
• Data-led and analytical: You rely on evidence, trends, and insight rather than gut feel to make decisions.
• A decisive leader: You provide clarity, direction, and calm in complex and evolving environments.
• Tech-forward: You see operations as a technical challenge and enjoy automating, integrating, and optimising systems to remove friction and manual effort.

What you will be responsible for

Strategic leadership and operational scaling

• Partner with the CEO to align strategy, execution, and departmental priorities.
• Lead quarterly Board pack preparation and manage key operational stakeholders, including underwriters and partners.
• Design and embed scalable systems, SOPs, and reporting frameworks that support lean growth and business continuity.

Financial operations and revenue integrity

• Own end-to-end revenue lifecycle management, including premiums, payments, refunds, and bordereaux.
• Design incentive, commission, and bonus structures that support quality growth and retention.
• Support audits, financial controls, and compliance alongside the CEO and finance partners.

Human capital and organisational design

• Evolve the organisational structure as the business scales, identifying capacity gaps and future roles.
• Embed a strong performance culture with clear feedback, accountability, and development.
• Partner with HR to shape competitive benefits, policies, and people practices.

Client care and customer experience

• Own the end-to-end customer journey, from sales through claims and refunds.
• Build data-driven quality assurance and call centre performance frameworks.
• Design frictionless, compliant claims processes that balance rapid relief with fraud controls.

Special projects, risk and compliance

• Lead high-impact operational projects such as CRM migrations, telephony changes, and partner integrations.
• Ensure compliance with South African regulatory frameworks including FAIS, POPIA, FICA, and BCEA.

Educational Requirements    
What we’re looking for

Essential

• Honours degree in Business, Economics, Finance, Industrial Engineering, or a related field.
• At least 8 years’ experience in operations, with 5+ years in a management role.
• High technical literacy, particularly advanced Excel or Google Sheets, workflow automation, and digital collaboration tools.

Advantageous

• A master’s degree in business or related field.
• Experience in financial services, Insurtech, fintech, retail, or tech.
• Exposure to township economies in South Africa.
• Experience with dashboards, CRM systems, telephony platforms, and low-code or AI-enabled automation tools.

Deadline:24th April,2026