Sales Manager – Alternative Channels

Old Mutual Kenya is a financial services company established in 2015, based in Nairobi. It operates within the banking, financial services, and insurance sectors, offering a diverse range of products and solutions to its clients.

The Sales Manager for Alternative Channels at Old Mutual Kenya is tasked with fostering, overseeing, and expanding strategic alliances across various non-traditional distribution avenues, including Microfinance Institutions (MFIs), Savings and Credit Cooperative Organizations (Saccos), professional bodies, affinity groups, aggregators, and fintech companies. This position is crucial for achieving consistent revenue growth by identifying and securing new business opportunities, strengthening existing collaborations, and delivering innovative insurance solutions across the company's Life, General Insurance, and Health product offerings. The incumbent will hold full responsibility for business development, increasing premium income, ensuring profitability, maintaining client retention, and promoting cross-selling of insurance solutions within the Alternative Channels portfolio. A key focus will be on broadening market reach, enhancing partner productivity, and maximizing customer value through customized insurance propositions designed to meet the specific needs of partner institutions and their clientele.

1. Identify, engage, negotiate with, and onboard strategic distribution partners such as MFIs, Saccos, professional associations, affinity groups, aggregators, fintechs, and corporates for distributing Life, General Insurance, and Health products.
2. Drive direct business growth through staff referrals, lead generation, and strategic partnerships.
3. Develop and implement sales strategies to boost insurance penetration and market share across all assigned alternative channels.
4. Present, pitch, and close insurance solutions for individuals, SMEs, and institutional clients across various insurance lines.
5. Build and maintain a strong sales pipeline to meet and exceed premium growth, revenue, profitability, and retention targets.
6. Identify opportunities for cross-selling and upselling Old Mutual products.
7. Cultivate and maintain robust relationships with key stakeholders, including partner executives, decision-makers, and direct clients.
8. Act as the primary relationship manager for assigned partners, ensuring effective engagement, service delivery, and business expansion.
9. Conduct regular business reviews with partners to assess performance, identify opportunities, and resolve issues.
10. Collaborate internally to ensure smooth partner onboarding, implementation, and ongoing support.
11. Work with Product Development, Underwriting, Claims, Operations, and Marketing teams to design and improve insurance solutions for alternative channel partners.
12. Gather market intelligence, customer insights, and competitor information to support product innovation and market expansion.
13. Identify emerging market opportunities and recommend new distribution models, products, and partnerships.
14. Support the launch and adoption of new products across alternative distribution channels.
15. Develop and deliver training programs for partner staff, intermediaries, and internal teams to enhance product knowledge and sales effectiveness.
16. Conduct customer awareness campaigns, financial literacy initiatives, and product education sessions to increase insurance uptake.
17. Support and coordinate staff referral initiatives for direct business acquisition.
18. Provide ongoing coaching and support to partners to improve productivity and customer experience.
19. Manage the profitability, retention, and quality of the alternative channel’s portfolio.
20. Ensure all partnerships, business activities, and sales practices comply with regulatory requirements and internal policies.
21. Collaborate with Risk, Compliance, Operations, and Claims teams to mitigate operational and business risks.
22. Support claims resolution and service recovery to enhance customer satisfaction and partner confidence.
23. Monitor portfolio performance and recommend corrective actions.
24. Track and report on key performance indicators including premium growth, revenue, profitability, retention, partner productivity, and customer satisfaction.
25. Prepare regular business performance reports, market updates, and strategic recommendations for management.
26. Monitor sales target achievement and develop action plans for performance gaps.
27. Provide insights on market trends, competitor activities, and partnership opportunities for business decision-making.

1. Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration, Finance, Insurance, Marketing, Economics, or a related field from a recognized institution.
2. Professional insurance qualifications (e.g., AIIK, ACII, Dip CII) or other relevant certifications are an added advantage.
3. Relevant certifications in sales, relationship management, bancassurance, project management, or business development are an added advantage.
4. Minimum of 5-10 years of experience in business development, sales, relationship management, partnership management, or distribution within the insurance, banking, financial services, healthcare, fintech, SACCO, MFI, or related sectors.
5. Proven track record of delivering sales growth, achieving revenue targets, and managing strategic partnerships.
6. Experience in Life Insurance, General Insurance, Health Insurance, or multi-line insurance distribution is highly desirable.
7. Demonstrated experience in developing and managing alternative distribution channels, including SACCOs, MFIs, professional associations, affinity groups, aggregators, fintechs, corporates, or direct sales channels.
8. Experience in digital insurance distribution, embedded insurance, platform partnerships, or technology-enabled sales models will be an added advantage.
9. Strong negotiation and persuasion skills.
10. Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
11. Ability to analyze data and market trends to drive business growth.
12. Customer-centric approach with problem-solving capabilities.
13. Ability to work independently and manage multiple stakeholders.
14. Entrepreneurial mindset with the ability to identify and seize opportunities.
15. Strong analytical skills to assess partnership potential and performance.
16. High emotional intelligence and ability to navigate complex relationships.
17. Experience in insurance digital sales and partnerships is highly desirable.