Head: Short Term Insurance Underwriting at Export Credit Insurance Corporation of South Africa Soc Ltd (ECIC)

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES, MEASURES & INTERFACES

• Lead the design, pricing, and management of short-term trade insurance products.
• Ensure products remain relevant, competitive, and aligned with exporters’ needs.
• Establish and implement underwriting standards for short-term policies.
• Monitor exposure to country, sector, and buyer risks.
• Lead and manage the short-term insurance underwriters, including claims and customer service teams.
• Implement risk mitigation strategies, including reinsurance and diversification.
• Ensure efficient claims handling and timely resolution of disputes.
• Advise senior management and the board on trends in global trade and short-term credit risk.
• Represent the Corporation in various forums locally and internationally on trade credit insurance.
• Evaluate and analyze transactions sought for coverage and structure them into supportable transactions that meet the ECIC mandate and credit requirements.
• Develop and maintain relationships with exporters, lenders, short-term trade insurers, re-insurers and other institutions involved in the export business.
• Responsible for identifying new business opportunities for ECIC with a special focus on the short-term trade insurance business in collaboration with the business development team.
• Conduct the assessment of commercial feasibility, financial and credit worthiness of projects/transactions (in line with the underwriting criteria and policies of the Corporation).
• Conduct project desktop and field due diligence, where applicable, that includes reviewing legal, commercial and financial documents.
• Present and support projects to ECIC approval committee i.e., Project EXCO, FIIC Committee and/or Board for approval.
• Negotiation of transactions, structuring and review of commercial terms in the finance documents, security documents and other related documents to reach financial close.
• Interact with the Portfolio Management team, as may be required in relation to approved projects post cover.
• Carry out the corporate strategic plan, and the business goals of the Short Term Trade Insurance business unit.
• Work in collaboration with other business units, such as Risk Unit, Business Development Unit, Portfolio Management Unit, PEAR Unit, Actuarial Unit,
• Legal Services Unit etc. in line with the values of the Corporation that promote teamwork.
• Manage risks and/or compliance issues within the unit in accordance with ECIC compliance and risk management strategy.
• Manage re-insurance transactions for the short-term trade business (inward and outward re-insurance).
• In collaboration with the ICT unit, develop and maintain short term trade underwriting system(s).
• Keep abreast of evolving insurance and other relevant regulations.
• Increased good quality underwriting activities for the Corporation and achieve relevant targets.
• Increased repetitive business and value and number of transactions/projects approved.
• Management of client relationships and key stakeholders.

Key Interfaces

• CEO and COO.
• Other business units particularly Risk Unit, Underwriting Unit, Business Development Unit, Portfolio Management Unit, PEAR Unit, Actuarial Unit, Legal Services Unit, etc.
• ECIC Executives and Managers.
• Lenders and Investors.
• Exporters.
• Senior Government Officials.
• Other Export credit agencies.
• Other short-term insurers and re-insurers

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree with specialisation in Economics, Accountancy, Finance, Banking, Science, Law or Engineering.
• Minimum 10–12 years’ experience in trade credit insurance, banking, or export finance.
• Sound knowledge of international business, contractual, corporate finance practices and accounting.