Manager: Underwriting

Staff Unlimited Recruitment; Johannesburg; On-site; ZAR 900,000 - 1,300,000; Full time

Job summary

Staff Unlimited Recruitment is assisting a dynamic financial services organisation in Johannesburg to appoint a Manager: Underwriting. Based in Sandton, this permanent, on-site role leads the underwriting team, blending risk assessment expertise with strong leadership and regulatory knowledge to protect profitability and service excellence.

You will manage medical risk assessments, oversee financial underwriting, collaborate with actuarial and cross-functional teams, and drive continuous

Qualifications

• Grade 12 with Mathematics is essential.
• 2–3 years of management experience at senior level.
• Several years of hands-on risk assessment and underwriting experience.
• Relevant industry certifications and regulatory approvals.
• Deep knowledge of insurance business and operational processes.
• Strong compliance knowledge in the insurance sector.
• Experience with CRM systems.
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint, Visio) and Adobe.
• Experience engaging with external parties and internal stakeholders.
• Experience analysing business processes for improvement.

Responsibilities

• Lead and manage a team of underwriters.
• Oversee medical risk assessments and accurate risk classification.
• Assess financial underwriting and insurable interest to prevent over-insurance.
• Collaborate with actuarial teams to calibrate automated underwriting rules.
• Manage reinsurance strategies (Facultative and Treaty).
• Improve operational efficiency, cost effectiveness and customer experience.
• Ensure SLAs, quality standards and targets are met.
• Identify and report service failures and process improvements.
• Monitor external service perception and maintain performance targets.
• Contribute to cross-functional initiatives and strategy.
• Assist with budgeting and financial management.
• Ensure professional correspondence standards.
• Maintain relationships with brokers and partners.
• Drive continuous improvement across underwriting processes.

Skills

Management

Risk assessment

Underwriting

Stakeholder engagement

Process improvement

Education

Grade 12 with Mathematics

Regulatory approvals

Tools

CRM systems

Microsoft Office

Adobe

Job description

Manager: Underwriting

Our client, a dynamic and established organisation within the financial services industry, is seeking an experienced Manager: Underwriting to lead and manage its underwriting team.

The successful candidate will combine strong technical risk assessment expertise with effective leadership, operational management and regulatory knowledge to oversee underwriting operations, maintain service excellence and protect business profitability.

Location: Sandton, Johannesburg

Job Type: Permanent, On-site

Key Responsibilities

• Manage and lead a team of junior and senior underwriters, ensuring optimal staff capacity, skills development and performance.

• Oversee medical risk assessments, including the evaluation of complex medical histories and accurate risk classification.

• Manage financial underwriting, including the assessment of financial information, debt-to-income ratios and insurable interest to prevent over-insurance.

• Collaborate with actuarial teams to develop, audit and calibrate automated underwriting rules and outcomes within administration systems.

• Manage reinsurance strategies, including Facultative and Treaty reinsurance structures.

• Monitor and improve operational efficiency, cost effectiveness and customer experience.

• Ensure service level agreements (SLAs), quality standards and operational targets are consistently achieved.

• Identify, investigate and report service failures, errors and areas requiring process improvement.

• Monitor external service perception ratings and ensure performance remains within agreed targets.

• Contribute to cross-functional initiatives and collaborate with executive management and other business areas to improve service delivery.

• Assist with business strategy formulation, budgeting and financial management.

• Ensure all internal and external correspondence meets professional standards and organisational protocols.

• Maintain strong relationships with external stakeholders, brokers and internal business partners.

• Drive continuous improvement across underwriting processes and operational functions.

Minimum Requirements

• Grade 12 with Mathematics (essential).

• Minimum 2–3 years' management experience at management level.

• Several years of hands-on experience in risk assessment and underwriting.

• Relevant industry certifications and regulatory approvals.

• In-depth knowledge of business and operational processes within the insurance industry.

• Strong understanding of compliance processes and procedures within the insurance sector.

• Proficiency in CRM systems.

• Advanced computer literacy, including Microsoft Office (Outlook, Excel, Word, PowerPoint and Visio) and Adobe.

• Experience engaging with external parties and internal stakeholders.

• Experience analysing business processes and identifying opportunities for improvement.