Manager Motor Underwriting at Watershed Consulting

• This career opportunity is available at our Broker Solutions (Commercial Underwriting) for a Manager: Motor Underwriting

To manage the Commercial Motor business to ensure achievement of profitable growth targets which includes the following key accountabilities: 

 Profit and Growth:

• Ensure the attractiveness of the offerings we create to enable C&P to compete effectively in the market we operate in, ensuring that our covers and pricing are market-related and achieve our required rate of return
• Drive and manage the consistent achievement of C&P’s overall Commercial profitable growth targets (which may at times require compromise on one class of business to balance broader profitability)
• Make underwriting decisions that balances logic with relationships (particularly on risk reduction requirements)
• Understand profit and growth challenges and determine solutions to achieve underwriting profit (pricing, discounting, underwriting processes, segmentation and risk models)
• Meet with National and large Brokers to discuss complex underwriting issues and get their buy-in for the required underwriting actions and decisions

Underwriting Governance:

• Guidelines and Manuals
• Draft Underwriting Guidelines, policies and procedures for Commercial and Agri Motor business which must be able to apply and adhere to
• Draft Underwriting Manuals
• Draft Underwriting Circulars
• Sign off technical policy and clause wording, underwriting manuals, rules & mandates
• Design operational processes for reinsurance placements
• Govern and report on compliance with Underwriting Guidelines
• Understand the impact of reinsurance programmes on business & discuss more adequate & efficient structures (optimum reinsurance & pooling solutions) with reinsurance department

Underwriting Advice and Referrals:

• Design, manage and optimise referral processes to Head Office Underwriting
• Make decisions on complex technical referrals 
• Provide solutions on how to underwrite certain types of risks etc.
• Provide clarity on policy wording interpretation and indemnification at claims stage
• Provide risk solutions for systemic risks
• Identify risk management solutions
• Provide internal stakeholders (e.g. ERM, Compliance Officer etc.) with subject matter expertise for all reporting and compliance requirements.

Act as a Subject Matter Expert:

• Prepare media releases on topics relevant to Commercial and Agri motor insurance.  
• Present papers at relevant industry events
• Represent the company at industry forums & working groups related to the class of business specialisation e.g. SAIA Motor Committee. 
• Engage with and influence industry stakeholders such as road traffic regulators, RAF, Compulsory Third Party insurance in RSA etc. because of the company’s dependency from a business perspective on the services provided by these stakeholders
• Training
• Create Training Manuals for Commercial and Agri motor sections
• Provide skills training on complex underwriting issues and ensure material is created and maintained.

People management:

• Create and build an effective Commercial Motor Underwriting team which provides consistent service delivery 
• Develop and build specialist technical underwriting skills within the Motor Underwriting team.
• Manage talent and ensure succession for critical roles to sustain the company’s technical expertise in Commercial and Agri Motor Insurance.
• Motivate and inspire staff to manage employee turnover and compete effectively in the war for talent.

Qualifications and Experience

• Bachelor’s degree or relevant insurance related diploma: AIISA or FIISA or similar 
• Recommendation: Management or Leadership qualification 
• Must qualify for the company’s Underwriting Level 1
• Proven track record of at least 15 years’ experience within a Commercial Underwriting environment 
• Of which at least 10 years’ management of a Motor Underwriting team 
• Specialist Motor Technical Underwriting expertise
• Knowledge of (and understanding of the impact of) the relevant legislation on the Motor  business 

Skills and Knowledge

• Commercial Underwriting
• Advanced MS Office
• All policy administration and quoting systems of our Commercial
• Management experience in Commercial Underwriting
• Excellent English communication & report-writing skills
• Presentation skills
• Establish interpersonal relationship, negotiating and networking skills
• Ability to influence
• Ability to work under pressure with appropriate prioritisation skills
• Results-orientated and deadline driven
• Good analytical skills and problem-solving abilities
• Skilled in leading and coaching staff
• Creativity and ability to innovate and find new solutions to new challenges
• Able to organise own and others workloads to achieve priorities and objectives
• Demonstrate capability to think of the organisation holistically

Competencies

• Collaboration
• Client focus 
• Drives results  
• Flexibility and adaptability 
• Cultivates innovation 
• Relating and networking
• Analysing and attention to detail
• Applying expertise and technology
• Risk Management
• Underwriting
• Business Acumen