Group UW Governance Assurance Manager

ABOUT THE OPPORUNITY

This exciting opportunity is available within Group Underwriting Office – Underwriting Governance at Alice Lane, Sandton. This is a Group-level role in the Group Underwriting office, operating across Santam Group.

JOB PURPOSE

To ensure that all Commercial and Personal Lines business is underwritten and placed by internal and external users across the Group fully complies with the relevant underwriting mandates, policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements.

This role provides underwriting governance oversight within the underwriting environment, safeguarding adherence to statutory and internal standards. The incumbent plays a critical role in ensuring underwriting integrity, mitigating risk exposure, and driving alignment between business operations, legal frameworks, and compliance expectations across the Group.

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.

ACCOUNTABILITIES

• Underwriting Compliance Oversight: Ensure full compliance with underwriting standards, mandates, and procedures across all business units.
• Governance and Policy Implementation: Apply and interpret Group governance, underwriting, and compliance frameworks in line with regulatory and internal policy standards.
• Monitoring and Reporting: Provide structured reports on underwriting compliance, governance findings, and corrective actions to relevant management forums.
• Administration: Balancing administrative, analytical, and governance support functions under tight deadlines.
• Portfolio and Risk Assessment: Evaluate risk suitability and underwriting soundness of portfolios and individual cases to ensure alignment with risk appetite and compliance thresholds.
• Data Analytics and Systems: Translating complex governance and data insights into clear, actionable outputs for varied audiences.
• Ensuring data integrity and consistency across multiple systems and sources. Driving adoption of governance systems and processes across decentralised teams.
• Regulatory Alignment: Monitor adherence to relevant legislation, including the Insurance Act, STIA, FAIS, PPR, POPIA, and related prudential standards.
• Fraud Detection and Prevention: Identify potential fraudulent activities and, in conjunction with Group Business Integrity, implement preventative and remedial measures.
• Training and Knowledge Sharing: Identify and address training needs for internal and external stakeholders on underwriting standards, compliance updates, and governance changes.
• Stakeholder Management: Ability to build networks and good relations, relate to people across organisation levels and boundaries, build networks and profitable partnerships.
• Engage with business units, brokers, intermediaries, and governance partners to ensure consistent underwriting and compliance practices. Manage diverse stakeholder expectations across multiple Group entities with differing priorities. 

QUALIFICATIONS

• Degree / NQF 7 relevant to business or insurance.
• Relevant Compliance, Audit and or Risk Management qualification.

EXPERIENCE

• Minimum 5 years technical underwriting experience with regards to non-life insurance business.
• Minimum of 5 years’ experience in compliance, audit or governance within a large insurance organisation, preferably involving underwriting oversight or risk management.
• Sound understanding of the Insurance Act, Short-Term Insurance Act, FAIS Act, FAIS General Code of Conduct, Policyholder Protection Rules (PPR) and Protection of Personal Information Act.
• In-depth understanding of underwriting governance principles and relevant non-life product knowledge and experience.

SKILLS

• Strong proficiency in underwriting systems and Microsoft Office Suite (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook).
• Excellent analytical, decision-making, and problem-solving abilities.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills, with the ability to interpret and communicate complex legal and compliance requirements clearly.
• Proven stakeholder management and relationship-building skills.
• Conflict resolution and negotiation capability.
• High attention to detail with a proactive approach to risk identification and mitigation.
• Ability to work under pressure, prioritize effectively, and manage multiple deliverables.

COMPETENCIES

• Legal and Regulatory Acumen: deep understanding of relevant laws and frameworks.
• Governance Orientation: ensure consistent application of underwriting policies and compliance standards.
• Analytical Thinking: interpret data and identify trends or compliance risks.
• Drives Results: demonstrate accountability for achieving compliance outcomes.
• Stakeholder Influence: engage effectively with both internal and external partners.
• Resilience and Adaptability: manage competing priorities under changing regulatory demands.
• Collaboration and Communication: foster cooperation across functions.
• Decision Quality: exercise sound judgement in complex or ambiguous situations.
• Bilingual (Afrikaans and English)

ABOUT SANTAM

Santam is the market leader in the general insurance industry in Southern Africa. As a large, diversified, and expanding company, we are committed to transformation and growth. While our headquarters are in South Africa, we are rapidly extending our presence into emerging markets across Africa and Asia.

With a client base of over 1 million policyholders, Santam serves individuals, commercial enterprises, specialist business owners, and institutions—including 80 of the Top 100 companies listed on the JSE. Our commitment to Insurance, Good and Proper goes beyond just providing cover—we offer peace of mind, ensuring our clients can focus on living in the moment, not worrying about the unexpected. Because at Santam, we believe the freedom to seize every day is worth protecting.

People drive our business, and we are committed to attracting the best talent, whether for permanent roles or short-term opportunities.

Santam is committed to diversity, inclusion, and belonging. As an equal opportunity employer, we encourage applications from candidates of all backgrounds, including persons with disabilities. We are dedicated to neuro-inclusivity and fostering a workplace where everyone can thrive.

Take the next step in your career—apply now and be part of a company that’s shaping the future of insurance. This is Freedom!