Job Description

Who are we?
Sanlam Corporate forms part of the Sanlam Group which offers retail and corporate life insurance, health and investment products in South Africa. Our vision is to be the preferred partner to Corporate and Public Sector by providing an awesome client experience and comprehensive solutions that enable the financial resilience and prosperity of those entities and their employees. We tap into over 100 years of expertise to provide cost-effective Employee Benefits and Healthcare Solutions that enable financial confidence for our members. We enable our clients to make better retirement and risk decisions today through determined and passionate thought leadership and best-in-class people, innovative products and proven processes all designed to help people live a better life tomorrow.
We believe in creating and cultivating a positive, energised working environment that gives every individual the opportunity to achieve success by embracing diversity and growing our talent.
What will you do?
The Head:IT Business Operations and Products is accountable for leading the platforms, systems, and operations that power Sanlam Corporate's product and service delivery. This role ensures operational excellence through the seamless integration of platform management, intelligent automation, workflow optimisation, and process engineering.
The role is central to driving platform evolution, including cloud adoption and modernisation of legacy environments. It also requires strong expertise in process optimisation, enabling scalable, simplified, and data-driven operations that improve efficiency, client experience, and business performance. This role can be based in CPT or JHB.
Key Responsibilities
Operational Platform and Workflow Management
Oversee the operations of core administration platforms (e.g., MIP, Fundamental), workflow engines) and supporting technologies
Ensure system stability, performance, and availability, with robust production support and incident management
Standardise and centralise workflows, ensuring effective configuration and governance across platforms
Cloud Readiness and Platform Modernisation
Lead platform transformation and cloud readiness across operational systems, aligning to Sanlam's enterprise cloud strategy
Drive migration of workloads to scalable cloud-based environments, ensuring performance, resilience, and cost-effectiveness
Modernise legacy infrastructure and ensure operational processes are optimised for cloud-native delivery
Process Optimisation and Automation
Lead end-to-end process improvement initiatives across operational areas, embedding continuous improvement practices (e.g., Lean, Kaizen)
Identify and implement automation and intelligent workflow opportunities using tools like UIPath and Automation Anywhere
Simplify and streamline operational processes to reduce errors, improve turnaround times, and eliminate non-value-adding activities
Strategic Execution and Transformation
Execute the multi-year roadmap for business operations and product platforms, including platform consolidation, automation scaling, and operational innovation
Align with Sanlam Corporate's strategic objectives around digital transformation, client-centricity, and scalable growth.
Embed agile delivery models and DevOps practices to improve execution speed and reliability
Governance, Risk and Compliance
Implement and maintain IT and operational governance frameworks (e.g., ITIL, COBIT, SAFe)
Oversee incident management, risk mitigation, and compliance across operations, ensuring regulatory alignment and audit readiness
Maintain continuity and disaster recovery capabilities across platforms
Leadership and People Development
Build and lead a high-performing multidisciplinary team, including platform owners, engineers, business analysts, and automation specialists
Promote a strong culture of collaboration, accountability, psychological safety, and personal growth
Drive capability development and succession planning, focusing on T-shaped skills and strategic acumen
Stakeholder and Vendor Management
Partner with business leaders to ensure operational platforms and processes support product and client needs
Manage vendor relationships and service-level performance to deliver consistent value, innovation, and alignment to cloud and automation strategies
Facilitate integrated planning across BAU, projects, and platform enhancements
Act as a trusted advisor to senior leadership, providing strategic guidance and insights based on data analysis
Technology Evaluation and Innovation
Stay up-to-date with emerging trends, technologies, and methodologies
Evaluate and recommend new tools, platforms, and solutions to enhance performance, availability and drive innovation
Drive the adoption of advanced analytics techniques, such as machine learning and predictive modeling, to gain a competitive advantage
Identify and implement technology improvements and automation opportunities
Collaborate with business units to support digital transformation initiatives
Financial & Vendor Management
Develop and manage the IT operations budget
Negotiate and manage vendor contracts and relationships
Identify cost-saving opportunities and drive operational efficiency
Qualifications and Experience

