Business Development Manager

Santam Insurance; Durban; On-site; ZAR 600,000 - 800,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Recognition as a Top Employer 2025

Comprehensive onboarding process

Job summary

A leading insurance provider in Durban is seeking an experienced Business Development Manager to enhance broker relationships and drive strategic growth. This role requires a proven track record in business development within the insurance sector, emphasizing data analysis and engagement strategies. Ideal candidates will possess strong communication skills and the ability to foster long-term partnerships. Competitive salary and benefits offered.

Qualifications

• FAIS compliance is required.
• 5 to 10 years' experience in strategic business development is essential.
• Experience with Corporate/Commercial Insurance is preferred.

Responsibilities

• Build and solidify relationships with brokers.
• Identify and validate cross-sell opportunities.
• Conduct data reporting and analysis.

Skills

Strategic thinking

Interpersonal skills

Data analysis

Communication

Education

FAIS Compliance

Regulatory exam compliance

5-10 years of experience in Business Development

Tools

Data analytics tools

Job description

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To build, maintain, and solidify relationships with Key Brokers, representing all lines of business within Santam Specialist Solutions (SSS). This strategic role is focused on leading & driving key business development objectives to achieve the Strategic Goals and delivering on primary KPIs through a holistic and collaborative approach across the organization.

What will make you successful in this role?

This role will be measured against three core pillars:

1. Engagement: Building and Solidifying Relationships (35%)

• Communicate the SSS message to our intermediary market, including team & people updates, product updates, and risk appetite.
• Actively listen to our intermediaries to gather feedback on expectations, problems, service, and market intelligence (changes, competitor analysis, rate changes, and opportunities).
• Creating Broker profiles with a comprehensive analysis to understand the broker holistically:
• Strategic Objectives:Understand the broker's own business goals, target markets, and growth ambitions.
• Financial & Operational Metrics:Analyze their GWP, client portfolio size, areas of specialty, and operational strengths.
• Current Relationship Mapping:Assess the volume of business placed with us, the specific clusters/products used, and our overall share of their wallet.
• Key Personnel & Structure:Identify decision-makers, influencers, and day-to-day operatives within the broker firm.
• Competitor Landscape:Determine which other insurers they use, the competitor's share, and the perceived strengths/weaknesses of those relationships.
• Perception & Feedback:Gauge their view of our service, underwriting appetite, competitiveness, and overall value proposition.
• Facilitate key engagement sessions (e.g., office visits, breakfasts, lunches, dinners) with top-tier global and national/independent intermediaries.
• Set up meetings for internal teams/leaders and provide pre-meeting statistics and insights.
• Ensure all entertainment expenditure aligns with company policy and is declared on the conflict-of-interest register.

2. Business Development: Transactional Focus (45%)

• New Business:Identify and validate true cross-sell opportunities through a review of the Top renewals per business unit/cluster.
• Retention:Work with Business Unit Heads to promote business retention and packaging of SSS offerings within appetite, ensuring clarity on strategic accounts and timeous access to renewal lists.
• Lost Business:Analyze lost business data to understand market positioning and inform strategies to re-obtain submissions.
• Build, manage, and optimize a pipeline of prospects, tracking progress and forecasting accurately.
• Drive business development visits to establish new relationships and maintain the existing broker network.
• Implement structured engagements with agendas, action items, and tracking, maintaining records in shared folders/systems.

3. Business Intelligence and Data: Reporting Focus (20%)

• Conduct monthly, quarterly, half-year, and full-year analysis, concluding data and present agreed reports to management.
• Deliver Monthly, Quarterly, Half-year & Full Year feedback to Head of Business Development SA, including:
• Cross-sell opportunities.
• Work with Data Warehouse and Finance to ensure data accuracy, integrity, and that reporting rules are understood and aligned (e.g., for Broker Dashboards).
• Provide market intelligence relating to people movement, product competitiveness, coverage, and other pertinent aspects.
• Ensure provided data aligns with what each internal team reports on.

