Head: VAPS at Telesure Investment Holdings (TIH)

Job Purpose

• Grow the Commercial Lines business through designing, implementing and managing strategic initiatives to unlock new markets, build and improve on the existing value proposition to unlock profitable growth on commercial, specialty and value added product lines. In addition, enhance customer interaction and staff satisfaction in order to achieve company targets and objectives.

Responsibilities

Functional Strategy Formation

• Execution of core strategic focus areas. Lead the development and implementation of strategy for Commercial Lines. Remain current on competitor activity and market landscape and anticipate mega-trends and complex challenges and opportunities, and ensuring integration with wider corporate strategy. Identify potential commercially viable distribution channels and build business models in support of Group strategy and objectives. Accountable for delivery of projected growth opportunity of existing and new businesses efficiently within or below agreed OPEX. Continuously review performance and initiate appropriate strategies. Ensures that all operational aspects are effectively managed by continuously reviewing quality and efficiency targets.

Leadership and Direction

• Set and communicate the strategy for achieving the Commercial Lines mission, vision and values within a function, together with the broad actions needed to implement it; inspire a large or diverse workforce to commit to these and to doing extraordinary things to achieve the Commercial Lines business goals. Responsible for all aspects of staff resourcing, succession planning, management and development ensuring the right people are in place to support service delivery, achieving production and performance targets at all times. Hold monthly team meetings and ensure that actions are recorded and executed. Operational oversight and management of the Commercial Lines business.

Improvement / Innovation

• Initiate, formulate and implement new business practices and research and develop new technologies and product lines within Commercial Lines while managing the development and delivery of a significant element of the organisation's change management program. Leverage all available information from our partners, the industry and internal stakeholders to ensure we are constantly reviewing our products, underwriting criteria, departmental processes, systems and protocols with a view to ensure profitability, improve efficiencies and to ensure best practice. Enhancing the pace and effectiveness of execution, unlocking accelerated growth and lifting competitiveness in the market.

Business Planning

• Develop and gain agreement to annual business plans for Commercial Lines, ensuring alignment with strategy; quantify business outcomes (i.e. revenues or other key performance indicators); detail expense and headcount budgets; and develop business cases for key projects, ensuring cross-functional integration. Delivery and reporting on board-agreed milestones and targets

Stakeholder Engagement

• Identify and manage stakeholders up to C-suite level, finding out their needs/ issues/concerns and reacting to these by leading and coordinating the development of stakeholder engagement plans to support the communication of business information and decisions. Active collaboration with the Commercial Lines, VAPS and Distribution executive team on creating, building and refining growth agendas for the Commercial Lines business.

Performance Management

• Manage and report on business performance; hold direct reports accountable for achievement of business plans, and take corrective action where necessary to ensure the achievement of business objectives, balancing the need to deliver short term business objectives with the longer term delivery of stakeholder value.

Organisational Capability Building

• Identify the capabilities needed to meet the current and emerging business needs of a significant business area. Evaluate current capabilities, identify gaps, and prioritise development activities. Motivate others to develop their capabilities and fulfill their personal potential. Build capabilities elsewhere in the organisation through mentoring and other informal methods.

Personal Capability Building

• Act as subject matter expert in an area of technology, policy, regulation, or operational management for the function. Maintain external accreditations and in-depth understanding of current and emerging technologies, external regulation, and industry best practices through continuing professional development, attending conferences, and reading specialist media.

Compliance

• Take responsibility for developing and implementing compliance policies for Commercial Lines. Ensure that the correct employee on-boarding process is adhered to.

Promoting Customer Focus

• Develop internal marketing plans and work collaboratively with other departments to improve internal relationships in a large organisation and to build strong external customer relationships.

Budgeting & Costing

• Take responsibility for setting and managing the provisional budgets to meet business and profit targets.

General Education

• Relevant degree (Essential);
• Relevant Post Graduate - Master’s Degree (Advantageous);
• Professional qualification; FASSA or CERA (Advantageous)

General Experience

• 6 - 10 years substantial general work experience together with comprehensive job related experience in own area of expertise to fully competent level (Essential);
• Experience in the short term insurance industry (Essential);
• Experience in commercial specialty (Advantageous);
• Experience in Risk management or Actuarial practices (Advantageous)

Managerial Experience

• 6 or more years’ experience of planning, managing and organising resources within short / medium timescales within the overall policy framework (Essential)