Underwriter: Technical

Safire Insurance Company ?; Pietermaritzburg; Sur place; ZAR 800 000 - 1 100 000; Plein temps

Résumé du poste

Safire Insurance Company is seeking a Senior Technical Underwriter to support sound underwriting outcomes through expert judgement and detailed risk assessment across domestic, commercial, and agricultural lines. You will interpret complex policy wordings, approve or advise on high‑exposure decisions, and lead technical reviews while mentoring junior staff and documenting all conclusions clearly.

The role emphasizes advanced risk analysis, specialist mitigation approaches, and strong credibility

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in finance, business or related field and a full Short-Term Insurance qualification.
• At least five years’ experience in short-term insurance with senior underwriting exposure.
• Proven technical credibility and mentoring experience within underwriting.

Responsabilités

• Provide senior technical input and approvals on highly complex endorsements.
• Escalate and resolve complex broker or internal underwriting queries.
• Interpret complex policy wordings and coverage intent.
• Approve or advise on complex underwriting decisions within mandate.
• Manage workload across technical reviews and specialist input.
• Document technical decisions clearly and defensibly.
• Perform advanced risk analysis for emerging or unusual risks.
• Support knowledge transfer and technical training within the department.

Connaissances

Technical underwriting

Policy wordings interpretation

Risk analysis

Mentoring / leadership

AI tools usage (Copilot, ChatGPT)

Formation

Senior Certificate + Bachelor’s degree in finance or related field

Short-Term Insurance qualification

FSCA Fit & Proper requirements knowledge

Outils

Copilot

ChatGPT

Description du poste

About the Role:

As a Technical Underwriter, you will support sound underwriting outcomes through senior technical judgement and specialist expertise, applying underwriting guidelines, mandates and risk controls to complex, unusual or high exposure risks, and providing authoritative technical input across the underwriting function.

Key Responsibilities:

• Provide senior technical input and approval on highly complex or non-standard endorsements where specialist expertise is required.
• Act as a senior technical escalation point for complex broker or internal underwriting queries.
• Interpret complex policy wordings, clauses and coverage intent.
• Approve or advise on complex underwriting decisions within specialist mandate.
• Apply judgement on edge-of-appetite and emerging risks.
• Manage workload relating to technical reviews, referrals and specialist input across underwriting teams.
• Ensure technical decisions, interpretations and approvals are clearly documented and defensible.
• Perform or validate advanced risk analysis for complex, unusual or emerging risks.
• Challenge assumptions and methodologies used in underwriting assessments.
• Provide technical input were risks approach tolerance thresholds.
• Review and approve surveys, internal surveys, risk requirements and exposure scenarios requiring specialist judgement.
• Determine appropriateness of alternative controls and mitigations within mandate.
• Support skills development and knowledge transfer within the department.
• Provide technical underwriting / insurance training to the department as a whole.

Minimum Requirements:

• National Senior Certificate (Grade 12) and bachelor’s degree in finance, Business or related field.
• A full qualification in Short-Term Insurance.
• Adherence to FSCA Fit & Proper requirements; (Honesty and integrity, Qualification, CPD, RE5).
• A minimum of five years’ experience in short term insurance, with at least five years’ underwriting specific experience and in-depth exposure to domestic, commercial and agricultural insurance underwriting at senior level.
• Demonstrated experience in technical underwriting and first-line people leadership or mentoring.
• Recognised technical credibility within the underwriting discipline.

Key Skills & Attributes:

• Strong technical underwriting knowledge across relevant product lines.
• High level of professional credibility within the underwriting function.
• Expert knowledge of underwriting principles, complex policy wordings, endorsements and coverage intent.
• Strong understanding of risk aggregation, exposure modelling and specialist mitigation approaches.
• Ability to interpret and advise on ambiguous or emerging risk scenarios.
• High-level analytical and problem-solving capability.
• Ability to influence underwriting decisions through technical authority rather than positional power.
• Competence with AI tools (e.g., Copilot, ChatGPT) for research, drafting and administrative support.