Purpose:

An insurance services company is seeking a Financial Manager – Insurance & Operations who is is responsible for ensuring the integrity, accuracy, and effectiveness of all finance operations relating to premium collections, broker commissions, reconciliations, supplier payments, underwriting reporting, management accounts, and operational financial controls. The successful candidate will play a critical role in strengthening the finance function as the business continues to grow and evolve. This role requires a strong understanding of short-term insurance accounting principles, operational finance management, and financial governance in a fast-paced, entrepreneurial insurance environment.

The position will work closely with internal operational teams, business development, suppliers, brokers, and the insurer partner to ensure effective financial management, reporting accuracy, and operational support across the business

Key Job Outputs:

Financial Operations Management

• Oversee the day-to-day finance operations of the business
• Manage and supervise Accounts Payable and Accounts Receivable functions
• Ensure accurate processing and control of all finance transactions
• Monitor transaction flows and ensure compliance with internal finance controls
• Support the development and implementation of finance governance structures and approval frameworks
• Ensure operational continuity and effective finance process management

Insurance Accounting & Underwriting Financial Management

• Manage insurance accounting processes within a short-term insurance environment
• Oversee underwriting account reconciliations and related reporting
• Ensure accurate premium, commission, reserve, and claims-related financial processing
• Monitor broker commission calculations and reconciliations
• Assist in maintaining accurate underwriting financial records and reporting
• Support insurer reporting requirements and monthly reporting obligations
• Maintain awareness of insurance regulatory principles and policyholder protection requirements

Reconciliations & Financial Controls

• Take ownership of complex reconciliations across finance operations
• Investigate discrepancies, anomalies, and transaction variances
• Ensure timely resolution of reconciliation exceptions
• Strengthen reconciliation methodologies and controls
• Implement and maintain robust internal financial controls
• Minimise operational and financial leakage risks
• Ensure accurate and auditable financial records

Financial Reporting & Management Accounts

• Prepare monthly management accounts and finance reporting packs
• Produce variance analysis and financial commentary for management reporting
• Support budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow planning activities
• Monitor financial trends, operational variances, and business performance indicators
• Develop meaningful financial insights to support operational and commercial decision-making
• Assist with reporting improvements and dashboard development

Operational Finance Support

• Support business development and operational teams with financial insights and reporting
• Monitor collections performance and unpaid premium trends
• Assist with operational financial planning initiatives
• Support payment channel expansion and related reconciliation processes
• Contribute toward improving operational efficiency across finance workflows

Governance, Compliance & Audit Support

• Ensure adherence to finance governance standards and internal controls
• Support internal and external audit processes
• Assist in maintaining audit readiness across finance operations
• Ensure compliance with internal finance policies and procedures
• Maintain accurate financial documentation and reporting records

Systems, Technology & Process Improvement

• Utilise finance systems, policy administration systems, and reporting tools effectively
• Support system optimisation, automation initiatives, and process improvements
• Liaise with technology and system service providers where required
• Contribute toward AI-enabled finance process enhancement initiatives
• Assist in the development and improvement of dashboards and BI reporting capabilities
• Support the implementation and enhancement of finance systems and workflows

Leadership & Stakeholder Management

• Lead and support the finance operational staff
• Mentor and develop junior finance team members
• Foster accountability, collaboration, and high-performance standards within the team
• Build and maintain effective relationships with:
  • internal operational teams
  • brokers
  • suppliers
  • service providers
  • insurer stakeholders
  • auditors
  • and management teams
• Manage finance-related stakeholder queries professionally and effectively

Financial Governance & Controls

• Accuracy and integrity of financial operations
• Reduction in financial leakage and processing errors
• Audit readiness and control effectiveness

Financial Reporting

• Timeliness and accuracy of management reporting
• Effective reconciliation management
• Quality of financial analysis and variance reporting

Payments & Collections

• Improvement in finance process efficiency
• Effective management of collections and payments
• Reduction in unresolved finance exceptions

Cash Flow

• Accuracy of cash flow forecasting and liquidity planning
• Effective working capital management
• Proactive identification and mitigation of cash flow risks

Compliance

• Adherence to internal governance frameworks and financial controls
• Compliance with audit, statutory, and insurer reporting requirements
• Maintenance of accurate and compliant financial records and documentation

Operational Efficiency

• Continuous improvement of finance processes and workflows
• Increased automation and optimisation of finance operations
• Reduction in processing bottlenecks and operational inefficiency

Stakeholder Management

• Effective management of broker and supplier relationships
• Internal stakeholder support and responsiveness
• Quality of communication and issue resolution

Leadership & Team Management

• Team support and operational continuity
• Staff development and mentorship
• Finance team effectiveness

Core Competencies:

• Strong short-term insurance accounting knowledge
• Financial reporting and management accounts
• Reconciliation management and financial controls
• Budgeting, forecasting, and cash flow management
• Variance analysis and operational finance reporting
• Governance and compliance management
• Operational finance management
• Understanding of underwriting financial environments
• Moderate to advanced Excel proficiency
• Business intelligence and dashboard reporting exposure advantageous
• Systems and process optimisation capability
• Policy Administration Systems
• Zoho Suite / Zoho Analytics (advantageous)
• Sage Accounting / Sage Payroll
• Financial reporting systems
• BI and dashboard reporting tools
• Microsoft Excel
• High attention to detail
• Strong analytical and problem-solving ability
• Operational ownership and accountability
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills
• Inspirational and supportive leadership style
• Coaching and mentoring capability
• Commercial awareness
• Initiative and adaptability
• Strong communication skills
• Resilience within a fast-paced environment
• Stakeholder engagement and conflict management capability
• Ability to operate effectively within a dynamic and entrepreneurial environment

Qualifications:

• Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting, Finance, or related field
• Honours degree advantageous
• AGA(SA), CIMA, or related professional qualification advantageous

Experience:

• 5–7 years relevant finance experience
• Minimum 3 years of exposure within short-term insurance or broader insurance financial services
• Experience within an underwriting manager, binder holder, or insurance administration environment strongly preferred
• Previous leadership or team supervision experience is advantageous
• Proven experience managing operational finance functions
• Experience in reconciliations, management accounts, and financial controls essential

Salary: Market related

Should you not hear from us within 2 weeks, kindly consider your application as unsuccessful.

All personal information received will be processed in accordance with The Protection of Personal Information Act No. 4 OF 2013