First Line Manager: Underwriting: SLS: RA: Sanlam Risk & Savings: PTA/JHB

Purpose of the Role

The First Line Manager plays a critical leadership role in translating business strategy into operational execution, ensuring the delivery of high-quality underwriting services while developing and empowering team members to perform at their best. As the direct leader of one of the Underwriting teams, this role is accountable for managing team performance, coaching and developing employees, fostering engagement, and creating an environment that enables individuals to effectively fulfil their responsibilities and consistently demonstrate behaviours aligned with the SRS strategic objectives and values.

The First Line Manager is instrumental in building a high-performance culture through strong people leadership, operational oversight, accountability, and continuous improvement. The role is responsible for driving productivity, service excellence, quality standards, and business outcomes, while ensuring the team has the skills, knowledge, and support required to succeed.

As a member of a dynamic management team, the successful incumbent will work closely with fellow First Line Managers, the Operations Manager, and the Chief Underwriter to execute strategic initiatives, optimise operational efficiency, strengthen team capability, and contribute to the overall success of the Underwriting function and the broader business.

What will you do?

• Communicate business requirements clearly and accurately to the team.
• Effective communication to other role-players to ensure accurate and efficient processing of transactions requested by the client.
• Query handling with accuracy, urgency and swift conclusion.
• People and performance management within a productivity, quality and customer service orientated driven environment.
• Identify process shortcomings and discrepancies and resolve and communicate with relevant stakeholders.
• Ensure effective management of Service Level Agreements between New Business and other stakeholders, by means of effective capacity planning and absenteeism management.
• Making effective use of Cubus and Data to manage the operational effectiveness of the department.
• Ad hoc, daily, weekly, monthly or quarterly planning of operational activities of the team.
• Identify training and development needs via trend analysis and with input of Learning & Development team.
• Effectively manage the budget of the department.
• Reporting based on:

• • The performance of the team
  • Trends identified with possible solutions

•  Strategic action plans:

• • Identifying action plans along with the rest of the Management team for a specific year (up to 3 years), based on historic performance, input from teams and possible enhancements to remain relevant.

• Conduct regular individual and team meetings to maintain effective communication and a high focus on relationship building.
• Role-model, drive, embed and vest SRS Values and Culture within the business. 
• In collaboration with the Operations Manager and Chief Underwriter, ensure that the development plan of the team is reviewed monthly, and progress communicated to team members. Ensuring team members remain fully informed about their progress.
• Building relationships with our SanlamConnect stakeholders to ensure adoption of operational processes and client centric outcomes.

Note: 

The environment necessitates overtime in peak periods.  The amount of overtime hours depends on the business need in terms of the volumes received. 

What will make you successful in this role?

Qualification:

• Grade 12
• Relevant tertiary qualification will be an advantage.
• Relevant Management or Leadership development programmes will be an advantage.

Experience:

• 2-3 years managing a production team and/or specialist in the Banking/Insurance industry.
• Experience in people management, development, and/or coaching/mentoring.
• Performance Management experience.
• Exposure to extracting and interpretation of data from Management Information Systems will be an advantage.

Knowledge:

• Knowledge of Financial or Risk products.

Competencies:

• Communicates effectively
• Presentation skills
• Business insight
• Decision quality
• Analytical thinking
• Cultivates innovation
• Plans and aligns
• Concern for accuracy
• Customer focus
• Collaborates
• Drives results
• Influencing and gaining commitment
• Team success
• Being resilient
• Tech savvy

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. 

Closing Date: 28 July 2026

Our commitment to transformation