Head: Product Development

Introduction Through our client-facing brands Metropolitan and Momentum, with Multiply (wellness and rewards programme), and our other specialist brands, including Guardrisk and Eris Property Group, the group enables business and people from all walks of life to achieve their financial goals and life aspirations.

We help people grow their savings, protect what matters to them and invest for the future. We help companies and organisations care for and reward their employees and members. Through our own network of advisers or via independent brokers and utilising new platforms the Momentum Group provides practical financial solutions for people, communities and businesses.

Disclaimer As an applicant, please verify the legitimacy of this job advert on our company career page.

Role Purpose We are looking for a dynamic Head of Product whose purpose it will be to create future value by defining what Myriad should build, why it matters, how it differentiates and how it will achieve adoption in the market.

Working closely with the Head Pricing, the Head of Product will provide strategic and implementation leadership in the development, innovation and evolution of Myriad's product proposition through translation of business strategy, market opportunity, adviser insight and client needs into differentiated solutions that enable sustainable growth.

Requirements

• Fellow of the Actuarial Society of South Africa (FASSA), or an equivalent internationally recognised actuarial fellowship qualification.
• Relevant degree in Actuarial Science or another appropriate quantitative discipline.
• Professional membership in good standing and compliance with applicable professional and continuing professional development requirements.

Experience

• Significant life insurance industry experience, with a deep understanding of life insurance products, customer value propositions, market dynamics and the broader insurance value chain.
• Extensive expertise across the full product lifecycle, with a proven track record of leading strategically important product initiatives and delivering successful business outcomes.
• Demonstrated experience in shaping and executing product strategy, proposition design, product development and market implementation within a complex commercial environment.
• Strong commercial acumen, with a sound understanding of pricing, profitability, underwriting, claims, reinsurance, distribution and the key drivers of sustainable business performance.
• Experience translating market, client, adviser and performance insights into differentiated product opportunities, strategic priorities and growth initiatives.
• Demonstrated success leading complex cross-functional initiatives across product, actuarial, technology, operations, distribution, marketing, risk and compliance functions.
• Proven leadership experience, including leading specialist teams, building capability, driving delivery through others and influencing outcomes across diverse stakeholder groups. Experience leading senior specialists, managers or multidisciplinary teams will be advantageous.
• Experience operating effectively in senior leadership, product approval, governance and decision-making forums and build alignment across stakeholders.
• Demonstrated ability to represent business interests credibly at senior leadership level and to navigate complex strategic, commercial and organisational challenges.

Technical and business knowledge

• Life insurance products, client needs and adviser-led distribution.
• Product strategy, portfolio planning and lifecycle management.
• Product discovery, proposition and benefit design, and requirements development.
• New product development, implementation governance and market launch.
• Pricing fundamentals, profitability drivers and approved pricing model use.
• Underwriting, claims, onboarding, servicing and operational value chains.
• Behavioural engagement and ecosystem development.
• Market research, competitor analysis and new business analytics.
• Technical marketing, adviser education and adoption.
• Applicable product, conduct, compliance, risk and governance requirements.
• Business case development, prioritisation and investment decisions.
• Digital, data and technology trends relevant to protection and client journeys.

Duties & Responsibilities Product strategy & roadmap

• Lead and execute Myriad’s product strategy in line with business and distribution objectives, market opportunities and client needs.
• Provide the product roadmap and innovation pipeline for enhancements.
• Use market, customer, adviser and competitor insight to identify future opportunities.
• Create core partnership relationships with the distribution channels to enable and create growth.

New product development & enhancements

• End-to-end development from concept and design through analysis, pricing, governance, implementation and launch.
• Enhance the product proposition, benefit and feature design and the articulation of client value and differentiation.
• Use approved pricing models to analyse and price new products and enhancements as part of development.
• Develop the product rationale, evidence and business case required for approval.

Innovation & future capability

• Focus on practical innovation to provide meaningful client and business outcomes.
• Lead LifeReturns evolution, underwriting innovation, onboarding innovation and continued QuotaM development.
• Partner with data, technology and operations to translate innovation into scalable capability.

Technical marketing, channel enablement & adoption

• Translate complex product features, benefits and technical concepts into compelling adviser, client and distribution value propositions that drive understanding and action.
• Lead product launch readiness, technical marketing content, adviser education and distribution enablement initiatives in partnership with Marketing and Distribution.
• Develop and execute a formalised, proactive and ongoing technical marketing programme that continuously supports product awareness, market engagement, adviser capability and product adoption across all distribution channels.
• Drive an aggressive and focused cadence of technical marketing initiatives, campaigns, market education activities, thought leadership, product insights and proposition updates to ensure advisers remain informed, engaged and confident in positioning Myriad solutions.
• Act as the strategic product partner to Marketing and Distribution by identifying opportunities to improve product visibility, differentiation, adviser engagement and market penetration.
• Drive awareness, understanding, adoption and utilisation of product solutions across all channels through targeted enablement initiatives and measurable adoption strategies.
• Partner with Distribution to identify adoption barriers, adviser needs and market opportunities, and develop practical interventions that accelerate business growth.
• Establish product adoption metrics, adviser engagement measures and enablement reporting to assess the effectiveness of product marketing and adoption initiatives and continuously improve outcomes.
• Ensure technical marketing remains closely aligned to product strategy, future product developments, LifeReturns evolution, underwriting innovation and broader growth priorities.

Special Quote Strategy, Development & Enablement

• Own the Special Quote proposition and strategic direction, ensuring it remains competitive, commercially relevant and aligned with adviser, client and distribution needs, in partnership with the Head of Pricing.
• Drive the adoption, growth and market delivery of the Special Quote capability across distribution channels, ensuring it remains an effective enabler of new business growth.
• Lead engagement with distribution channels and key stakeholders to identify adviser needs, growth opportunities and required pr