Senior Manager: Group Forensic Services

Santam Insurance; Cape Town; On-site; ZAR 1,200,000 - 1,500,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance company in Cape Town is seeking a Senior Manager for Group Forensic Services. This role involves providing strategic oversight to the forensic team, ensuring effective governance, and preventing misconduct. The ideal candidate will have extensive experience in forensic investigations, strong leadership skills, and a commitment to maintaining high ethical standards. This position offers a competitive salary and the opportunity to shape the future of forensic practice within the organization.

Qualifications

• 10-15 years leading forensic investigation teams.
• 10-15 years in investigation of fraud and corruption cases.
• Good understanding of law enforcement processes.
• Experience in criminal and civil litigation (3-5 years).
• Experience in cyber related investigations (10-15 years).
• Drafting and reviewing governance policies (10-15 years).
• Implementing whistle-blowing platforms.
• Exploiting technology for fraud management (5-10 years).
• General insurance experience (5-10 years).
• Computer literacy (3-5 years).
• Developing tools for productivity tracking (3-5 years).
• Engaging subject matter experts (3-5 years).

Responsibilities

• Provide strategic direction to the Group Forensic team.
• Prevent, detect, investigate and remediate misconduct incidents.
• Ensure effective frameworks for forensic functions.
• Promote a whistle-blowing culture.
• Monitor team productivity and report to management.
• Build and maintain partnerships in the industry.

Skills

Talent management

Effective strategy for Forensic Services

Creating and maintaining a whistle-blowing culture

Integrating technology in Forensic process

Supporting SAS Fraud Framework

Knowledge management projects

Promote governance

Ensure governance alignment

Maintain a productive team

Deliver top quality service

Coaching and mentoring

Building partnerships

Effective stakeholder engagement

Best practices

Education

Masters in Forensic Investigation

Masters in Law or LLB

Professional designation as CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner); FP(SA)

Tools

Technology as a tool for management

Various governance policy drafting software

Job description

Senior Manager: Group Forensic Services

Overview

The Senior Manager: Group Forensic Services will have oversight and provide strategic direction to the Group Forensic team so that the team can meet its objectives of responding to incidents of misconduct committed within or against Santam and provide these specialist services across the Group.

They will ensure that there is an effective framework which will prevent, detect, investigate and remediate incidents of misconduct and monitor its effectiveness.

The incumbent will be a subject matter expert in the Group on all activities linked to the Forensic functions and is regularly consulted on such matters.

What will make you successful in this role?

• Talent management: To ensure that the Forensic team is properly resourced with diverse specialists who render specific functions to support the Business Integrity strategy within the different disciplines
• Effective strategy for Forensic Services: to ensure that that is an effective strategy/framework for the Group Forensic Services
• Creating and maintain a whistle-blowing culture: to ensure that there is a complainant driven whistle-blowing platform to receive allegations of misconduct which is aligned to legislative requirements
• Integrating technology as an enabler in the Forensic process: Identifying opportunities to optimise the team’s output by utilising technology as a tool
• Supporting SAS Fraud Framework: Contributing to the implementation and refinement of the SAS Fraud Framework
• Knowledge management projects: Ensuring that there are appropriate platforms in place for knowledge sharing to business by reporting and creating awareness on insurance crime trends
• Promote governance: ensuring policies are in place to support a positive culture across the Group
• Ensure governance alignment across the Group: Review supporting policies for subsidiaries to ensure alignment to Santam
• Maintain a productive team with accurate measures: Set targets for Forensic team productivity and monitor the achievement of these targets. Processes in place to keep accurate statistics. Reporting to SESCo and management on team productivity and successes
• Deliver top quality service: Ensure effective quality assurance processes in place
• Coaching and mentoring: Provide oversight and guidance on complex insurance crime investigations
• Building and maintaining collaborative and meaningful partnerships: Participate and contribute to industry relevant bodies
• Effective stakeholder engagement: Framework in place to support stakeholder management both internal and external
• Best practices: Conducting research to ensure that the Forensic function has methodologies and practices which are aligned to industry and/or international best practices

Qualification and Experience

• Masters in Forensic Investigation
• Masters in Law or LLB
• Professional designation as CFE (Certified Fraud Examiner); FP(SA) (Forensic Practitioner)
• Experience in leading and managing forensic investigation teams (10-15 years)
• Experience in the investigation of commercial crime cases namely fraud and corruption (10-15 years)
• Good understanding and working knowledge of law enforcement processes from investigation to prosecution (10-15 years)
• Experience in criminal and civil litigation processes (3-5 years)
• Experience in conducting cyber related investigations (10-15 years)
• Drafting and reviewing of governance policies (corruption, fraud, fraud response plan, whistle-blower) and reports (10-15 years)
• Implementation whistle-blowing platforms
• Exploiting technology as a tool to proactively manage fraud & corruption (5-10 years)
• General insurance experience (5-10 years)
• Computer literate (3-5 years)
• Ability develop tools to measure, track and report on investigation, ethics and intelligence productivity (3-5 years)
• Experience in engaging and briefing subject matter experts (3-5 years)

Core Competencies

Cultivates innovation - Contributing through others

Customer focus - Contributing through others

Drives results - Contributing through others

Collaborates - Contributing through others

Being resilient - Contributing through others

About The Company

Santam is the market leader in the general insurance industry in Southern Africa. As a large, diversified, and expanding company, we are committed to transformation and growth. While our headquarters are in South Africa, we are rapidly extending our presence into emerging markets across Africa and Asia.

With a client base of over 1 million policyholders, Santam serves individuals, commercial enterprises, specialist business owners, and institutions—including 80 of the Top 100 companies listed on the JSE. Our commitment to Insurance, Good and Proper goes beyond just providing cover—we offer peace of mind, ensuring our clients can focus on living in the moment, not worrying about the unexpected. Because at Santam, we believe the freedom to seize every day is worth protecting.

People drive our business, and we are committed to attracting the best talent, whether for permanent roles or short-term opportunities.

Santam is committed to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including persons with disabilities. We are dedicated to neuro-inclusivity and fostering a workplace where everyone can thrive.

Take the next step in your career—apply now and be part of a company that’s shaping the future of insurance. This is Freedom!