Head of Insurance Operations Cape Town

📌 OPPORTUNITY OVERVIEW:-Confluent is actively recruiting for a Head of Insurance Operations position in Cape Town. This is an excellent opportunity for professionals in the Insurance sector looking to advance their careers.

🎯 IDEAL CANDIDATE PROFILE:-We are seeking talented individuals with the following profile:• Experience Level: 5 years • Educational Background: Bachelor or equivalent• Industry Focus: Insurance• Location Preference: in Cape Town

💼 WHY THIS ROLE MATTERS:-The Head of Insurance Operations position is an important role within the Insurance sector, offering meaningful career development and professional growth opportunities.

📈 CAREER DEVELOPMENT INSIGHTS:-This role in Insurance offers valuable career progression opportunities aligned with your experience level and professional aspirations.

📋 APPLICATION GUIDANCE:-When applying for this Head of Insurance Operations position, ensure your CV highlights:• Relevant experience matching the 5 years requirement• Educational qualifications in line with Bachelor• Specific achievements in the Insurance field• Any certifications or specialized training

🌍 SOUTH AFRICA JOB MARKET CONTEXT:-The Insurance sector in South Africa continues to show strong demand for skilled professionals. This position represents a valuable opportunity in the current job market.

Job Title: Chief Operations Officer, Insurance Division

Company: Confluent

Salary: Market Related

Job Type: Permanent

Sectors: Investment Finance

Reference: 206927

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**Position Overview**

We are seeking a seasoned professional to lead the Insurance Operations division, overseeing both Claims & Fulfilment functions and the individuals who manage them. Reporting directly to the executive team and designated as a Key Individual within the FSP, you will be responsible for the success of claims processes, policy client service, and the control environment. Your role will involve translating business objectives into clear operational goals, ensuring that claims and policy fulfilment are executed with precision and timeliness. You will also be tasked with cultivating a competent, accountable team across senior and junior management layers. This role is ideal for a leader who merges operational rigor and regulatory compliance with a strong commitment to customer fairness.

**Key Responsibilities**

**Claims Management** - Oversee end-to-end claims performance, ensuring adherence to SLAs, accuracy, and complaint targets. - Exercise final approval authority on claims exceeding M2 limits, refunds, and exceptions. - Provide direct supervision for the Claims Insurance Specialist on technical claims, escalations, audits, and special projects. - Maintain the Claims QA function, in alignment with insurer QA and Group Business Assurance. - Manage the insurer relationship, addressing escalations and exceptions. - Conduct root cause analysis for claims defects and rework, supported by M2 and M1 guidance.

**Fulfilment and Policy Client Service** - Lead the Fulfilment team in delivering exceptional service throughout the policy lifecycle, including administration, changes, refunds, and complaints. - Establish and monitor fulfilment SLAs and cycle times, ensuring a fair outcome and first-time right service for all client interactions. - Manage the Fulfilment QA function, ensuring complaints are resolved in line with TCF and Policyholder Protection Rules. - Utilize complaint and query trends to address underlying process issues.

**People Leadership** - Supervise the M2 Operations Manager and M1 Claims and Fulfilment Team Leaders, fostering performance management, training, skill enhancement, and succession planning. - Approve leave, overtime, performance reviews, and disciplinary actions for direct and indirect reports. - Cultivate a high-performance, accountable culture with psychological safety, reducing absenteeism and disciplinary issues. - Oversee daily operations alongside the M2 Operations Manager and M1 Team Leaders, ensuring clear oversight and feedback mechanisms.

**Systems and Process Optimization** - Prioritize and manage system improvement and automation projects to reduce defects, rework, and enhance turnaround times. - Review and approve User Acceptance Testing (UAT) outcomes and deployment readiness for new processes and product features. - Sign off on operational policy, process, and system changes.

**Stakeholders, Budget, and Resourcing** - Act as a liaison between Operations, Compliance, IT, Products, and Finance. - Deliver timely monthly Operations and Exco reports, including trends and forward-looking insights. - Manage relationships with insurers, external compliance officers, and auditors. - Contribute to budgeting, forecasting, and capacity planning with Finance, staying within approved variance. - Recommend new roles, resourcing changes, and automation initiatives within the department.

**Preferred Requirements**

• Extensive experience in insurance, encompassing claims and policy administration. - 5 years of people management experience, with 3 years in middle or senior management roles. - Full Representative status (not under supervision) for the FSP’s licensed categories. - Appropriate Degree required. - High integrity, good standing, and financial soundness; CPD up to date. - No debarment, no record of dishonesty; clear credit and criminal checks.

**Additional Requirements**

• Meet Key Individual Fit and Proper requirements, including passing RE1 and RE5 within the first 9 months. - Obtain FSCA-recognized qualification applicable to the FSP’s license categories. - Acquire regulatory knowledge within 6 months of appointment, including FAIS Act, Financial Sector Regulation Act, Insurance Act, National Credit Act, FICA, RMCP requirements, POPIA, TCF, and complaints management. - Demonstrate technical and management competencies in claims assessment, policy administration, team leadership, supervision, risk management, and data-driven reporting. - Exhibit behavioral attributes such as leading by example with integrity, customer-centricity, psychological safety, accountability, composure under pressure, and executive-level communication.