Job Description

We are looking for a Research and Development Officer who will be responsible for obtaining new knowledge that the Group will use to create new products, services, systems, and information to remain competitive.

You will be working for a company that is over 100 years old with strong values which are customer centric. In return for your services, you will be paid a competitive package which includes pension fund contributions and a medical aid allowance. You will have access to personal services through the employee assistance program and wellness programs. You will be working for an organization that values employee development and rewards excellent performance.

RESPONSIBILITIES INCLUDE:

Product Research

Execute system requirements (electronic documentation) as per project scope.

Developing and executing innovation and research roadmaps incorporating current developments to improve existing products and study the potential of new products.

Identifying researching goals and establishing methods for product research.

Obtain understanding of customer experience, digital and gamification trends, and innovations in the industry.

Developing research methodologies to collect data and offer recommendations on evaluating products.

Conducting research and documenting all phases of the research and development process and submit to manager.

Conducting market research to identify customer needs and preferences to develop product specifications to be reviewed by manager.

Collecting and recording data to provide insights on the current and/or new product requirements, process flows, etc.

Conducting desktop research, using books, journal articles, newspaper sources, questionnaires, surveys, polls, and interviews to gather data on the need for new insurance products to present to the manager.

Providing an informed opinion on advanced methods to design new insurance products or enhance processes for production capacity and capabilities to committees, management and team members.

Evaluating outcomes of new products and processes to deliver improved business results.

Assisting in product brief execution according to project scope requirements (Trials, product samples, and product analysis.

Product Development

Planning, and implimenting the development of new products according to the needs as identified by the sales team and approved by the product committee.

Obtain understanding customer experience of existing products to recommend proposed new developments.

Evaluating new and existing products to measure the performance to be discussed with manger and the sales team to determine success or failure of the changes.

Stakeholder engagement

Assisting in coordinating multi-disciplinary teams including relevant internal and selected external stakeholders for pre-trial meetings and briefs.

Collaborating with cross-functional teams such as marketing, Actuarial Product Pricing Specialist, Brand and Advertising etc to gain insight into the need of the clients.

Stay up-to-date of industry trends, customer needs, and competitor products to identify opportunities for new products or product improvements to ensure that the Society remains competitive and expand our client base.

Communicate effectively with cross-functional teams, senior management, and external partners to ensure stakeholder alignment to project goals and timelines.

Drive improvements in conceptualisation of ideas to attract new markets.

Work with existing brand guidelines and make recommendations for product improvements where necessary.

Budget Management

Determine provisional budgets for the research and product development processes to be approved by the manager product development.

A relevant Tertiary marketing research qualification will be an advantage

At least 3 years experience in research and development in the financial markets, preferable an insurance company

Must be able to think out of the box

Experience in both qualitative and quantitative research methods

Sound understanding of research methodologies

Decision making and judgement

Report writing

Fluent in Excel and PowerPoint presentations

Good communication skills and must be able to interact with senior management

A strong interest in new technology and advances in insurance to deliver innovative and competitive solutions.

Must be a strategic and creative thinker who shows excellent problem solving and communication skills, and is able to network effectively.

An intuitive eye for customer needs beyond the obvious

Excellent attention to detail

Ability to collaborate with cross-functional team members

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