ETHIQAL
Careers
Chief Operations Officer & Chief Underwriter
For leaders who want to build, improve and scale a purpose-driven healthcare insurance business
JOB DESCRIPTION
We are inviting applications for the role of Chief Operations Officer & Chief Underwriter. This is an opportunity to help shape the future of specialist medico-legal insurance, improve how we serve doctors, and build the systems, processes, and underwriting capability that will support our next phase of growth.
About EthiQal
EthiQal is a specialist insurer, powered by Hollard in partnership with iTOO, that protects and supports specialist doctors through insurance, legal expertise and proactive medico-legal guidance, combining insurance, legal and clinical expertise, clinical risk management, and data and insights.
Our ambition is bold: to be the preferred and recognised leader in supporting and protecting doctors in South Africa and beyond.
The Opportunity
This is not a traditional role. It is an opportunity to:
- Shape the operating engine of a specialist insurer
- Lead underwriting excellence and sustainable risk selection
- Drive innovation through technology, data, AI and business intelligence
- Build scalable systems and processes that improve outcomes for doctors and the business
- Influence business strategy as a member of the leadership team
The role sits at the intersection of operations, underwriting, data and analytics, technology and AI, risk management, and strategy and growth. This is a key Management Committee position, guiding both strategic direction and operational execution across the organisation, reporting to the CEO.
EthiQal applies a flexible hybrid working environment, valuing effective time usage and work-life balance.
Your Impact
- Lead Underwriting Excellence
- Provide underwriting leadership across the business
- Develop and evolve underwriting mandates, processes and SOPs
- Support sustainable pricing and risk selection
- Improve turnaround times while maintaining underwriting discipline
- Apply an exception-management approach to complex risks
- Build a Best-in-Class Operations Function
- Lead operational strategy and execution across the business
- Design, improve and simplify business processes
- Drive quality, productivity and efficiency improvements
- Ensure systems, governance and organisational structures support growth
- Turn Data into Action
- Deliver business intelligence and operational insight
- Convert underwriting, claims and operational data into meaningful decisions
- Support premium reviews and reserving
- Help identify trends that guide business strategy and product development
- Drive Technology, ICT and AI Innovation
- Lead ICT and AI deployment initiatives
- Identify opportunities to remove friction and improve efficiency
- Support teams with technology-enabled solutions
- Help position EthiQal as a modern, data-enabled specialist insurer
- Enable Growth and Differentiation
- Support product development and research initiatives
- Contribute to EthiQal’s Recognition Programme
- Partner with sales, marketing, legal, claims and clinical risk teams
- Represent EthiQal as a credible thought partner in the market
Who We’re Looking For
An experienced leader, or emerging leader looking to step up, with demonstrated success in one or more of:
- Underwriting leadership
- Short-term insurance
- Professional indemnity insurance
- Risk management
- Business transformation
- Technology-enabled operational improvement
You are likely to:
- Deliver from concept to execution effectively
- Be comfortable with data, systems and complexity
- Enjoy solving difficult operational challenges
- Lead through influence and collaboration
- Be highly accountable and outcome-focused
- Have a continuous improvement mindset
- Balance commercial thinking with disciplined risk management
Key strengths
- Discernment — exceptional judgement in evaluating complex situations, assessing risk and making balanced decisions under uncertainty
- Tenacity — a strong executor who drives initiatives to completion, creates accountability and delivers measurable outcomes
- Enablement — gains satisfaction from helping others succeed, building systems and removing obstacles across underwriting, claims, legal, clinical risk, finance, technology, sales and marketing
The role is unlikely to suit individuals who find disciplined execution, accountability, analytics, decision-making, training or operational follow-through draining.
A Different Kind of Executive Role
This role can evolve in different ways depending on your strengths:
- More operations and transformation focused, with a keen understanding of underwriting
- More underwriting, analytics and risk focused, with the ability to improve processes
- More technology and innovation focused, with a keen understanding of underwriting and related processes
How to apply
Interested internal candidates should share their CV via email to HR@ethiqal.co.za
Closing date: 30 August 2026.
EthiQal reserves the right to withdraw the vacancy at its own discretion.