Head: Product and Proposition

Join TIH, home to some of South Africa’s leading financial service providers, and grow your career while being part of an organisation with purpose.

Job Purpose

The Head: Consumer Product and Proposition is responsible for leading the development and execution of customer centric product and proposition strategies that drive growth, market differentiation and commercial performance across STI's brands and customer segments. This role leverages customer insights, market intelligence and competitive analysis to design compelling value propositions, oversee the end-to-end product lifecycle and identify new market opportunities. Working closely with Pricing, Distribution, Marketing and Customer teams, the role ensures propositions are commercially viable, aligned with brand strategy and deliver meaningful customer value while supporting STI's strategic objectives.

Responsibilities

Functional Strategy Formation and Implementation 
Develop and lead the Product and Proposition strategy, ensuring alignment with STI's overall business objectives, growth ambitions, customer strategy and brand architecture. Define and drive the proposition innovation agenda, identifying opportunities to strengthen competitive positioning, increase market relevance and respond proactively to changing customer expectations and market dynamics. Translate strategic priorities into actionable product and proposition roadmaps that support sustainable growth, customer acquisition, retention and profitability. Monitor local and international market developments, emerging technologies and industry disruptions to inform proposition design and strategic decision-making.

Strategic Planning
Develop and implement the strategic planning approach for product and proposition development across STI's brands and customer segments. Assess local and international market developments, consumer behaviour trends and technological advancements to identify growth opportunities. Evaluate opportunities across industries and adjacent markets to enhance customer value and unlock partnership opportunities. Ensure products and propositions are aligned to brand positioning, targeted customer segments and overall business objectives. Collaborate with distribution stakeholders to ensure propositions can be effectively delivered through existing and emerging channel architectures.

Product and Solution Development
Lead the design, development, enhancement and management of products and customer value propositions across the STI portfolio. Oversee the end-to-end product lifecycle from concept and market assessment through to launch, performance optimisation and retirement. Conduct market segmentation and sizing activities to identify customer needs, behavioural trends and commercial opportunities. Develop propositions that address customer life stage needs, market challenges and emerging opportunities while strengthening customer engagement and retention. Ensure product design supports business strategy, commercial performance, cross-sell opportunities and long-term customer value. Facilitate collaboration across Pricing, Actuarial, Legal, Compliance and other stakeholders to ensure operational, commercial and regulatory requirements are achieved.

Customer Experience Research
Provide leadership in customer research methodologies and insight generation to support proposition development and strategic decision-making. Analyse customer feedback, satisfaction drivers and pain points to identify opportunities for product enhancement and proposition innovation. Embed customer insights into product and proposition design to improve relevance, engagement and customer outcomes. Promote a customer-centric approach to proposition development across the organisation.

Leadership and Direction
Provide strategic leadership and direction to the Product and Proposition function, ensuring alignment with STI's mission, vision and values. Build and lead a high-performing team with capabilities in product management, customer insights, market analysis and proposition development. Foster a culture of innovation, accountability, collaboration and continuous improvement. Develop team members through coaching, mentoring and capability-building initiatives to support current and future business needs.

Budgeting
Develop, manage and monitor the Product and Proposition budget in support of strategic and operational objectives. Allocate resources effectively across research, product development, proposition innovation and go-to-market initiatives. Monitor expenditure and investment performance to ensure optimal utilisation of financial resources and delivery of expected outcomes. Ensure sound financial governance and value-driven investment decision-making within the function.

Stakeholder Engagement
Develop and maintain effective relationships with key internal and external stakeholders to support proposition development and successful execution. Engage executives and senior stakeholders to align on strategic priorities, product opportunities and business decisions. Collaborate with Marketing, Distribution, Brand, Pricing, Data Science and affiliate partners to design, position and deliver effective customer propositions. Influence decision-making through the provision of market insights, customer intelligence and strategic recommendations.

Performance Management
Establish and monitor key performance measures to evaluate the effectiveness and commercial success of products and propositions. Analyse portfolio performance, customer adoption and market outcomes to drive continuous improvement and optimisation. Balance short-term commercial objectives with long-term customer and stakeholder value creation. Implement corrective actions and enhancement initiatives to improve proposition performance and business outcomes.

Organisational Capability Building
Assess current and future capability requirements within the Product and Proposition function and implement plans to address gaps. Build organisational capability in product management, proposition development and customer insight practices. Promote a culture of learning, knowledge sharing and continuous professional development. Support broader organisational capability development through mentoring, coaching and thought leadership in product and proposition management.

Education

Business related degree (Essential); Post graduate qualification such as MBA (Essential); Additional degree, diploma or certification in product management, actuarial science, market research or customer experience (Advantageous)

Experience

General Experience 10 or more years' experience in financial services environment (Essential); 10 or more years' product/ proposition development/customer research experience (Essential), Managerial Experience 10 or more years senior leadership experience (Essential)

Think you have what it takes to be part of an unstoppable team who constantly finds better ways to give peace of mind? Don't wait, apply now.