Fresh Jobs at Santam Insurance

ABOUT THE OPPORUNITY

• The Portfolio Manager will be reponsible for managing a strategic portfolio of Underwriting Management Agencies (UMAs) under Santam’s UMA incubator structure.
• This role ensures effective onboarding, oversight, and commercial performance of UMA partners while driving execution across the value chain—including acquisitions, reinsurance structuring, operational integration, and system alignment.
• Acts as the commercial custodian, interfacing with internal technical functions (Underwriting, Reinsurance, Finance, Legal, and Compliance) and external stakeholders (reinsurers, UMA principals, brokers).

RESPONSIBILITIES

Partnering with UMA Businesses

• Take ownership of strategic relationships with UMA partners, applying a client-centric approach.
• Coordinate, facilitate, and build long-term strategic relationships with UMA clients and business partners.
• Negotiate business terms and contracts with UMA clients in alignment with strategic and commercial objectives.

Account Management

• Oversee the overall financial, operational, and service delivery to a portfolio of UMA clients, according to agreed service standards.
• Coordinate all internal resources—including Underwriting, Compliance, Legal, Finance, and IT—to ensure effective service delivery.
• Manage and monitor the performance of third-party administrators where applicable.

Commercial Growth and Acquisitions

• Drive profit contribution of the UMA portfolio through strategic account development.
• Develop trusted business partner relationships and assist UMAs in shaping and executing their business strategies.
• Identify and evaluate cross-selling opportunities and potential UMA acquisitions.
• Lead or participate in acquisition assessments, due diligence processes, and onboarding of new UMA partners.
• Support sustainability and succession planning for UMA businesses.

Business Development

• Identify and secure new UMA partnerships and business opportunities, aligned with incubator strategy.
• Participate in developing and implementing the UMA business strategy.
• Adopt a proactive sales and market engagement approach to grow portfolio value.

Team Leadership

• Lead and mentor Client Management Team members, ensuring consistent service delivery to UMA clients.
• Manage team performance and resource allocation to meet portfolio needs.

Risk & Governance

• Manage risks associated with UMA relationships, ensuring compliance with contractual, regulatory, and reinsurance requirements.
• Prepare budgets, forecasts, and performance reports, monitoring variances and implementing corrective actions.

QUALIFICATION and EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 5 years’ experience managing outsourced insurance businesses, UMAs, or insurance partners
• Business qualification or equivalent relevant experience
• Professional insurance qualification or equivalent experience (FAIS compliant)
• Corporate and commercial underwriting experience (advantageous)
• Proven exposure to reinsurance structuring and acquisition processes

KNOWLEDGE and SKILLS

• Client-centric relationship management
• Strong negotiation and contract management skills
• Ability to work under pressure, adapt, and make sound decisions
• Strategic and commercial thinking with entrepreneurial flair
• In-depth knowledge of UMA business models, market dynamics, and partner requirements
• Technical insurance expertise (corporate and commercial underwriting)
• Understanding of compliance and regulatory frameworks for UMAs
• Reinsurance structuring knowledge (treaty and facultative)
• Cell captive structuring knowledge (advantageous)
• Strong financial acumen, including ability to interpret financial statements and calculate performance ratios (e.g., ROE)
• Proven ability to identify acquisition opportunities and conduct commercial due diligence
• High-level interpersonal skills, stakeholder engagement, and influencing ability
• Project management, product development, and research skills

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JOB DESCRIPTION

• The candidate will understand premium and profit objectives through brokers by building relationships that will ensure growth and retention through creative and attentive marketing, underwriting and risk management strategies.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Manage allocated portfolio growth, retention, profitability and any other business relevant factors and agree growth plan.
• Work within a cluster and indirectly lead a team comprising of Service Consultants and Underwriters to deliver a service to the allocated portfolio of brokers.
• Reporting on performance against agreed targets
• Identify and develop sales opportunities
• Provide Training to brokers
• Ensure a consistent and detailed understanding of the sales targets, goals, performance levels, products, business rules and conditions.
• Ensure a consistent detailed understanding amongst brokers of their growth targets, goals, performance levels, available products and any compliance requirements.
• Establishing strategies to further grow the portfolio and contribute ideas, leadership and innovation
• Utilize technology to manage data and the performance of the portfolio under management
• Prospecting for new brokers as well as business development opportunities.Engaging with Underwriting, Claims and Finance teams
• Ensure alignment of quality standards
• Ensure alignment of business processes
• Ensure brokers operate within agreed mandates
• Comply with corporate governance policies, procedures and standards
• Serve as the primary contact point for broker staff to build and maximize the broker relationship
• Effectively drive and deliver on business model to ensure performance targets are achieved in line with strategy
• Ensure continuous strategic and business alignment between brokers and business
• Identify and drive opportunities to improve and enhance product and service offerings
• Keep abreast of market conditions and trends and relevant industry regulations
• Prepares and maintains a market analysis, including competitor information in order to provide input on distribution, product, price and promotion strategies
• Effective participation in any relevant industry related functions and forums and participate in continuing education and other learning opportunities
• Ensuring credibility with brokers by maintaining detailed knowledge of current market conditions and competitors’ products
• Participate in product development
• Resolve customer and broker complaints and queries
• Collaborate and work with support units to deliver required service levels
• Co-ordinates and delivers new and on-going training on products, processes and systems
• Work within a Portfolio cluster and provide technical leadership and direction for the underwriting (technical, pricing, structure, complex processing) on all matters as they relate to ownership of your assigned portfolio.
• Participate in retention strategy

QUALIFICATIONS AND EXPERIENCE

• Matric or equivalent qualification
• FAIS accreditation required
• RE 5
• NQF 5 insurance or risk management qualification 
• Minimum 3 years’ Commercial Insurance experience
• Knowledge of HCV Insurance sales and underwriting experience
• Experience in being on the road, dealing with, and visiting brokers
• A thorough understanding of all Heavy Haulage /HCV insurance products

SKILLS & KNOWLEDGE

• Ability to understand client base related requirements and to conceptualize and develop relative support
• Good understanding of value chain in order to implement cost savings and maximise profitability
• Project management skills
• Working knowledge of financial management – accounting - information systems and marketing
• Strong business orientation with commercial and financial skills.
• Computer literate in data manipulation - i.e. Excel as well as technology in general
• Strong networking and relationship building skills
• Negotiating skills
• Decision making abilities
• Technical claims and underwriting skills  
• Risk management                                                      
• Strong knowledge of Reinsurance        

COMPETENCIES

• Deciding & Initiating action
• Working with people
• Relating & Networking
• Persuading & Influencing
• Presenting & Communicating Information
• Learning & Researching
• Delivering results & Meeting Customer Expectations
• Coping with Pressures & Setbacks
• Achieving Personal Work Goals & Objectives
• Analysing 
• Writing and reporting