Senior Underwriting Manager – Hospitality

About the role

The Senior Underwriting Manager – Hospitality will provide strategic leadership for the Specialist Hospitality line of business, driving growth, profitability and operational excellence across South Africa.

Key responsibilities

• Set and communicate functional strategy aligned with the organisation’s mission, vision and values.
• Formulate and execute business area strategies that address emerging trends and industry challenges.
• Oversee budgeting, cost management and financial performance of the hospitality portfolio.
• Develop and manage relationships with major, complex customer accounts at national and local levels.
• Lead product and service development, guiding the product roadmap and project backlogs.
• Ensure risk management, regulatory compliance and internal governance are fully adhered to.
• Drive market and customer insight initiatives to uncover trends and segment requirements.
• Champion cross‑functional collaboration to optimise service delivery and client relationships.

Required profile

• University degree (Bachelor’s or equivalent).
• 10‑15 years of deep expertise in a relevant field.
• 6‑10 years of managerial experience planning and organising resources.
• Strong commercial decision‑making, financial analysis, budgeting and performance measurement skills.
• Proven ability to design and execute multi‑faceted strategic plans.
• Experience in sales, market analysis and coordinating high‑impact campaigns.
• Excellent executive communication and reporting capabilities.
• Skilled at solving complex, ambiguous problems with analytical insight.
• Track record of building high‑performing, diverse teams and fostering collaboration.
• Resilience under pressure and adeptness at navigating organisational dynamics.