Manager: Niche Relationship at Sanlam Group

Purpose of the Role

• To lead and govern customer experience, retention, and client servicing across multiple teams, portfolios, or regions by setting service direction, managing risk and revenue protection, and ensuring high-quality post-sale client outcomes at scale.
• Support leading large-scale collections operations, manage departmental performance, improve business processes, and coordinate with senior stakeholders and clients. Supports the Ombudsman by analysing complaint trends, improving operational controls, managing high-risk escalations, and ensuring adherence to regulatory and client requirements.
• The successful candidate will develop the current high standard of service to Glacier’s top-tier intermediaries further. This is essentially a client service role that requires strong relationship building and team management skills. 

Overview of Role Responsibilities (Level 1-13)

Leadership and Direction- Level 7 - Optimisation

• Communicate the actions needed to implement the function's strategy and business plan within the team; explain the relationship to the broader organization's mission, vision, and values; motivate people to commit to these and to do extraordinary things to achieve local business goals.

Customer Service- Level 7 - Optimisation

• Manage a medium-sized customer service area or several customer service sections, with guidance from senior colleagues. This will include solving complex issues in order to meet customer service standards.

Resolving Customer Issues- Level 7 - Optimisation

• Craft and cascade messaging and next steps for the most commonly raised customer issues. Supports the Ombudsman by analysing complaint trends, improving operational controls, managing high-risk escalations, and ensuring adherence to regulatory and client requirements.

Customer Relationship Management / Account Management- Level 7 - Optimisation

• Develop and implement relationship management plans for complex existing customer accounts to identify and build relationships with relevant decision-makers and influencers within the customer organization and to enable effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues.
• Manage ongoing relationships with identified customer segments to ensure their needs are met, providing themes, summary analyses, and recommendations for changes based on customer input.

Performance Management- Level 7 - Optimisation

• Manage and report on the performance of a substantial, diverse team; set appropriate performance objectives for direct reports or project/account team members and hold individuals accountable for achieving them; take appropriate corrective action where necessary to ensure the achievement of team/personal objectives.

Organizational Capability Building- Level 7 - Optimisation

• Use the organization's formal development framework to identify the team's individual development needs. Plan and implement actions, including continuing professional development specified by professional or regulatory institutions, to build their professional capabilities.
• Provide informal training or coaching to others throughout the organization in own area of expertise to enable others to improve performance and fulfill personal potential.

Required Skills

Builds Customer Loyalty - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to make every customer interaction positive by leaving the customer feeling understood, appreciated, and confident in the organization's ability. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Strengthens Customer Connections - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to connect with customers to strengthen the relationship, meeting personal needs through positive customer experiences. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Navigates Customer Challenges - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to navigate conversations in which the customer is frustrated or unhappy with the organization. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Masters Service Conversations - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to navigate customer conversations by leveraging the four parts of a service conversation: open, learn, reply, and close. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Understands Customer Needs - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to articulate customer needs in the customer's business language and business context. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Maintains the Relationship - Advanced

• Works at an advanced level to cultivate and sustain positive interpersonal connections, fostering trust, collaboration, and effective communication to support enduring professional relationships. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

General Experience

• Substantial general work experience together with comprehensive job related experience in own area of expertise to fully competent level (Minimum 8 years)
• Completed Regulatory exams (RE5)
• LISP experience will be to your advantage 

Managerial Experience

• Experience of planning and managing resources to deliver predetermined objectives as specified by more senior managers (Minimum 5 years)

Education

• Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Level

Required Behavioural Competencies

• Instils Trust
• Manages Complexity
• Drives Results
• Cultivates Innovation
• Builds Effective Teams
• Directs Work