Business Development Manager – Group Life Sales

Role Overview

This is a senior commercial leadership position within the Group Life division, reporting directly to the Head of Group Life Sales. You will take ownership of the corporate sales agenda, shaping how the business approaches profitable growth across employer-sponsored life schemes. Your day-to-day focus is on converting high-value opportunities into long-term partnerships, protecting the existing portfolio from attrition, and building a sales engine that consistently delivers against revenue and margin targets. The role matters because it directly determines the scale, quality, and sustainability of the company’s Group Life book, and it requires continuous collaboration with underwriting, product, and distribution teams to keep risk and reward in balance.

Key Responsibilities

• Design and implement a Group Life corporate sales roadmap that aligns with the organisation’s broader growth ambitions and risk appetite.
• Own the annual new-business and profitability targets for the Group Life segment, tracking performance against plan and adjusting tactics where needed.
• Cultivate durable relationships with major corporate clients, brokers, agents, and other distribution intermediaries, positioning the company as a preferred partner for employee benefits solutions.
• Lead the full acquisition cycle for high-value Group Life schemes, including identifying prospects, shaping proposals, coordinating tenders, and delivering pitch presentations.
• Drive renewal retention for profitable accounts by orchestrating proactive client conversations, negotiating terms, and collaborating with underwriting to design retention strategies for complex or strategically important schemes.
• Analyse sales performance by product line, intermediary, industry sector, and distribution channel, using those insights to refine the go-to-market approach and protect portfolio quality.
• Manage, coach, and mentor the corporate sales team, fostering a high-performance culture that balances aggressive growth with disciplined underwriting and customer care.
• Prepare sales forecasts, monitor pipeline health, and present actionable recommendations to senior management on market positioning, distribution strategy, and expansion opportunities.

Requirements & Qualifications

• A Bachelor’s degree in Business, Marketing, Insurance, Actuarial Science, Finance, Economics, or a related discipline.
• At least seven years of experience in insurance sales, business development, corporate relationship management, or employee benefits, with a minimum of three years in a leadership or management capacity.
• A proven track record of hitting corporate sales targets and generating sustainable, profitable business growth in a competitive insurance market.
• Strong working knowledge of Group Life insurance products, corporate employee benefit structures, and the intermediary distribution landscape.
• Progress toward or completion of a recognised professional qualification such as AIIK, ACII, FLMI, or CIM is highly desirable.
• Demonstrated ability to negotiate effectively at executive level with corporate clients and brokers, while maintaining strong internal credibility with underwriting and risk functions.
• Excellent analytical skills with the capacity to interpret sales data, identify trends, and make data-driven decisions that balance premium growth with portfolio quality.