Job Description
What will you do?
Reinsurance Strategy, Structuring, and Placement
• Maintain, optimise and structure the group-wide outwards reinsurance program and ensure alignment with the group’s underwriting, capital, and risk objectives.
• Lead the annual treaty and facultative renewal cycle, including programme design, market engagement, pricing negotiations, and final placement. Collaborate closely with the CEO of Santam Re & International, as well as the group CRO and CUO, respectively.
• Assess and optimise the structure of proportional, non-proportional, and facultative covers based on the needs analysis performed for each division / entity within the group.
Reinsurance Analytics, Modelling, and Portfolio Insight
• Collate and review the reasonableness of actuarial and exposure-modelling work supporting reinsurance purchase decisions (e.g. catastrophe modelling, loss modelling, stochastic simulations).
• Analyse portfolio performance, accumulation trends, loss patterns, and emerging risks to inform reinsurance appetite based on each division’s own risk appetite, while ensuring compliance with the group’s risk appetite statement.
• Interpret internal and external data sources to improve reinsurance optimisation and to develop pricing leverage.
Market Engagement and Relationship Management
• Build and maintain strong relationships with global reinsurers, brokers, and advisory partners.
• Lead market presentations, due-diligence sessions, and reinsurer engagement materials.
• Monitor reinsurance market trends, capacity changes, pricing cycles, and competitor behaviours to anticipate strategic implications. Communicate these insights to key decision-makers within the group to support a culture of continued improvement in decision making.
Operational Execution, Governance, and Compliance
• Ensure end-to-end documentation, contract certainty, and timely execution of reinsurance placements.
• Oversee reinsurance accounting, bordereaux quality, and claims recoveries in partnership with the finance and claims teams, respectively.
• Maintain compliance with all applicable laws and regulations within span of control. This includes ensuring compliance with all group policies which attach to the outwards function.
• Maintain and optimise an environment which fosters industry-leading standards for reinsurance governance and decision-making, including policies, procedures, and internal controls.
Leadership, Stakeholder Management, and Internal Collaboration
• Lead and mentor the reinsurance team, promoting technical excellence and continuous development.
• Identify, initiate and drive actions that support a highly engaged team
• Partner with underwriting, actuarial, finance, financial risk management, and the group risk team on strategy alignment and execution.
• Provide executive-level reporting to group committees, boards, and other interested stakeholders.
• Drive a culture of analytical rigour, transparent communication, and commercial decision-making based on sound data and a clear view of functional and group strategy.