Snr Business Development Manager & Key Account Manager: Pet Insurance & Strategic Channels

Our client is a well-established and respected insurance provider known for putting customers first and delivering innovative, accessible solutions that help people live life on their own terms. With a strong culture built on agile values and a genuine commitment to employee growth, our client offers a dynamic environment where ambitious professionals can build long-term, rewarding careers.

About the Opportunity

This is a high-impact, senior-level role responsible for shaping a national distribution strategy across two key areas:

• Pet insurance: a fast-growing product category with significant market potential
• Short-term insurance (STI) products

The successful candidate will play a pivotal role in forging long-term partnerships, driving commercial innovation, and positioning our client's insurance solutions as best-in-class within their respective markets.

The Role

Our client is looking for an experienced, commercially astute Senior Business Development Manager & Key Account Manager to accelerate growth of their pet insurance portfolio and expand their short-term insurance offering through strategic partner networks across the country.

This role calls for a strategic thinker with strong relationship-building capabilities, deep commercial acumen, and solid experience spanning insurance and FMCG sectors. You will lead national business development efforts, manage high-value key accounts, and ensure strong, sustainable partnership performance across multiple distribution channels.

Key Responsibilities

Strategic Business Development

• Identify, pursue, and secure new business opportunities to grow pet insurance market share across veterinary networks, retail partners, breeders, shelters and animal welfare organisations, digital and affinity channels, strategic channel networks, partner-facing sales teams, and strategic industry alliances
• Develop compelling business cases, proposals, and go-to-market strategies for new partnerships
• Lead national negotiations through to contract finalisation, securing multi-year agreements

Key Account Management

• Act as the senior relationship lead for major partners across veterinary, retail, digital, and strategic channel partnerships
• Build and nurture long-term relationships with partner principals, channel leads, and executive stakeholders
• Develop and execute joint business plans that drive revenue growth, policy growth, and uptake of value-added products
• Monitor account performance, proactively identify risks, and implement corrective actions to sustain growth

Pet Insurance Growth & Channel Expansion

• Own end-to-end commercial performance for the pet insurance product line
• Design and roll out partner-specific sales strategies, training programmes, and product bundling initiatives
• Manage partner onboarding, training, and ongoing business support
• Use customer and partner insights to inform product enhancements, underwriting decisions, and digital improvements

Sales Strategy, Forecasting & Reporting

• Lead annual sales planning, revenue forecasting, and performance management
• Track key performance indicators across channels and prepare monthly reports for executive stakeholders
• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to optimise acquisition, retention, and channel performance
• Maintain CRM accuracy, pipeline visibility, and high-quality partner documentation

Cross-Functional Leadership

• Partner closely with Product, Actuarial, Underwriting, Claims, Marketing, and Operations teams to support channel needs
• Collaborate with marketing on co-branded campaigns, partner activations, and consumer education initiatives
• Represent the business at conferences, partner events, and industry forums

Role Requirements

We are specifically looking for CVs that clearly demonstrate strong expertise within the Pet industry — candidates must be able to speak to, and reflect, a deep understanding of the Pet landscape in South Africa.

Key focus areas:

• 80% Business Development Management (Pet focus): Proven experience driving growth within the Pet space, including ground-breaking Pet initiatives and similar value-added pet offerings
• 20% Relationship & Partnership Building: Strong capability in building, nurturing, and expanding strategic partnerships within the Pet ecosystem
• Experience required: 5–10 years in VAPS (Value-Added Products and Services), with current and demonstrable focus on Pet-related products or services

What You'll Need

Qualification:

• NQF Level 7 or equivalent in Business, Marketing, Commerce, or a related field

Experience:

• 7+ years' experience in Business Development, Key Account Management, or a commercial role
• Proven experience in insurance distribution, ideally within personal lines
• Experience working with strategic distribution partners, particularly within insurance or value-added product environments
• Strong commercial negotiation skills with a demonstrated track record of securing and growing national partnerships
• Excellent stakeholder management, presentation, and communication skills
• Willingness and ability to travel nationally while managing multiple high-value accounts simultaneously

Advantageous:

• Experience specifically within pet insurance
• Understanding of channel sales processes and related compliance requirements
• Experience launching or scaling new insurance products or distribution channels
• Strong data orientation and CRM management proficiency
• A demonstrated track record of securing high-value accounts (a portfolio of evidence may be requested)

Key Competencies

• Strategic commercial thinking
• Strong relationship-building and stakeholder influence
• High-level negotiation and deal-closing ability
• Results-oriented with strong accountability
• Analytical, data-driven decision making
• Excellent planning and organisational skills
• Strong communication and executive presence

Our client is committed to transformation and embracing diversity, fostering a multicultural workplace reflective of the demographics of South African society.