Head of Department: Client Services

Job Description,

We are seeking a dynamic and customer-focused

Head of Client Services to lead and optimise our end-to-end Client Services function. This role requires a strategic leader who can leverage digital innovation and operational efficiencies to improve member satisfaction, strengthen scheme performance, and deliver sustainable organisational value.

The ideal candidate will combine strong leadership, operational excellence, and a passion for customer service to drive continuous improvement across the client services landscape.

,

Requirements ,

Education

• Matric essential
• Relevant tertiary qualification in Business management

Experience

• Medical Scheme administration experience essential.
• Management role with extensive people management responsibilities essential
• Customer Service 5 years essential
• Industry/legislation and regulations 2 years essential
• Council circulars 2 years essential
• Product knowledge 2 years essential
• Policies and Procedures 2 years essential
• ISO Principles 2 years essential
• Contractual SLA’s 2 years essential

Knowledge And Skills

• Advanced client relationship and stakeholder management capability
• Strong operational leadership and service delivery expertise
• Data-driven decision making and performance management
• Digital and AI literacy (including reporting and automation tools)
• Financial and commercial acumen (cost management, efficiency)
• Strong understanding of medical scheme environment and legislation
• Strategic planning and execution capability
• Excellent communication and influencing skills
• Working knowledge of IT/Business infrastructure and MS Office.

,

Duties and Responsibilities ,

Client Experience & Service Excellence

• Own and drive client and member experience strategy across schemes.
• Ensure consistent achievement and improvement of SLA performance.
• Embed a client-centric culture across the function.
• Oversee escalation management and service recovery to protect relationships and reputation.

Operational Performance & SLA Delivery

• Lead the effective execution of client service operations across all schemes.
• Monitor and improve turnaround times, service quality and productivity.
• Implement performance dashboards and reporting to enable proactive management.
• Ensure optimal utilisation of resources to meet operational demand.

Stakeholder & Scheme Relationship Management

• Build and maintain strong relationships with scheme executives, trustees, brokers and employer groups.
• Act as a senior escalation point for key stakeholders.
• Ensure alignment between client expectations and operational delivery.

Process Optimisation & Digital Enablement

• Drive continuous improvement initiatives to enhance efficiency and service delivery.
• Identify and implement automation, digital tools and AI-enabled reporting (e.g., Copilot) to improve operational insight and service responsiveness.
• Champion innovation within the Client Services environment.

People Leadership & Capability Development

• Lead, develop and inspire a high-performing Client Services team.
• Build a strong leadership pipeline through succession planning and targeted development.
• Drive employee engagement, accountability and a high-performance culture.
• Partner with HR on talent management, performance management and employee relations.

Risk, Compliance & Governance

• Ensure adherence to Scheme Rules, legislation and regulatory requirements.
• Monitor and manage service-related risks and compliance exposures.
• Ensure governance frameworks are embedded within operational practices.

Commercial Contribution & Strategic Alignment

• Contribute to scheme sustainability through cost-effective service delivery.
• Identify opportunities to improve cost-to-serve and operational efficiency.
• Support strategic initiatives aligned to PPSHA’s growth and service excellence objectives.