Manager: Underwriting & Support (Agriculture) x1
- Position: Manager: Underwriting & Support (Agriculture)
- Company: Santam Specialist Solutions
- Location: Bloemfontein or Gauteng
- Industry: Agricultural Insurance
- Employment Type: Permanent
Position Purpose
The Manager: Underwriting & Support (Agri) is responsible for leading agricultural underwriting activities, managing crop insurance risk, supporting product development, maintaining underwriting profitability, and providing technical guidance to underwriting teams, intermediaries, and clients. The role combines agricultural expertise, insurance knowledge, risk management, pricing analysis, and strategic decision-making to ensure sustainable growth of the agricultural insurance portfolio.
Key Responsibilities
Underwriting and Pricing Management
- Establish and maintain sound underwriting and rating principles.
- Ensure profitable growth of the crop insurance portfolio.
- Assess agricultural risks and underwriting opportunities.
- Revise and update pricing and rating models in collaboration with actuarial teams.
- Provide technical underwriting guidance to staff and intermediaries.
- Recommend appropriate underwriting decisions based on risk profiles.
- Assist in selecting suitable crops and geographical regions for business expansion.
Agricultural Risk Management
- Develop and maintain agricultural risk management solutions.
- Analyse production risks affecting farmers and agricultural enterprises.
- Evaluate environmental and climatic risks affecting crop insurance portfolios.
- Recommend risk mitigation strategies.
- Ensure underwriting practices align with reinsurance requirements.
Product Development and Innovation
- Participate in the development of new agricultural insurance products.
- Improve and enhance existing insurance products.
- Evaluate product feasibility and system requirements.
- Monitor industry developments and emerging agricultural trends.
- Assist in designing innovative crop insurance and risk management solutions.
- Ensure products remain competitive and relevant to market needs.
Data Analysis and Reporting
- Produce underwriting, business performance, and management reports.
- Provide accurate reports to internal stakeholders and reinsurers.
- Analyse portfolio performance and underwriting trends.
- Present business insights through reports and presentations.
- Support regional distribution teams with business intelligence and data analysis.
- Generate routine and ad hoc reports for decision-making purposes.
Business Support and Organisational Development
- Work closely with distribution and sales teams.
- Provide underwriting information that supports strategic decision-making.
- Identify emerging underwriting trends and communicate findings.
- Support business growth through data-driven recommendations.
- Assist teams in understanding portfolio performance and market conditions.
Corporate Governance and Compliance
- Ensure compliance with underwriting policies and procedures.
- Maintain accurate records of underwriting decisions.
- Act as custodian of underwriting data integrity.
- Ensure information used for analysis is accurate and reliable.
- Support governance and regulatory compliance requirements.
Minimum Requirements
Qualifications
- Agricultural Degree or equivalent qualification.
Preferred Qualifications
- FAIS Compliance (Commercial and Personal Lines).
- RE5 Regulatory Examination.
- Additional insurance-related qualifications will be advantageous.
Experience Requirements
- 5–10 years’ experience in:
- Agricultural Insurance
- Crop Insurance
- Underwriting
- Agricultural Risk Assessment
Advantageous Experience
- Reinsurance experience.
- Product development experience.
- Agricultural risk management experience.
Knowledge Requirements
Applicants should possess strong knowledge of:
- Agricultural insurance principles.
- Crop insurance products.
- Underwriting and pricing methodologies.
- Agricultural production systems.
- Risk management practices.
- Reinsurance principles.
- Insurance regulations and compliance requirements.
- Data analysis and business reporting.
Key Competencies
Leadership and Management
- Staff development and mentoring.
- Leading by example.
- Team collaboration and support.
- Decision-making abilities.
Technical Competencies
- Underwriting expertise.
- Risk assessment and pricing.
- Agricultural industry knowledge.
- Product development.
Analytical Skills
- Data interpretation.
- Trend analysis.
- Problem-solving.
- Strategic thinking.
Communication Skills
- Presentation skills.
- Report writing.
- Stakeholder engagement.
- Technical communication.
Interpersonal Skills
- Negotiation.
- Conflict resolution.
- Relationship building.
- Client and intermediary support.
Personal Effectiveness
- Time management.
- Ability to work independently.
- Adaptability.
- Ability to perform under pressure.
- Managing competing priorities.