- The General Manager - Underwriting & Reinsurance, oversees the company's technical results. This will cut across Underwriting management, Reinsurance management, Customer service and general departmental operations.
- The role sets and enforces underwriting strategy, pricing and risk appetite across all non-life classes, and designs and places a reinsurance programme that protects capital and earnings at an efficient cost. Oversee retention of the business and ensure renewal budget, specialty and facultative budget is achieved.
- As an ExCo member, the role shapes company strategy and ensures profitable growth stays within the Board-approved risk appetite, Group technical standards, and the requirements of the Insurance Regulatory Authority (IRA) under the Insurance Act (Cap 487).
Key Task & Responsibilities
Strategy and executive leadership (15%).
- Contribute to company strategy as an ExCo member and translate it into a three-year underwriting and reinsurance plan.
- Define target portfolio mix by class, channel and segment, with growth and profitability targets for each.
- Lead the technical input into the annual business plan, budget and capital plan.
- Represent underwriting and reinsurance at Board committee meetings.
Underwriting management (25%)
- Set the underwriting policy, guidelines and risk appetite for every class, and keep them current.
- Oversee acceptance of large, complex and non-standard risks within delegated authority.
- Maintain a tiered authority framework for underwriters, brokers, agents and bancassurance partners, with regular audit of its use.
- Drive portfolio remediation: re-price, re-underwrite or exit loss-making segments and accounts.
- Ensure accurate risk surveys, risk engineering and loss-prevention support for commercial and corporate clients.
Pricing and portfolio performance (15%)
- Own technical pricing and rating models for all classes, working with Actuarial.
- Monitor loss ratios, combined ratios, rate adequacy and premium leakage monthly, and act on adverse trends.
- Work with Claims on claims-cost insight, reserving trends and fraud patterns that affect pricing.
- Approve new products and product changes, including filing with the IRA where required.
- Design the annual reinsurance programme (treaty and facultative) to fit risk appetite, capital and Group guidelines.
- Lead renewal negotiations with brokers, reinsurers and Group reinsurance, and secure Board approval of the programme.
- Ensure compliance with statutory cessions and local-placement rules, and file treaty arrangements with the IRA on time.
- Manage reinsurer security: counterparty ratings, concentration limits and credit exposure.
- Oversee reinsurance accounting, bordereaux, recoveries and reconciliation with Finance, keeping reinsurance debtors within target.
- Model catastrophe and accumulation exposure (such as flood, political violence and aggregates) and buy protection to match.
Risk, compliance and governance (10%)
- Keep underwriting and reinsurance within IRA requirements, Group standards and internal policy.
- Support risk-based capital, IFRS 17 and ORSA processes with accurate technical data and assumptions.
- Maintain underwriting risk registers, controls and audit action plans, closing findings on time.
- Uphold Treating Customers Fairly, AML/CFT and sanctions screening in the underwriting process.
People and capability (10%)
- Lead, develop and retain a high-performing technical team, with clear succession for each key role.
- Build technical depth through professional qualifications (CII, IIK), training and structured delegated-authority growth.
- Champion data, automation and digital underwriting tools that improve speed, accuracy and customer experience.
- Champion Old Mutual's purpose, values, and victory condition across the organization, shaping culture and behavior.
- People management - manage staff and provide leadership to deliver results.
- Manages Complexity - Handle complex and demanding challenges.
- Builds Effective Teams - Building strong-identity teams that apply their diverse skills and perspectives to achieve common goals.
- Ensures Accountability - Holding self and others accountable for meeting commitments.
- Business Insight - Applying knowledge of business and the marketplace to advance the organization's goals.
- Strategic Vision - Seeing ahead to future possibilities and translating them into breakthrough strategies.
- Drives Results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances.
- Customer Focus - Provides cautious, timely and helpful service to encourage client loyalty.
- Engage & Inspire - Creating a climate in which people are motivated to do their best to help the organization achieve its objectives.
- Cultivates Innovation - Creating new and better ways for the organization to be successful.
- Develop Talent - Developing people to meet both their career goals and the organization's goals.
- Technical capabilities. providing guidance and making informed decisions on complex and technical matters.
- Good knowledge in all General insurance products.
- Good technical knowledge in underwriting and Reinsurance.
- Good communication skills.
- Current in political and social affairs.
- Computer literate.
- Diplomacy and tact.
- Honesty and Integrity.
- Good assessment and analytical skills.
- Ability to interact at all levels.
- Bachelor's degree.
- MBA degree (Added advantage).
- ACII.
- 10 years' experience,5 in Top Management.