Senior Underwriter: Short-Term Trade Insurance

Reports to: Head of STI Underwriting

Number of subordinates: None

Job grade: D2

PURPOSE OF THIS ROLE

The purpose of this role is to primarily underwrite short-term trade insurance applications. The incumbent of this role will also be responsible for acting on behalf of the Head of the STI Unit, to coach & mentor junior staff as may be required.

KEY ACCOUNTABILITIES, MEASURES & INTERFACES

• Analyse and Interpret financial statements, management accounts and financial models;
• Lead the deal team with the process of coordinating the visits, required information relating to the transaction, negotiate the structure of the transactions, assessing of commercial terms in the financial documents, application and other related documents to reach financial close;
• Evaluate information to determine level of risks in relation to the cover being assessed to support the transactions that meet the ECIC mandate and credit requirements;
• Conduct the assessment of technical feasibility, commercial feasibility, financial and credit worthiness of transactions, environmental and social aspects, (in line with the underwriting criteria, governance issues such as anti-bribery, sanctionable entities and policies of the Corporation);
• Prepare high quality submissions to be presented to ECIC approval committees i.e, Project EXCO, FIIC Committee and/or Board;
• Develop and maintain relationships within the organisation, exporters, lenders, short-term trade insurers and reinsurers, other ECA’s and other institutions involved in the export business;
• Responsible for identifying new business opportunities for ECIC with a special focus on the short-term trade insurance business in collaboration with the business development team;
• Assess the degree and types of commercial and political risks likely to be involved in a transaction and determine whether these risks should be covered and under what terms and conditions;
• Present and support transactions to ECIC approval committees i.e., Project EXCO, Finance Investment and Insurance Committee and/or Board for approval;
• Negotiation of transactions, structuring and review of commercial terms in the finance documents, security documents and other related documents;
• Interact with the Portfolio Management team, as may be required in relation to approved transactions post cover; Carry out the corporate strategic plan, and the business goals of the new business unit dealing with short-term trade insurance business;
• Work in collaboration with other business units, such as Risk Unit, Business Development Unit, Portfolio Management Unit, PEAR Unit, Actuarial Unit, Legal Services Unit etc. in line with the values of the Corporation that promote teamwork; Manage risks and/or compliance issues within the unit in accordance with ECIC compliance and risk management strategy;
• Management of the Short-term Business Unit Portfolio;
• Manage service provider’s contracts and risk register; and keep abreast on matters evolving short-term trade insurance and other relevant regulations.

Key Measures

• Increased good quality underwriting activities for the Corporation and achieve relevant targets.
• Increased repetitive business and value and number of transactions approved.
• Management of client relationships and key stakeholders.

Key Interfaces

• ECIC Executives and Managers
• Other business units particularly Risk Unit, Underwriting Unit, Business Development Unit, Portfolio Management Unit, PEAR Unit, Actuarial Unit, Legal Services Unit, etcc
• Lenders and Investors.
• Exporters.
• Senior Government Officials.
• Other Export credit agencies.
• Other short-term insurers and re-insurers

QUALIFICATIONS & EXPERIENCE

• A minimum of a Bachelor’s degree with specialisation in Accounting, Financial Accounting, Finance, Credit Risk Management, Business Administration or relevant fields;
• Minimum 8 years’ relevant experience in short-term trade insurance and/or reinsurance, commercial and /or political risk underwriting or risk management.
• Sound knowledge of international business, contractual, corporate finance practices and accounting.

SKILLS & ABILITIES

The incumbent should have demonstrated the following competencies:

• Strong credit and risk analysis skills.
• Must be able to comprehensively analyze financial statements.
• Must be familiar with and can negotiate complex commercial transactions.
• Ability to communicate verbally and in writing at all levels (Board, Executives, Staff and other key Stakeholders).
• Ability to coordinate and manage multiple functions.
• Ability to communicate underwriting concepts to non-specialists.
• Ability to forge relationships with other areas of the business.
• Strong aptitude for problem resolution and decision making.
• Problem solving skills to identify issues and present creative and practical solutions.
• Excellent analytical skills.
• Strict attention to detail and deadline orientated.
• Genuine commitment to highest ethical standards and to sustainable business practices
• Willingness to travel in-country and internationally

BEHAVIOURAL COMPETENCIES

The incumbent is required to have the following Behavioural competencies:

• Problem Solving: Demonstrates adequate problem-solving skills and appropriately applies proven solutions.
• Business Acumen: Develops and uses a strategy to target own time (and time of others) on a portfolio of customers to maximize revenue and profitability.
• Delivery: Translates business objectives into practical, prioritized and organized action plans; ensures plans are safely and successfully implemented.
• Conflict Resolution: Identifies and pushes for solutions in which all parties can benefit.
• Team Participation: Consistently offers relevant input to team discussions as issues are being clarified and solutions are being developed.
• Flexibility: Available to work more than ordinary business hours.

APPLICATIONS

Closing Date: Friday, 14th August 2026

NOTE: It is ECIC’s intention to promote equity through the filling of posts, according to the set Employment Equity targets.

Data Protection

Personal information collected and processed for purposes of recruitment will be protected from unauthorised access and improper use or disclosure.

Declaration and Informed Consent

By submitting your application for the advertised role, you give ECIC permission to process your personal information and you acknowledge that you understand the purpose for which it is required and for which it will be used. Furthermore, you declare that all personal information supplied to the ECIC for the purposes of recruitment is accurate, up to date, not misleading and that it is complete in all respects.