Claims Administrator Team Manager_Salvage

What will you do?

The Claims Salvage Team Manager is responsible for overseeing the full salvage lifecycle for insured assets, from identification through disposal, recovery, and reporting. The role ensures optimal recovery values, adherence to regulatory and internal processes, quality customer service, and strong operational governance. The manager will lead a team responsible for salvage assessments, vendor engagement, auction/ disposal management, settlement of Total Loss claims and operational efficiencies that reduce cost and improve recovery ratios.

Key Responsibilities

Operational Management

•    Oversee end-to-end salvage processes (motor and non-motor) from claim initiation to final recovery.

•    Implement and maintain salvage best practices, ensuring consistency across all team members.

•    Allocate workloads, monitor turnaround times (TATs), and ensure SLAs are met.

•    Manage salvage disposal channels (auctions house liaisons.).

•    Ensure accurate valuation, categorization, and documentation of salvage units.

Team Leadership

•    Lead, mentor, develop, and performance-manage the salvage team.

•    Set team KPIs and monitor daily/ weekly/monthly performance.

•    Provide technical training on salvage systems, and regulatory guidelines.

•    Build a high-performance culture that supports efficiency and accountability.

Vendor and  Stakeholder Management

•    Maintain strong relationships with auction houses, salvage contractors, assessors, and internal claims teams.

•    Evaluate vendor performance and take corrective action where service levels drop.

•    Negotiate salvage pricing, terms, and recovery strategies.

•    Collaborate closely with Claims, Assessing, Finance and external partners.

Governance, Compliance and Risk

•    Ensure salvage processes comply with legislation (e.g., Second-Hand Goods Act, POPIA & SAIA code of conduct).

•    Monitor fraud risks and escalate suspicious losses or patterns.

•    Maintain high data accuracy across salvage systems and reporting tools.

•    Drive audit readiness and ensure corrective actions are implemented.

Financial and  Reporting

•    Maximise salvage recovery values and reduce write-off leakage.

•    Track and report monthly recovery performance, trends, and variances.

•    Analyse salvage data to identify process improvement opportunities.

•    Support budgeting, forecasting, and cost-control initiatives for the salvage operation

Continuous Improvement

•    Optimize salvage workflow, technology usage, and vendor management processes.

•    Implement automation and digital enhancements where possible.

Knowledge and Skills

Technical Competencies

•    Salvage valuation and categorization

•    Motor vehicle damage assessment knowledge (advantageous)

•    Strong understanding of claims processes and insurance legislation

•    Data analysis and reporting capability

Behavioural Competencies

•    Strong leadership and people management

•    Negotiation and relationship-building skills

•    Analytical thinking and decision-making

•    High attention to detail and process discipline

•    Ability to work under pressure and within tight turnaround times

Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)

•    Salvage recovery ratios vs expected benchmarks

•    Compliance to TATs and SLAs

•    Reduction in salvage-related leakage

•    Vendor performance quality

•    Team productivity and quality scores

•    Audit pass rate and accuracy of documentation

What will make you successful in this role?

Required Qualifications and Experience

•    Grade 12 / Matric (essential)

•    Relevant tertiary qualification in Insurance, Business, Supply Chain, or related field (advantageous)

•    RE5 and regulatory FAIS compliance (advantageous depending on company structure)

Experience

•    5+ years’ experience in claims (motor or non-motor), salvage, or loss adjusting

•    2–3 years supervisory or management experience

•    Strong understanding of salvage markets, valuation, and disposal processes

•    Experience working with salvage vendors, auctions, or recycling partners

Knowledge and Skills

Personal Attributes

Build a successful career with us

We’re all about building strong, lasting relationships with our employees. We know that you have hopes for your future – your career, your personal development and of achieving great things. We pride ourselves in helping  our employees to realise their worth. Through its five business clusters – Sanlam Fintech, Sanlam Life and Savings, Sanlam Investment Group, Sanlam Allianz, Santam, as well as MiWay and the Group Office – the group provides many opportunities for growth and development.

Core Competencies

Turnaround time

The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The time taken to complete this process will depend on how far you progress and the availability of managers. Deadline to apply: 17 March 2026.

Our commitment to transformation