• Matric
• Bachelor's degree in Information Systems, Computer Science, Industrial Engineering, or related discipline
• Postgraduate qualification in IT management, digital transformation, or MBA (advantageous)
• ITIL 4 Foundation - IT service management
• COBIT 2019 Foundation - IT governance
• Azure or AWS Solutions Architect - Cloud expertise
• SAFe Agilist or SAFe DevOps Practitioner for Agile and DevOps delivery
• Lean Six Sigma Green/Black Belt - For process improvement and optimisation
• UiPath / Automation Anywhere Developer - advantageous
• Certified ScrumMaster (CSM) or PMI-ACP - for agile project execution
• TOGAF Certified - for platform and architecture modernisation
• Strong technical background is a must, with the ability to engage deeply in architectural, operational, and delivery discussions
• 10+ years in IT operations or platform ownership, with deep expertise in managing and optimising core administration systems and workflow applications across complex operational environments
• 10+ years in analytics and business intelligence, with a track record of delivering data-driven outcomes that support business goals
• 5+ years in senior leadership, with proven ability to lead high-performing, cross-functional teams and drive a performance culture
• 3-5 years hands-on experience in cloud environments (Azure, AWS, or hybrid), including workload migration and optimisation
• 3-5 years working within Agile, SAFe, and Scrum methodologies, promoting iterative, collaborative delivery
• Strong experience in process optimisation, operational transformation, and automation at scale (e.g., UiPath, Automation Anywhere)
• Solid understanding of IT and platform architecture, including integration, scalability, and legacy modernisation

Knowledge and Skills

• Deep understanding of business operations within financial services or insurance
• Large group facilitation and coordinating the bigger picture
• Effective written and verbal communication skills are needed, as well as experience in communicating, persuading, and influencing partners
• Change leadership, continuous improvement and process management
• Exceptional analytical, conceptual, problem-solving and process engineering skills
• Technical background and willingness to work agnostically
• Excellent stakeholder management skills
• Strong decision-making capability
• Ability to align with Company/Business strategy
• Strategic planning and systems thinking
• Core system operations and platform stability (e.g., MIP, Fundamental)
• Workflow design and management (e.g. BPM tools)
• Automation tools and frameworks (UIPath, Automation Anywhere, Druid AI)
• DevOps practices, CI/CD pipelines, and automated testing frameworks
• Cloud platforms (Azure/AWS), infrastructure services, and migration strategies
• Data operations and integration awareness (ETL, Datalake/DWH frameworks)
• Incident and change management (ITIL, COBIT)
• Agile methodologies (Scrum, SAFe)

Behavioural Competencies

• Collaborative and open-minded
• Ability to work independently and manage time and tasks according to priority provided
• Have integrity and delivery on committed tasks and initiatives
• Good communicator, listener, and presenter of ideas verbally and visually
• Willing to cross-skill across roles to prioritise business delivery
• Inquisitive of IT trends and self-motivated to continuous learning and personal development
• Flexible and adaptable - rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations
• Courage - stepping up to address difficult issues, saying what needs to be said
• Manages complexity - demonstrated ability and proven record to make complex decisions
• Ensures accountability - holding self and others accountable to meet commitments
• Plans and aligns - planning and prioritising work to meet commitments aligned to organisational goals

Core Competencies

• Cultivates Innovation by creating new and better ways for the organisation to be successful
• Client Focus - Building strong customer relationships and delivering customer-centric solutions
• Drives Results - Consistently achieving results, even under tough circumstances
• Collaborates - Building partnerships and working collaboratively with others to meet shared objectives
• Resilience - Rebounding from setbacks and adversity when facing difficult situations

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.
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.
Our commitment to transformation
The Sanlam Group is committed to achieving transformation and embraces diversity. This commitment is what drives us to achieve a diverse, inclusive and equitable workplace as we believe that these are key components to ensuring a thriving and sustainable business in South Africa. The Group's Employment Equity plan and targets will be considered as part of the selection process.