Head of Operations Africa

**Business Unit**:Discovery Health

**Function**:Client Service

**Date**:15 May 2025
- Discovery Health- Head of Operations Africa**About Discovery**
- Discovery’s core purpose is to make people healthier and to enhance and protect their lives. We seek out and invest in exceptional individuals who understand and support our core purpose, and whose own values align with those of Discovery. Our fast-paced and dynamic environment enables smart, self-driven people to be their best. As global thought leaders, Discovery is passionate about innovating in order to not only achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.**Key Purpose**
- The Head of Operations assumes overall accountability and leadership for the Operations and IT functions of Discovery Africa. Providing strategic direction and ownership of managing relationship with key organizational and external stakeholders. Ensuring continually improved service outcomes across the customer base, not limited to Health Providers, Brokers, Schemes, Contractor Partners, Partner Insurers and Members.**Principal Accountabilities**
- Areas of responsibility may include but not limited to:
StrategySets and develops strategies within Discovery Africa Operations to enable and enhance optimal business delivery, efficiency and superior customer experience outcomes in line with organization objectives.-
Sets and develops strategies for Discovery Africa’s IT and systems function driving focus and alignment to the organization objectives and deliverables.-
Drives, leads, and represents projects and key initiatives impacting the Discovery Africa Operations and IT divisions.-
Recruiting and attracting the best talent and building strategies to become the employer of choice for the employment market aligned to the Discovery Group strategy in this regard.LeadershipProvide direction for the division through actively communicating and being a visionary leader.-
Overseeing staffing and resource planning, ensuring optimal resource allocation and deployment.-
Ability to debate and express clear key points of an argument in a credible manner.-
Decision-maker with a solution-oriented approach who is able to identify, drive, and implement effective decisions.-
Adapts interpersonal style to suit different people or situations.-
To manage projects and to ensure that they meet their strategic aims and that operational implications are addressed.-
To elevate and enhance the culture and sentiment of the team, ensuring robust talent management (attraction, development and retention).-
To manage operational and strategic facility requirements and to partner with internal stakeholders and external authorities across territories, where necessary.-
Demonstrate human centered leadership and creating a psychologically safe environment for employees to thrive.-
Being a force for social good and driving corporate social engagement and skills developmentFinancial ManagementIs responsible for managing a **Manex budget of ~R120m** and above-
Ensure effective and efficient budgeting and forecasting of direct and indirect costs-
Demonstrates financial astuteness and prudence-
To compile the annual budget and to get this approved.-
Manage expenses in line with the budget and report on variances either negative or positive from the approved budget.-
To determine the charge-out rates for services rendered to the different areas of Discovery.-
Financial management in line with in-sourced and/or outsources agreementsStakeholder managementOverseeing the success of the division by liaising with Exco stakeholders in the business.-
Building effective relationships to create strategies and translate these into effective deliverables to ensure successful execution thereof.-
Constant interaction with highly strategic thinkers and relationship building on an executive business level.-
Exceptional interpersonal communication with a wide and effective networking ability to establish good relationships with highly intellectual counterparts and build strategic relationships.-
Manage relationships and agreements with external clients across global funding models.-
To manage external vendors Service Level Agreements and outsources agreements (where necessary).Risk ManagementMonitor the implementation of risk management strategies within the Division to curb potential anti selection, cyber and financial fraud and complying with audit governance and principles.-
To own business continuity and disaster recovery plans for the team. Manage marketing and PR communication as relevant and appropriate.Thought LeadershipEnsure that knowledge of legislative updates and industry changes and how this affects your business units.-
Constantly challenging and shaping the status quo. -Demonstrates an understanding of how one issue may be a part of a much larger eco-system.-
Produces workable solutions to a range of problems.-
Takes account of a wide range of issues across, and related to, the orga