Chief Underwriting Officer

SUMMARY:
A leading player in the short-term insurance sector is seeking a highly experienced and strategic professional to join their team as the Head of Technical Underwriting. This is a senior leadership role reporting directly to the Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO), responsible for driving underwriting excellence, risk management, and product oversight across the business.

POSITION INFO:
Job Title: Head of Technical Underwriting

Key Responsibilities:

• Lead the implementation and continuous improvement of underwriting strategy, standards, and governance practices.
• Oversee and enhance underwriting philosophy across products including wordings, endorsements, proposal forms, mandates, pricing, and audits.
• Drive and manage reinsurance strategy (treaty and facultative), ensuring alignment and compliance across teams.
• Establish and uphold risk management practices across underwriting and claims functions.
• Ensure governance and compliance with all internal policies, audit requirements, and regulatory frameworks.
• Provide strategic support to product development and enhancement initiatives.
• Lead risk selection oversight, identifying areas for improvement and training across underwriting teams.
• Conduct and oversee internal audits related to underwriting and claims; implement findings and maintain robust audit plans.
• Deliver insightful reports and recommendations to leadership, highlighting underwriting trends and market intelligence.
• Provide technical underwriting support and guidance on complex cases.
• Develop training materials and facilitate technical development across teams.
• Represent underwriting in cross-functional executive and committee meetings.
• Support compliance with POPIA and promote a Treating Customers Fairly (TCF) culture.

• Bachelor’s Degree in Risk Management, Commerce, or a relevant business qualification.
• Minimum 10 years’ experience in short-term/special risk insurance, including:
  • Technical underwriting
  • Claims handling
  • Risk management
  • Reinsurance (facultative and treaty)
  • Governance, audit, and compliance
  • Product development
• Deep legal knowledge of insurance-related Acts and regulatory requirements (e.g., Insurance Act, FAIS, and Prescription Act).
• Proven experience in leading and developing technical underwriting functions and managing multidisciplinary teams.

• Strong analytical, investigative, and strategic thinking ability.
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills; confident report writer and presenter.
• High level of self-management, initiative, and accountability.
• Strong relationship management and stakeholder engagement.
• Skilled in negotiation, risk identification, and decision-making.
• Proficient in MS Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and Outlook).
• Well-networked within the insurance ecosystem (reinsurers, brokers, legal experts, and industry bodies).