Senior Hospitality Underwriting Leader

The Recruitment Council; Gauteng; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,800,000; Full time

Job summary

The Recruitment Council represents a prominent holding company in South Africa's financial services and short-term insurance sectors. The Senior Underwriting Manager: Hospitality will lead strategic direction across the Specialist Hospitality line, driving long-term strategy, expanding market share, and maximizing profitability while maintaining governance and risk controls.

The role requires extensive leadership, budgeting, and cross-functional collaboration to guide major accounts nationwide

Qualifications

• University first degree (Bachelor's degree or equivalent).
• 10–15 years of deep expertise in relevant field.
• 6–10 years managerial experience in planning and organizing resources within policy frameworks.
• Strong commercial and financial acumen in decision-making and budgeting.
• Strategic planning expertise with ability to execute multi-faceted plans.
• Sales and market analysis experience with coordination of campaigns.
• Executive communication and reporting to diverse stakeholders.
• Ability to solve complex problems with systematic thinking.
• Execution and process optimization capabilities.
• Team leadership and cross-functional collaboration with diverse teams.
• Resilience and organizational savviness in changing markets.

Responsibilities

• Strategic Leadership & Direction: Set and communicate the functional strategy aligned with organizational mission, vision, and values, motivating a diverse workforce to meet business goals.
• Functional Strategy Formation: Formulate and execute business area strategies that account for emerging mega-trends, complex industry challenges, and broader corporate objectives.
• Financial Management & Budgeting: Establish and oversee business area budgets to maintain disciplined cost management aligned with overarching strategy.
• Sales & Account Development: Create and execute relationship management strategies for major, complex customer accounts at national and local levels.
• Product & Service Development: Oversee the development and delivery of specialist products and services, directing the product roadmap and managing project backlogs.
• Organizational Risk & Compliance: Lead risk management and control processes, ensuring full compliance with external regulatory codes and internal governance policies to protect company reputation.
• Market & Customer Insight: Drive voice-of-the-customer initiatives, research, and analysis to uncover customer trends, segment requirements, and evolving market expectations.
• Marketing Oversight: Guide the development and delivery of marketing initiatives tailored to the Specialist Hospitality offering.
• Customer Focus & Cross-Functional Collaboration: Champion internal and external collaboration across departments to optimize service delivery and enhance client relationships.
• Capability Building: Identify capability gaps, prioritise talent development initiatives, and mentor team members across the organization.
• Performance Management: Establish clear performance objectives for direct reports, track progress against annual business targets, and implement corrective measures where needed.

Skills

Strategic leadership

Budgeting & financial analysis

Sales & account development

Executive communication

Team leadership

Problem solving

Cross-functional collaboration

Risk & compliance awareness

Market insights

Education

Bachelor's degree

Job description

The Recruitment Council represents a prominent holding company in South Africa's financial services and short-term insurance sectors. The Senior Underwriting Manager: Hospitality will lead strategic direction across the Specialist Hospitality line, driving long-term strategy, expanding market share, and maximizing profitability while maintaining governance and risk controls.

The role requires extensive leadership, budgeting, and cross-functional collaboration to guide major accounts nationwide