Job Description
Job Purpose and Key responsibilities
Reporting to the Head of Product Development, the Product Development Specialist will drive the development of end to end customer solutions with a Corporate customer focus.
Key responsibilities
1. Product Ideation and Market Research: Generate, develop, communicate and conduct market research for new Corporate product ideas in the market.
2. Product Design and Pricing: Determine technical premiums for new and repackaged Corporate products.
3. Product Risk management: Identify and analyse risks relating to new and repackaged Corporate products, and setting out proposed risk mitigation measures.
4. System and Process Capabilities: Drive the operationalization of new products i.e. ensure processes and systems are in place to administer the complete product administration cycle.
5. Product Approvals: Drive the product approval process both within the Company and externally with the Insurance Regulator and other government bodies - where relevant.
6. Compliance Requirements: Work with the Legal and Risk functions to ensure that all compliance requirements with respect to products are met.
7. Product Documentation: Develop and continually review product training manuals and content for marketing brochures that are appropriate to the target market and distribution channel of the products.
8. Work with the Innovation and other teams to turn data insights into profitable products.
9. Work with the marketing team to improve the look and feel of Britam product offerings.
10. Own and improve the Britam Corporate client journey with focus on customer centricity.
11. Perform any other duties as may be assigned from time to time
Key Performance Measures
• As described in your Personal Scorecard
Knowledge, experience and qualifications required
1. University Degree in Actuarial Science - or other highly numerate subject area.
2. Good progress in examination from the Institute and Faculty of Actuaries or any equally recognized professional actuarial body (attempted and passed at least 8 actuarial exams).
3. At least 3 years' experience in an actuarial or product development function in a very busy office.
4. Experience across product lines preferred i.e. life and non-life.
5. Proven experience working across functions and with multiple stakeholders.
6. A keen eye for innovation in the insurance and financial services space preferred.
Leadership category responsibility framework (Core Competencies)
Team Leaders in Britam need to:
• Operationally lead a team to service customers from a sustainable and growing customer base whilst increasing profit;
• Ensure the company’s objectives are met by being a vision carrier and by implementing strategy and operational outputs;
• Effectively run the business and manage staff in order to enable functional leaders to focus on developing strategy;
• Effectively identify and define key performance areas, deadlines and goals for their team in order to optimise operational effectiveness;
• Ensure the department has the most appropriate people capability through effective inspirational leadership, people development, effective selection and optimised succession planning;
• Create a high performance, proactive culture and motivated team;
• Monitor operational implementation, budgets, plans, goals and outputs in order to ensure alignment with the departmental strategy;
• Ensure that department priorities are adhered to and effectively communicated;
• Effectively disseminate knowledge within the correct context, towards subordinates as well as management;
• Appropriately model the company values while setting the pace and energy for delivering;
• Benchmark operational activities internally as well as externally in order to be a leader in the industry;
• Effectively manage and communicate change within the department in order to increase staff and process effectiveness;
• Provide access to accurate and consistent information and services across all channels;
• Adequately manage operational risk.
Team Leader Competency Descriptions
• Leading and Supervising - Provides team with a clear direction based on the overall strategy and objectives of the department; motivates and empowers others with a clear sense of purpose; creates a positive climate that fosters learning and development; acknowledges high potential talent within the team; sets and articulates the departmental strategy and organisational values through own personal behaviour.
• Adhering to Principles and Values - Upholds and encourages ethical behaviour and departmental values; demonstrates integrity; encourages team and individual responsibility towards the community and the environment; models the organisational values during every day interactions.
• Analysing - Analyses numerical data and all other sources of information, breaking them into component parts, patterns and relationships; probes for further information or greater understanding of a problem; makes rational judgements from the available information and analysis; demonstrates an understanding of how one issue in the team or department may be a part of a much larger system / issue in the organisation.
• Planning and Organising - Sets clearly defined team objectives; plans activities and projects well in advance and takes account of possible changing circumstances; identifies and organises resources needed to accomplish tasks, projects and team objectives; manages time effectively; monitors team performance against deadlines and milestones.
• Delivering Results and Meeting Customer Expectations- Focuses on customer needs and satisfaction; sets high standards for quality and quantity; monitors and maintains quality and productivity; works in a systematic methodical and orderly way; consistently achieves project and team goals.
• Deciding and Initiating Action - Ensures team objectives are met; takes responsibility for decisions, actions, projects and people while focussing on the achievement of team results; takes initiative and works under own direction; initiates and generates activity; makes quick, clear decisions with all information available; team decisions and actions take into account possible impact on all parts of the department.
• Relating and Networking - Easily establishes, as well as assists others in building meaningful relationships with customers and staff; relates well to people at all levels in the department; builds effective networks within, as well as outside the department; facilitates the resolutions of conflict and manages disagreements within team with tact and diplomacy.
• Persuading and Influencing- Gains clear agreement and commitment from team members; promotes the departmental strategy and objectives during team conversations; promotes ideas on behalf of the team and / or department; takes care to manage the team’s impression and brand on others.
• Creating and Innovating- Produces new ideas, approaches, and insights; facilitates the creation of innovative products or designs; produces a range of solutions to problems.
• Formulating Strategies and Concepts - Works strategically to realise team goals; understands and effectively communicates the departmental strategy; translates the departmental strategy and vision into operational responsibilities; takes into consideration departmental strategy during all tasks, projects and decision-making; takes account of a wide range of issues across, and related to the team.
• Working with People - Shows respect for the views and contributions of team members; shows empathy; listens, supports and cares for others; consults others and proactively shares information and expertise with them; builds team spirit and reconciles conflict; adapts to the team and fits in well.
• Presenting and Communicating Information - Speaks fluently; expresses team objectives, opinions, information and key points of an argument clearly; responds quickly to the needs of the team and to their reactions and feedback when communicating; projects credibility.
Technical/ Functional competencies
• Excellent oral and written communication skills with the ability to translate and communicate complex insurance and actuarial principles to a non-technical audience.
• Ability to build and maintain effective working relationships with all stakeholders within each client segment.
• Ability to think clearly and analytically.
• Ability to identify and solve all problem types i.e. both technical and non-technical.
• A keen eye for innovation in the insurance and financial services both traditional and non-traditional (FinTechs etc.) spaces.
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