The posting
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.
