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Job Description

As Journey Owner, you will be responsible for the technical process oversight of the execution of death claim processes in terms of Section 37C of the Pension Funds Act (PF Act). This includes designing, optimizing, & managing this death claims journey across various touchpoints & channels to ensure a seamless & positive experience for all claims stakeholders/advisors. You will work closely with cross-functional teams, including legal, tax, compliance, finance, IT, as well as regulatory bodies, boards of trustees & its sub-committees, other retirement Funds & Fund administrators, corporate clients & advisors, to align strategies & initiatives that support the overall death claims journey.
Section 37C technical understanding & environment knowledge/experience is paramount for this role. This is a unique field where the individual applies knowledge, skill & experience in an operational environment through own efforts & efforts of others.

DEATH CLAIM STAKEHOLDERS:

Removing friction, driving point of contact resolution, a seamless & integrated experience across all channels.Develop a deep understanding of the Section 37C death claims journey, from awareness of death to completion of the statutory process execution.Identify pain points & opportunities for improvement within the Section 37C death claims journey.Monitor & analyse claim stakeholder/advisor behaviour & feedback to identify trends & insights that can inform decision-making.Drive initiatives to optimize & streamline the Section 37C death claims journey, leveraging technology & data-driven insights.Champion a claim stakeholder-centric mindset within the organization & advocate for continuous improvement in the death claims experience.Stay informed about industry trends & best practices related to regulatory death claims experience & journey mapping.

RISK:

Making sure all legislation applicable to the Section 37C death claims journey are met & there is appropriate risk monitoring, mitigation & management. Monitor the delivery of quality of execution of statutory duties on behalf of the Boards of Trustees at the required standard, ensure swift reaction to feedback loops (GIA, Risk & Compliance findings).Governance: Oversee & audit controls to ensure it is in place, maintained & expanded (as required) to enable proactive actions to mitigate against non-compliance in terms of the Section 37C processes.Risk Management: Ensure all risks are identified, logged & mitigated (including the reporting of breaches).  Maintain a position of proactive intervention.Compliance: Monitor that standard operating procedures & relevant protocols are meticulously adhered to & take mitigative action.Audit:  Ensure all issues are raised, addressed, & tracked against delivery dates.

REGULATORY SCOPE:

High: Critical in terms of compliance with legislation, regulation & Fund rules, as well as high impact of any regulatory change which requires process & control changes.Legislative requirements: Stay abreast of developments, understand the impact on process execution & enable compliance of processes with the PF Act, Income Tax Act, POPI Act, etc.Monitor adherence to relevant technical Policies, Standard Operating Procedures, Trustee Principles & Guidelines, Reasonable Steps Policies, other relevant technical protocols & Fund Rules.Draft proposals/sign-off in respect of management decisions on technical & complex problems to resolve process & administrative enquiries, escalations & complaints.

PRODUCT SPAN:

High: In-depth knowledge & understanding of Fund-owned products across all segments.Section 37C death claims are processed on a product & segment agnostic basis.

PEOPLE LEADERSHIP:

High: Span of control, size and cost of team.Front and back-office management.Collaborate with cross-functional teams to develop & implement strategies to enhance the death claims stakeholder experience.Define key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure the effectiveness of the claims stakeholder journey.Manage direct leadership reports, Technical & MI Specialists, as well as a Change enabling team.Full suite of people management (i.e., capacity planning, recruiting, goal setting, performance management, coaching, employee wellbeing, employee skills matrix & learning/career journeys, recognition, ad hoc issues etc.)

COST OPTIMIZATION/DRIVE AUTOMATION:

High: Volume & size of financial exposure of claims could impact loss or profitability of Business.Monitor environment in terms of best practices & consistent execution.Monitor, guide & ensure continuous process improvements to ensure execution is optimally effective & efficient throughout the start to end process (speed & pace of progression of cases within the legislative timeframe).Identify/search out synergies across the business unit & servicing portfolio.Align with peers in other business units where environments touch/overlap.Sign-off & oversee campaigns to deliver on business plans & special projects (including output surges to meet deadlines).Oversee any impact of changes to systems & processes on execution & delivery & take appropriate actions.Oversee, audit & track overpayment recoveries.

STRATEGIC PLANNING AND DEVELOPMENT:

Understanding overall business objective, competitor landscape, providing thought leadership & foresight to ultimately provide an industry leading Section 37C death claim stakeholder journey experience.Strategic & tactical planning with agile operational execution (i.e., ability to swiftly pivot when circumstances require it).Maintain an ‘outside-in’ view (with a claim stakeholder lens) i.e., continuously compare OM processes to processes of competitors (via external stakeholder interaction & other insights) to identify opportunities for improvement/best practices.Document & share relevant strategic initiatives across the business.Identify, craft & implement strategic initiatives to build towards a future fit S37C capability.

STAKEHOLDER MANAGEMENT AND COMMUNICATION:

Managing all stakeholders involved in the overall death claims journey experience across departments & also across journeys where relevant.Internal: Engage with peers in support teams/functions to maintain standards & SLA’s etc.External: Engage with financial advisers, intermediaries, segments, employers, Principal Officers, Fund’s sub-committees, external service providers etc. to ensure alignment to best practices (including stakeholder relationships).Deep understanding of all segments in which we operate & nuances to meet claims stakeholder needs.Oversight of all inbound & outbound communication (i.e., ensure protocols are always adhered to).Sign-off/provide guidance (where required) in respect of enquiries, escalations & complaints in respect of administrative processing & monitor alignment with complaints handling standards.Ability to create & deliver presentations/workshops to relevant internal & external stakeholders (in respect of process performance, deliveries, projects, etc.).

REPUTATIONAL IMPACT

High: Exposure to media, regulatory scope, product span requiring deep control of outcomes.

MINIMUM QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE (REQUIRED FOR THE JOB)

Appropriate Bachelor’s degreeProven track record of risk management experience.At least 8 years at middle/senior management level.Demonstrated experience in project and stakeholder managementExperience in managing cross-functional teams and driving process improvementsProven management experience in retail and/or occupational retirement fund administration – particularly Section 37C death claims (i.e., a comprehensive understanding of the start to end process, environment & stakeholders), and journey mapping (or components thereof).

ADDITIONAL QUALIFICATIONS/EXPERIENCE (PREFERRED, NOT A REQUIREMENT)

Proven Audit/Forensic investigation experienceLegal/ComplianceKnowledge of Agile methodology and experience in managing Agile Teams

COMPETENCIES REQUIRED

Strategic

Collaboration (Relating)

Customer (claim stakeholder) first

Execution

Innovation (Perspective)

Leading with influence

Personal Mastery (Learning)

Cross-Functional Collaboration

Data-Driven Decision Making

Technical Knowledge (Ability to work in highly regulated complex process environment with knowledge of regulatory environments, relevant to Section 37C death claims practices).

Agility to deal with changing regulative, legislative & procedural environments.

Skills

Communication, Leadership, Process Improvements

Education

Bachelors Degree (B) (Required)

Closing Date

19 October 2024

The appointment will be made from the designated group in line with the Employment Equity Plan of Old Mutual South Africa and the specific business unit in question.

Old Mutual Limited is pro-vaccination and encourages its workforce to be fully vaccinated against Covid-19.

All prospective employees are required to disclose their vaccination status as part of the recruitment process.

Please refer to the Old Mutual’s Covid-19 vaccination policy for further detail. Kindly note that Old Mutual reserves the right to reinstate the requirement to vaccinate at any point if it is of the view that it is imperative to do so.

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