Senior Manager: Corporate Business And Operations - Parktown at PPS

Job Advert Summary    

This leadership position requires a seasoned professional with a unique blend of operational excellence and corporate business acumen. The successful candidate will be responsible for overseeing and optimizing operations to ensure seamless functioning of our business operations, while fostering cross functional collaboration, and driving sustainable growth. The candidate must have a willingness to work non-standard business hours.

The overall job purpose is two-fold:

• To manage and oversee the total strategic administration process and quality assurance together with Management of all related to these functions for both Risk and Investments.
• The focus is on achieving results which are aligned to the larger picture of External Distribution and its strategic goals. Initiative and Management of people, coupled with a sense of competitive drive, and the ability to stay focused on results despite changing conditions, is the key to achieving the performance objectives of this job. 
• Because environmental and organisational conditions change rapidly, the work involves innovation and creativity in generating ideas for quick response. Decision-making is focused on implementing practical, timely solutions. The role is key to the collaboration efforts between External Distribution and the Group Operational Teams. 
• Working with cross-functional team to deliver exceptional service to all internal and external customers according to the service levels and quality standards and ensuring that these service levels are benchmarked regularly.
• Cultivate a performance driven Admin team across Risk and Investments, collaborating with support- and other operational teams.
• To manage and grow key relationships and new business initiatives with all large FSPs that are accredited to market PPS Risk and Investment.
• The individual is responsible for growing and managing PPS and the overall Large FSP relationships, together with assisting the various regions in achieving gross and net sales targets for all the product lines. Specifically in terms of the LISP products, a focus on vertically integration into in-house portfolios will be an important delivery.
• The focus of this job is to design and implement strategies for the different corporate stakeholders and integrate these into the sales regions, making connections with people, motivating, and inspiring them to achieve results.
• Primary responsibilities will be the provision of support to all large FSPs across Life and LISP Investment products, with growth of relationships, new business and overall training and accreditation processes. The role is a key income generation role that will have a CTC together with a heavily weighted target and commensurate variable remuneration mode.
• The work involves driving toward results by enrolling the commitment and buy-in of others. While the job requires strong initiative and self-direction, results are only achieved with and through people and measured production.

Minimum Requirements    

Education

• Matric
• Related tertiary qualification(s) essential.
• Advanced certificate in Financial Planning and/or investments related qualifications
• Public Relations qualification an added advantage
• Management Development Programme completion an added advantage

Experience

• Solid experience of PPS Operational Systems and Processes  
• At least 6 months’ experience in External Distribution at PPS as an Area Manager or AGM
• 10 years’ business development or sales experience within life insurance and Investments
• Experience managing Large FSP relationships, including Key Account Management
• Proven track record in people management
• Proven track record in consistently achieving sales targets.
• The establishment of a good network and collaborative relationships with the Large FSP broker space to support the achievement of sales targets.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with the ability to make data-driven decisions.
• Excellent leadership and communication skills, with a track record of building and leading high-performance teams.
• Demonstrated success in implementing process improvements and driving operational efficiency.
• Excellent knowledge of the Life Assurance Industry
• Technical knowledge about investments, investment industry & trends
• Knowledge of life insurance products, PPS together with competitor products
• Knowledge of PPS internal systems and processes
• Knowledge and understanding of the dynamics of the graduate professional client market
• Knowledge of best practice in financial advisory services
• Knowledge and understanding of the financial drivers of a sales and distribution model with specific reference to sales capacity, production margin and acquisition costs and how these drives impact on the value of new business as a contributor to success.
• Working knowledge of TCF and the need for consistency in advice and service delivery across the channel to mitigate against reputational and miss-selling risk.

Strong management skills

• Strong written and verbal communication, presentation, client service and technical writing skills
• Ability and comfort level in researching enquiries and emerging issues, including regulations, industry practices and new technologies
• Collaborative - usually works with and through others.
• Intuitive understanding of team cohesion, dynamics, and interpersonal relations
• Strong management skills
• Directive leadership to assure business results are achieved
• Delegation of details as necessary, with follow up on timeliness and quality
• Accountability for results

Duties and Responsibilities    

• Commercial management
•  Develop strategies/initiatives to unlock gross and net sales opportunities within and across all Large FSPs., as well as vertical integration strategies.
• Develop and implement productivity standards, minimum standards, and sales best practices.

Communication

• Proactively connects quickly to others; communicating at all levels in a way that ensures successful outcomes. Builds and leverages relationships to get work done on time and aligned to quality measures. 
• Enthusiastically persuades and motivates others by considering their point of view and managing expectations with all stakeholders around delivery.

Statistics Management 

• Closely monitors all service statistics and holds stakeholders accountable. Submits daily, weekly and monthly stats to the Head of Distribution and other relevant stakeholders.
• Produces and shares divisional monthly reports for both Risk and Investments.
• Systems and Processes Optimisation
•  Gives input into the streamlining of legacy systems. 

Improves cycle times. 

• Keeps all regions updated with regards to changes and issues in PPS processes and procedures.
• Implements improvements based on data-driven insights to optimize business outcomes