Manager: Niche Relationship

Sanlam; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

Glacier by Sanlam is seeking a senior leader to govern customer experience, retention, and client servicing across multiple teams and regions. The role focuses on risk management, revenue protection, and delivering high-quality post-sale client outcomes at scale.

The successful candidate will strengthen service standards, lead large-scale operations, and collaborate with senior stakeholders to drive improvements and regulatory adherence.

Qualifications

• Substantial general work experience with own area of expertise; minimum 8 years.
• Completed Regulatory exams (RE5).
• LISP experience will be to your advantage.
• Managerial experience: planning and managing resources; minimum 5 years.
• Bachelor's Degree or equivalent level education.

Responsibilities

• Lead customer experience, retention, and client servicing across teams/regions.
• Support large-scale collections operations and manage performance.
• Analyse complaint trends and improve operational controls.
• Coordinate with senior stakeholders and clients to ensure compliance.
• Develop relationship management plans for complex accounts and ensure effective information flow.

Skills

Builds Customer Loyalty

Strengthens Customer Connections

Navigates Customer Challenges

Masters Service Conversations

Understands Customer Needs

Maintains the Relationship

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Level

Job description

Who are we?

Glacier by Sanlam brings together leading experts and respected financial services companies to meet clients' investment needs. We deliver focused investment services through specialist teams, partner with acclaimed financial intermediaries and pride ourselves on our superior products and solutions and high quality service. We offer a comprehensive range of investment solutions, designed to assist in the creation and preservation of wealth. Our offering encompasses local investments, including fixed term investments and investments with guarantees, international investments, retirement saving solutions, and retirement income solutions. While each solution has its own distinct purpose, they all share the world-class quality and commitment that have come to distinguish Glacier.

Who are we?

Glacier by Sanlam brings together leading experts and respected financial services companies to meet clients' investment needs. We deliver focused investment services through specialist teams, partner with acclaimed financial intermediaries and pride ourselves on our superior products and solutions and high quality service. We offer a comprehensive range of investment solutions, designed to assist in the creation and preservation of wealth. Our offering encompasses local investments, including fixed term investments and investments with guarantees, international investments, retirement saving solutions, and retirement income solutions. While each solution has its own distinct purpose, they all share the world-class quality and commitment that have come to distinguish Glacier.

Purpose of the Role

To lead and govern customer experience, retention, and client servicing across multiple teams, portfolios, or regions by setting service direction, managing risk and revenue protection, and ensuring high-quality post-sale client outcomes at scale. Support leading large-scale collections operations, manage departmental performance, improve business processes, and coordinate with senior stakeholders and clients. Supports the Ombudsman by analysing complaint trends, improving operational controls, managing high-risk escalations, and ensuring adherence to regulatory and client requirements.

The successful candidate will develop the current high standard of service to Glacier's top-tier intermediaries further. This is essentially a client service role that requires strong relationship building and team management skills.

Overview Of Role Responsibilities (Level 1-13)

Leadership and Direction

- Level 7 - Optimisation
Communicate the actions needed to implement the function's strategy and business plan within the team; explain the relationship to the broader organization's mission, vision, and values; motivate people to commit to these and to do extraordinary things to achieve local business goals.

Customer Service

- Level 7 - Optimisation
Manage a medium-sized customer service area or several customer service sections, with guidance from senior colleagues. This will include solving complex issues in order to meet customer service standards.

Resolving Customer Issues

- Level 7 - Optimisation
Craft and cascade messaging and next steps for the most commonly raised customer issues. Supports the Ombudsman by analysing complaint trends, improving operational controls, managing high-risk escalations, and ensuring adherence to regulatory and client requirements.

Customer Relationship Management / Account Management

- Level 7 - Optimisation
Develop and implement relationship management plans for complex existing customer accounts to identify and build relationships with relevant decision-makers and influencers within the customer organization and to enable effective two-way flow of information and resolution of issues. Manage ongoing relationships with identified customer segments to ensure their needs are met, providing themes, summary analyses, and recommendations for changes based on customer input.

Performance Management

- Level 7 - Optimisation
Manage and report on the performance of a substantial, diverse team; set appropriate performance objectives for direct reports or project/account team members and hold individuals accountable for achieving them; take appropriate corrective action where necessary to ensure the achievement of team/personal objectives.

Organizational Capability Building

- Level 7 - Optimisation
Use the organization's formal development framework to identify the team's individual development needs. Plan and implement actions, including continuing professional development specified by professional or regulatory institutions, to build their professional capabilities. Provide informal training or coaching to others throughout the organization in own area of expertise to enable others to improve performance and fulfill personal potential.

Required Skills

Builds Customer Loyalty

- Advanced
Works at an advanced level to make every customer interaction positive by leaving the customer feeling understood, appreciated, and confident in the organization's ability. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Strengthens Customer Connections

- Advanced
Works at an advanced level to connect with customers to strengthen the relationship, meeting personal needs through positive customer experiences. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Navigates Customer Challenges

- Advanced
Works at an advanced level to navigate conversations in which the customer is frustrated or unhappy with the organization. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Masters Service Conversations

- Advanced
Works at an advanced level to navigate customer conversations by leveraging the four parts of a service conversation: open, learn, reply, and close. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Understands Customer Needs

- Advanced
Works at an advanced level to articulate customer needs in the customer's business language and business context. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

Maintains the Relationship

- Advanced
Works at an advanced level to cultivate and sustain positive interpersonal connections, fostering trust, collaboration, and effective communication to support enduring professional relationships. Typically works independently and provides guidance.

General Experience

Substantial general work experience together with comprehensive job related experience in own area of expertise to fully competent level (Minimum 8 years)

Completed Regulatory exams (RE5)

LISP experience will be to your advantage

Managerial Experience

Experience of planning and managing resources to deliver predetermined objectives as specified by more senior managers (Minimum 5 years)

Education

Bachelor's Degree or Equivalent Level

Required Behavioural Competencies

• Instils Trust
• Manages Complexity
• Drives Results
• Cultivates Innovation
• Builds Effective Teams
• Directs Work

The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.