Senior Underwriting Manager: Hospitality

SUMMARY:
Senior Underwriting Manager: Hospitality

POSITION INFO:
Role: Senior Underwriting Manager: Hospitality Category: Insurance Location: Gauteng Salary: Market-related Our client is a prominent holding company encompassing several of South Africa's leading financial service providers and short-term insurers. Driven by customer-focused innovation and technology, our client brings together a diverse team of thinkers and doers committed to pioneering service excellence in the financial services sector. The Senior Manager: Hospitality is responsible for delivering strategic leadership and oversight across the Specialist Hospitality line of business. This critical role will lead the end-to-end execution of long-term business strategy, expand market share, grow the Specialist Hospitality book of business, and maximize sustainable profitability while maintaining strong operational and financial performance. Key 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. Requirements: Education: University first degree (Bachelor''s degree or equivalent). General Experience: 10 to 15 years of deep expertise and proven professional competence within a relevant field. Managerial Experience: 6 to 10 years of experience managing, planning, and organizing resources within established policy frameworks. Commercial & Financial Acumen: Strong capability in commercial decision-making, financial analysis, budgeting, and performance measurement. Strategic Planning: Comprehensive expertise in independently designing and executing multi-faceted strategic plans. Sales & Market Analysis: Proven track record in customer research, data analysis, and coordinating high-impact sales campaigns. Executive Communication & Reporting: Ability to draft lucid reports and deliver compelling presentations to diverse executive stakeholders. Navigating Complexity: Skilled at solving complex, ambiguous problems through systematic thinking and analytical insights. Execution & Process Optimization: Disciplined in prioritizing initiatives, aligning cross-functional workflows, and continuously optimizing operational processes. Team Leadership & Collaboration: Proven capability in building high-performing, diverse teams, fostering trust, and establishing collaborative cross-boundary partnerships. Resilience & Organizational Savvy: Composed under pressure, adept at maneuvering organizational dynamics, and resilient in managing market changes or operational hurdles.