Head: Brand - Johannesburg at Santam Insurance

What will you do?

• A position of Head: Brand exists in Santam. This role may be based at Head Office Tygervalley or Alice Lane Sandton and reports directly to the Chief Operating Officer.
• To direct the development and implementation of the Santam Group Brand strategy and positioning in market by c reating measurable long-term brand value in support of the business objective of profitability and market growth. This includes driving the Santam brand’s value proposition across all marketing strategic initiatives.
• To lead the Santam Brand vision and strategy in alignment with Santam Group strategy and priorities, stakeholder and unique business unit requirements to enhance the brand and positioning of the organisation.  
• Lead the development of the Santam Brand strategy targeted at internal stakeholders, business and financial media, investors, customers and other critical audiences with the objective of building awareness and driving growth. The incumbent also has accountability for enhancing the reputation of the Santam Group of companies and positioning the company as a thought leader and a successful, growing, innovative provider of a broad range of insurance and risk management solutions.

What will make you successful in this role?

Lead the overall development of the integrated Brand strategy in partnership with cross functional partners:

• Develop and implement a Brand strategy to strengthen our brand positioning, manage strategic relationships with external suppliers, i.e. creative agency; media partners; media agency; production houses and other suppliers; and build and maintain relationships with the Sanlam Group marketing heads.
• Enhance relationships with key stakeholders across multiple business support functions and agency partners to align and optimise delivery. This includes collaborating the business unit marketing specialists.
• Obtain understanding and buy-in from internal stakeholders and influence, advise and assist business support functions and strategic project owners to translate the brand strategy into their respective strategies and rollout plans.

Lead client immersion and discovery to identify brand opportunities aligned to the Santam refreshed strategy:

• Develop a strategy and approach to drive Client Centricity across the business and improve the overall Santam Client Experience.
• Draw insights from research and competitor reviews in order to drive innovation and strategically define the Santam value proposition, aligning the brand positioning with the objective of ensuring sustainable differentiation and relevance in the market.
• With an understanding of diverse markets, partner with business leaders to identify untapped/emerging markets to be targeted in our brand initiatives 

Direct and manage the Brand team’s performance (KPIs)and enable their development plans to ensure that both personal development and business objectives are being met.
Set and enforce the tone standards for the Santam Brand voice and copy across all brand initiatives and campaigns.

Qualification

• Relevant tertiary qualification in the Marketing and Brand field. 
• Postgraduate qualification is preferable.

Knowledge and Experience

• Minimum 10 years’ experience in a marketing and communications environment, preferably within the financial services industry. 
• Extensive experience in brand strategy development and storytelling.
• Experience navigating large and complex organisations, including gaining access to key executives and stakeholders and successfully managing relationship building dynamics and processes (internal and external)

Skills

• Digitally savvy with a strong understanding of digital and social platforms 
• Excellent strategic and conceptual thinking, problem solving and decision-making skills
• Ability to use data to create frameworks for fast brand related decision making
• Senior leadership skills and experience with a proven track record of delivery
• Sound analytical and strategic skills to facilitate the development of multi-faceted and integrated business solutions
• Strong interpersonal and influencing skills, with the ability to work as part of a multi-functional team. Ability to influence and create a shared vision across diverse stakeholders
• In-depth knowledge of Brand principles and practical skills in this field
• An understanding of diverse markets with a DEI lens (diversity, equity and inclusion)
• Thorough knowledge of the media industry, above-the-line and below-the-line media platforms and Public Relations
• Excellent people skills and the ability to manage change and alignment at multiple levels
• Creative
• Ability to work independently
• Sound budget management skills
• Ability to travel regularly (the role will involve regular domestic travel)
• Negotiation
• Strong interpersonal, facilitation and verbal and written communication skills
• Excellent presentation skills that encompass clear, compelling communication

Core Competencies

• Cultivates innovation - Contributing strategically
• Customer focus - Contributing strategically
• Drives results - Contributing strategically
• Collaborates - Contributing strategically
• Being resilient - Contributing strategically