Senior Officer – Premium Administration

Jubilee Life Insurance Limited is a prominent insurance provider in Kenya, established in 1937, offering a comprehensive range of insurance products and services.

The Senior Officer – Premium Administration is responsible for the comprehensive management of Direct Debit Arrangements (DDAs) and associated premium collection processes. This includes overseeing mandate registration, validation, submission, activation, amendments, and cancellations, alongside maintaining precise records. The role involves preparing and submitting DDA collection instructions to banks, monitoring scheduled collections, investigating failures, and implementing corrective actions to minimize arrears and policy lapses. The officer will also manage other premium collection methods like Salary Deduction Orders and Standing Instructions, analyze collection performance, and ensure all activities meet service standards. A key aspect is performing timely reconciliations of DDA collections against bank statements and systems, resolving discrepancies such as unmatched or duplicated transactions, and collaborating with internal and external stakeholders to address complex issues. The role also entails monitoring key operational indicators, preparing performance reports, analyzing collection trends, and identifying opportunities for process streamlining and efficiency improvements. Furthermore, the officer will engage with stakeholders, respond to inquiries, and ensure all activities comply with internal policies, procedures, and regulatory requirements, while also identifying and mitigating operational risks.

1. Manage the entire Direct Debit Arrangement (DDA) administration process, including mandate registration, validation, submission, activation, amendments, cancellations, and maintaining accurate records.
2. Prepare, validate, and submit DDA collection instructions to banks and service providers according to approved procedures and schedules.
3. Monitor scheduled premium collections, track successful and failed deductions, investigate collection failures, determine root causes, and implement corrective actions.
4. Monitor outstanding premiums, arrears, and recurring collection failures, ensuring timely follow-up and escalation to reduce premium arrears and policy lapses.
5. Resolve mandate discrepancies, incorrect banking details, and customer instruction issues, ensuring accurate updates in policy administration systems.
6. Administer other premium collection arrangements, such as Salary Deduction Orders and Standing Instructions.
7. Analyze collection performance, maintain complete transaction records, and ensure activities meet agreed turnaround times and service standards.
8. Perform timely reconciliations of DDA collections against bank statements, collection reports, treasury records, and policy administration systems, ensuring accurate premium allocation.
9. Investigate and resolve unmatched, unallocated, duplicated, reversed, or suspense transactions, as well as premium arrears, underpayments, and overpayments within agreed timelines.
10. Maintain accurate reconciliation records, including outstanding items, ageing, investigation status, and supporting documentation.
11. Liaise with Finance, banks, intermediaries, and internal stakeholders to investigate and resolve complex collection, allocation, and reconciliation discrepancies.
12. Support month-end, quarter-end, and year-end reconciliation activities by preparing accurate transaction records and supporting schedules.
13. Analyze reconciliation outputs to identify recurring discrepancies and control weaknesses, recommending corrective measures.
14. Maintain adequate audit trails and supporting documentation for reconciliation activities and adjustments.
15. Monitor key operational indicators like collection success rates, failed deductions, and outstanding premiums.
16. Prepare accurate and timely daily, weekly, monthly, and ad hoc reports on DDA operations and collection performance.
17. Analyze collection trends, payment patterns, and operational bottlenecks to identify risks and opportunities for efficiency improvement.
18. Maintain accurate operational data on mandate submissions, activations, rejections, amendments, and cancellations.
19. Monitor performance against service standards, investigate variances, and provide actionable insights and recommendations to management.
20. Develop and maintain operational reports, dashboards, and tracking tools for improved visibility and data integrity.
21. Support business planning, management reporting, and audits by providing reliable operational data and analysis.
22. Identify opportunities to streamline processes, reduce manual interventions, and improve collection effectiveness.
23. Participate in automation, system enhancements, and digital transformation initiatives, and contribute to reviewing procedures.
24. Engage with banks, policyholders, agents, brokers, and internal stakeholders for effective DDA administration and issue resolution.
25. Respond to premium collection, mandate, reconciliation, and policy servicing inquiries within SLAs, providing accurate information.
26. Collaborate with Finance, Customer Experience, Underwriting, Claims, and other departments to resolve premium administration issues.
27. Independently investigate complex queries, ensure appropriate follow-up, and escalate material issues.
28. Maintain effective stakeholder relationships and promote customer-centric service delivery.
29. Ensure DDA administration, premium collection, allocation, and reconciliation activities comply with policies, procedures, internal controls, and regulatory requirements.
30. Maintain appropriate controls over mandate documentation, customer instructions, collection submissions, and transaction adjustments.
31. Identify operational risks, control weaknesses, errors, and irregularities, implementing or recommending mitigation measures.
32. Maintain complete, accurate, and traceable operational records for accountability and auditability.
33. Support internal and external audits by providing relevant documentation and explanations.
34. Implement and follow up on corrective actions from audit findings and control reviews.
35. Adhere to AML, KYC, data protection, and privacy requirements.
36. Uphold confidentiality and integrity of policyholder, intermediary, and company information.
37. Actively participate in cross-functional project teams to drive collaboration and innovation.
38. Participate in a minimum of 2 company projects and at least 1 Group-wide project annually.
39. Achieve 100% compliance with the annual training plan for personal and professional growth.
40. Attain the Company’s Cultural Alignment Index (CAI) target score by embedding Jubilee’s values.
41. Address interpersonal or project-related conflicts constructively.
42. Communicate needs for tools, training, and support to supervisors.

1. Bachelor’s degree in Insurance, Finance, Business Administration, or a relevant field.
2. A Diploma in Insurance, LOMA, CII, IIK, or an equivalent professional qualification is an added advantage.
3. Minimum of three (3) years of relevant experience in premium administration, insurance operations, collections, banking operations, or a related financial services role.
4. Demonstrated experience in DDA administration, mandate management, premium collection monitoring, failed collections, premium allocation, financial reconciliations, and resolution of payment discrepancies.
5. Experience managing outstanding and suspense items, preparing operational reports, analyzing collection performance, and monitoring operational indicators.
6. Proven ability to independently investigate operational issues and collaborate with internal stakeholders, banks, intermediaries, and customers to resolve discrepancies.
7. Experience handling complex transactions, identifying control weaknesses, and recommending process improvements is an added advantage.
8. Exposure to automation, system implementation, or digital transformation initiatives is an added advantage.
9. Strong attention to detail and accuracy in DDA mandate administration, premium processing, and record maintenance.
10. Excellent analytical thinking skills to interpret operational and financial data, identify trends, and provide insights.
11. Proven problem-solving and judgment abilities to investigate issues and implement solutions.
12. High level of accountability and ownership for assigned duties, meeting service standards, and upholding professionalism.
13. Effective planning and time management skills to organize activities, prioritize tasks, and meet deadlines.
14. Strong customer and stakeholder focus, providing timely, accurate, and professional service.
15. Excellent communication and relationship management skills, both verbal and written.
16. Demonstrated initiative and ability to execute tasks independently with minimal supervision.
17. Commitment to continuous improvement and adaptability to new systems and changing requirements.
18. High integrity and ability to maintain confidentiality of sensitive information.