Governance Technical Specialist (12-Month FTC)

About Sanlam Corporate

Sanlam Corporate forms part of the Sanlam Group which offers retail and corporate life insurance, health and investment products in South Africa. Our vision is to be the preferred partner to Corporate and Public Sector by providing awesome client experience and comprehensive solutions that enable the financial resilience and prosperity of those entities and their employees.

We believe in creating and cultivating a positive, diverse, energised working environment that gives every individual the opportunity to achieve success and deliver meaningful value.

The overall purpose of the role

The role is a technical position responsible for identifying, assessing, monitoring and reporting risks; overseeing compliance with insurance, conduct and retirement-fund legislation; and supporting the implementation of strong governance practices across the business. The successful candidate will play a key role in supporting the business in managing regulatory compliance, operational risk, governance, and conduct standards while enabling sustainable business growth and positive customer outcomes.

This role will be closely with business management, operational teams, and second line functions to ensure effective implementation of risk and compliance practices across investment and retirement product operations. This will also include daily operational management, identification and implementation of appropriate interventions as well as provision of technical support across legal, risk and compliance functions within the Sanlam Corporate Investment (SC Invest) business.

Key responsibilities

• Ensure compliance with applicable insurance regulatory frameworks, including the Insurance Act, Conduct of Financial Institutions (COFI) requirements, retirement fund and pension legislation, data protection and privacy laws, as well as AML/CFT regulations.
• Drive the implementation and continuous enhancement of the business risk and compliance management framework in alignment with regulatory expectations, governance standards, and enterprise risk appetite.
• Provide strategic regulatory and compliance advisory support to business leadership on new product development, product enhancements, distribution models, customer engagement strategies, and business transformation initiatives.
• Monitor regulatory developments and
• Monitor regulatory developments, industry trends, and supervisory expectations, assessing their business impact and driving implementation of required regulatory changes and assess the potential impact on business operations, policies, and processes.
• Facilitate compliance monitoring reviews and coordinate the resolution and closure of identified findings.
• Provide compliance advisory support on new product development, marketing campaigns, customer communications, and business initiatives.
• Support internal and external audit processes by coordinating information requests, remediation actions, and stakeholder engagement.
• Conduct regular risk assessments relating to products, operational processes, and third-party service providers.
• Monitor and maintain Key Risk Indicators (KRIs) and the enterprise risk register, escalating emerging risks and control weaknesses where necessary.
• Own and maintain the business risk register, ensuring risks, controls, incidents, and remediation activities are accurately recorded, monitored, and escalated where appropriate.
• Support governance structures, including Risk, Audit, Compliance, Finance and Risk Committees, through preparation of meeting packs, governance reports, and committee submissions. Ensure timely implementation and effective closure of audit findings, regulatory actions, compliance monitoring outcomes, and management remediation plans.
• Assist with fit and proper assessments for key individuals and representatives in line with regulatory requirements.
• Conduct investigations into incidents, regulatory breaches, customer complaints, and operational failures, ensuring appropriate corrective actions are implemented. Oversee remediation activities and monitor implementation of agreed action plans to ensure timely resolution of identified issues.
• Deliver risk and compliance training and awareness programmes to staff, advisers, and management.
• Promote and embed a strong culture of compliance, ethical conduct, and risk awareness across the organisation. Support and challenge business management in embedding a strong culture of accountability, ethical conduct, customer fairness, and risk ownership across all business activities.
• Prepare and present regular management and committee reports covering compliance status, risk exposure, incidents, breaches, regulatory updates, and emerging risks for Executive Committee (Exco) oversight.
• Produce executive-level reporting and management information for senior leadership and governance committees covering the business risk profile, compliance posture, regulatory developments, incidents, breaches, and emerging risks.
• Contribute to the ongoing enhancement of the organisation’s risk culture, governance maturity, and operational resilience capabilities.

Qualification and Experience

• Bachelor’s and/or Postgraduate Degree with strong preference for Law (LLB), Risk and Compliance Management or equivalent qualifications.
• Minimum 3–5 years’ experience in risk, compliance, or governance within financial services, investments, retirement funds, or insurance.
• Strong understanding and experience on investment products, post-retirement products, retirement fund legislation, and financial services regulatory frameworks Familiarity with pension, insurance law and financial services regulations
• Strong knowledge of regulatory legislations such i.e.  FAIS, AML, POPIA, PPR.
• Experience in risk assessments, incident management, compliance monitoring, and governance reporting.

Knowledge and Skills

• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability.
• Excellent report writing and communication skills.
• Ability to interpret legislation and draft policies as well as legal documents.
• Stakeholder management and influencing skills.
• Sound judgement and ethical decision-making capability.
• High attention to detail and accuracy.
• Proactive and solutions-driven mindset.
• Ability to work independently and within cross-functional teams.
• Strong understanding of financial services legislation and regulatory frameworks
• Proficiency in Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Outlook)

Personal qualities

• Action orientated/ Proactive and able to challenge constructively - Taking on new opportunities and tough challenges with a sense of urgency, high energy and enthusiasm
• Innovative - Creating new and better ways for the organisation to be successful
• Plans and Aligns - Planning and prioritising work to meet commitments aligned to organisational goals
• Flexible and Adaptable – Ability to adjust to evolving regulatory environment and changing requirements
• Courage - Stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said
• Independent and Accountable - Holding self and others accountable to meet commitments
• Resilience - Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations
• Ethical, objective and principled.
• Commitment to continuous learning.

Core Competencies

• Legal drafting and advisory
• Regulatory reporting, implementation and governance
• Management of processes
• Execution - Strategic and operational delivery on risk and compliance matters
• Cultivates Innovation by creating new and better ways for the organisation to be successful.
• Client Focus - Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions.
• Drives Results - Consistently achieving results and meets deadlines, even under tough circumstances.
• Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives.

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.

Turnaround time

The shortlisting process will only start once the application due date has been reached. The closing date for this advert is 11th June 2026.

Our commitment to transformation

The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.