Executive Head: Underwriting, Legal Risk & Regulatory

Sanlam; Sandton; On-site; ZAR 1 500 000 - 2 500 000; Full time

Job summary

A leading financial services group is seeking an Executive Head: Underwriting, Legal Risk & Regulatory to oversee strategic management, underwriting governance, and risk management. The ideal candidate will have a minimum of 15 years of experience in similar roles and possess a business and/or legal degree. Responsibilities include providing oversight on underwriting processes and fostering a risk-aware culture. Candidates must demonstrate strong leadership skills and established relationships with key brokers in the market.

Qualifications

• Minimum 15 years in a similar role – CUO type roles, active underwriter roles, legal counsel and claims oversight roles.
• Broad multi-class specialist risks experience is a requirement.
• Reinsurance strategy, contracting and placement experience in relation to specialist risks is a requirement.
• Established relationships with key persons in the large global & SA National brokers.
• Excellent writing and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Provide sustainable strategic input for the relevant business area to maintain financial health.
• Provide oversight and coordination into all underwriting and re-insurance commercial related matters.
• Drive a risk-aware and strong governance culture.
• Produce and distribute Treaty overview across SSS.

Skills

Underwriting Governance

Strategic Initiatives

Legal & Risk

Leadership Responsibility

People Management

Education

Business degree and/or Legal Degree

General management development courses

Job description

What will you do?

We have an exciting opportunity for an Executive Head: Underwriting, Legal Risk & Regulatory within Santam Specialist Solutions.

What will make you successful in this role?

Key responsibilities:

Strategic Management:

• Provide sustainable strategic input for your relevant business area that will contribute to the financial health of the organisation through sound governance practices.

• Provide detailed analysis and reporting on the Technical and Governance Areas.
• Actively seek ways to keep competitive advantage in the market.

• Provide feedback on market intelligence.
• Encourage cross-selling initiatives within Specialist Business by helping underwriters identify opportunities
• Develop a Sustainable Risk Management Initiative that assists the underwriting & claims team and clients
• Monitor and report on cover trends and developments and the potential impact on the business.

Technical Underwriting:

• Provide oversight, input and coordination into all UW and RI commercial related matters, across SSS portfolio.
• Provide oversight on high-level portfolio management
• Promote ‘best practice’ underwriting process to minimise underwriting operational risk
• General Technical support to Lines of Business

• Ensure adherence to underwriting governance and underwriting authorities.

• Research and Development on new products as required

Claims:

• Provide technical & strategic input and guidance to Claims Teams on large/complex claims related matters
• Monitor for possible aggregation across lines of business

Legal, Governance, Assurance and Risk Management:

• Co-operation with Group Shared Services in relation to information management and content of Treaty Agreements
• Overseeing the Coordinating and collating of audit feedback for business
• Adherence to the Santam Internal Control policy by implementing an effective system of internal control
• Implement an effective approach to the identification, assessment, monitoring, management and reporting of relevant operational risk exposures
• Drive a risk-aware and strong governance culture within SSS
• Monitor underwriting process quality
  

Reinsurance:

• Alignment of our RI treaties within SSS to the group risk appetite strategy & direction
• Ensure reinsurance protection in close liaison with SSS Clusters that quantitatively and qualitatively supports underwriting operations
• Manage the QS arrangement with Syndicate 1918
• Promote solutions to minimise Risk of exposure to loss aggregation in conjunction with Lines of Business
• Statistical analyses for use in portfolio pricing
• Produce and distribute Treaty overview across SSS

Qualifications & Experience

• Minimum 15 years in a similar role – CUO type roles, active underwriter roles, legal counsel and claims oversight roles
• Broad multi-class specialist risks experience is a requirement
• Reinsurance strategy, contracting and placement experience, in relation to specialist risks is a requirement
• Business degree and / or Legal Degree
• General management development courses
• Proven leadership skills and experience
• Established relationships with key persons in the large global & SA National brokers is a requirement
• Excellent writing and communication skills
• Proven people relationship skills & EQ skills

Skills & Competencies

• Underwriting Governance, Oversight & Product Solutions, Enablement and Portfolio Performance Management: RI Capacity & Policy Wordings
• Legal & Risk
• Strategic Initiatives
• Leadership Responsibility
• People Management