Qualifications & Experience

• FAIS Compliant
• Regulatory exam compliance.
• 5 to 10 years' experience in Business Development in a Strategic roleinvolving Specialist and/or Niche classes of insurance.
• Experienced in maintaining and growing a profitable portfolio of Corporate/Commercial Insurance.

Knowledge & Skills

• Core ability to think and act on a strategic level.
• Technical ability across various specialist insurance product lines.
• Excellent interpersonal skills to develop and maintain understanding and working relationships with key selected brokers at all levels.
• Ability to identify new business and target cross-sell opportunities with a focused strategy.
• Proficiency in leveraging data and analytics tools to update dashboards and derive insights.
• Strong analytical skills for pipeline management, data analysis, and reporting.
• Ability to co-ordinate monthly and quarterly internal/cross-cluster meetings to ensure strategic alignment.
• Maintain a working knowledge of targeted industry groups and underwriting appetites.

Our recruitment process

Onboarding

You made it. Here we ensure we receive all your documents to get you onto our payroll system.

Our recruitment process

Advertise

Step 1

Our vacancies are advertised between 3-5 days depending on the market availability of the skills required.

Our recruitment process

Step 2

Could take a couple of days depending on the volume and the screening process, which various according to the complexity of the role.

Our recruitment process

Step 3

Long listed candidates are sent to the hiring manager to review and consider for the next stage of the selection process.

Our recruitment process

Telephonic screening

Step 4

Candidates may be contacted for a short screening interview to get to know them better and to ask any clarity seeking questions.

Our recruitment process

Your interview

Step 5

We use a competency interview model. Interview dates will be confirmed via e-mail. During the interview you will be introduced to the panel and the process will be explained. Remain calm and sell yourself. This is our opportunity to match your skills to the job. You only get one shot!

Our recruitment process

Assessment

Step 6

Should we like what you bring to the table, depending on the job you are being considered for, you may be invited to complete a psychometric assessment. Further employment checks are conducted the ensure the validity of your credentials.

Our recruitment process

Step 7

Prior to an offer being made, there may be a second interview to meet with the Head of Department.Should there be a need for any further interviews, be sure to bring the same charm that got you through your first interview.

Our recruitment process

Onboarding

Step 8

You made it. Here we ensure we receive all your documents to get you onto our payroll system.

Our recruitment process

Advertise

Step 1

Our vacancies are advertised between 3-5 days depending on the market availability of the skills required.

Our recruitment process

Step 2

Could take a couple of days depending on the volume and the screening process, which various according to the complexity of the role.

Our recruitment process

Step 3

Long listed candidates are sent to the hiring manager to review and consider for the next stage of the selection process.

Our recruitment process

Telephonic screening

Step 4

Candidates may be contacted for a short screening interview to get to know them better and to ask any clarity seeking questions.

Our recruitment process

Your interview

Step 5

We use a competency interview model. Interview dates will be confirmed via e-mail. During the interview you will be introduced to the panel and the process will be explained. Remain calm and sell yourself. This is our opportunity to match your skills to the job. You only get one shot!

Our recruitment process

Assessment

Step 6

Should we like what you bring to the table, depending on the job you are being considered for, you may be invited to complete a psychometric assessment. Further employment checks are conducted the ensure the validity of your credentials.

Our recruitment process

Step 7

Prior to an offer being made, there may be a second interview to meet with the Head of Department.Should there be a need for any further interviews, be sure to bring the same charm that got you through your first interview.

Our recruitment process

Onboarding

Step 8

You made it. Here we ensure we receive all your documents to get you onto our payroll system.

TIPS & TRICKS

Getting ready for your interview

There is not just one way to be successful at Santam, nor is there one way to interview with us. Interviewing is a two-way process - it helps us learn about you, and it helps you learn about us, our people, and what you could do here.

Santam has been officially recognised by the Top Employers Institute as a Top Employer 2025 for excellence in people practices. This is the ninth consecutive year that we have achieved this accolade.