Specialist: Underwriter at Old Mutual South Africa

Job Description

Purpose:

• Reviews risk submissions from clients, agents, and referrals, and underwrites insurance requests within guidelines of the underwriting manual and authority limits. Applies underwriting and risk-selection techniques to determine acceptability of new and renewal insurance risks.

Job Responsibilities:

• Underwriting Insurance Cases: Review new business and renewal proposals to ensure acceptability and completeness of underwriting and rating information, providing price quotations for underwriters and referring unusual or complex cases to senior colleagues.
• Underwriting Automation: Carry out allocated research and analysis to support the development, validation, and improvement of automated underwriting processes and systems.
• Organizational Risk Management:  Keep track of risk parameters, identifying any deviations and reporting them to more senior colleagues. Involves working within established risk management systems.
• Regulatory and Compliance Management: Investigate standard incidents using current regulatory and compliance processes, systems, and procedures, and take action to solve immediate compliance issues. Advise more senior colleagues on more complex problems.
• External Communications: Help others get the most out of external communications systems by offering support and advice.
• Recommendations: Advise managers how to apply a wide variety of existing procedures and precedents.
• Document Preparation: Organize and prepare complex documents using a variety of applications for technology devices, such as standard office software. Also responsible for gathering and summarizing data for special reports.
• Operational Compliance: Develop knowledge and understanding of the organization's policies and procedures and of relevant regulatory codes and codes of conduct to ensure own work adheres to those standards. Obtain authorization from a supervisor or manager for any exceptions from mandatory procedure.
• Personal Capability Building: Develop own capabilities by participating in assessment and development planning activities as well as formal and informal training and coaching. Develop and maintain an understanding of relevant technology, external regulation, and industry best practices through ongoing education, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.

Critical objectives and responsibilities 

• Responsible for risk evaluation and selection / rejection of new business for all assigned accounts within the portfolio.
• Continuous improvement to ensure effective service
• Service delivery to ensure customer satisfaction
• Cost control and governance adherence
• Quality people practices

Experience, knowledge & skills required

• Diploma and/or equivalent NQF Level 6 qualification in general insurance.
• 3 – 5 years’ experience in commercial underwriting.
• Knowledge of Old Mutual Insure policy administration systems

Skills

• Action Planning, Compliance Software, Computer Literacy, Crisis Management, Data Compilation, Data Controls, Legal Practices, Management Reporting, Numerical Aptitude, Oral Communications, Professional Presentation, Regulatory Compliance Management, Risk Management, Underwriting Management

Competencies

• Action Oriented
• Business Insight
• Collaborates
• Communicates Effectively
• Decision Quality
• Ensures Accountability
• Financial Acumen
• Instills Trust

Education

• NQF Level 5 - Higher, Advance or Occupational Certificate or equivalent

Closing Date

• 26 November 2025