Background

Alliance Life Assurance Ltd was established in 2010 as the first locally privately owned Life Insurance Company in Tanzania. The company has spread its sphere of influence throughout the region to become one of the leading insurance and financial services companies in East Africa providing life insurance solutions to both corporate and individuals. Alliance Life is highly rated in leadership, innovation, customer service, and risk management.

Mandate, Essential Duties and Responsibilities

Alliance Life is building the most formidable retail life insurance franchise in East Africa. The company is seeking an experienced General Manager – Retail Distribution (Individual Life Insurance Business) to lead its retail business & operations across the entire Tanzanian market responsible for developing and executing strategies to expand the individual life insurance business, overseeing the performance of the retail distribution network, and driving sales to achieve multiplier business growth targets. The GM will be driving retail business profitability through increased production, optimized costs & customer satisfaction, new-age digital transformation, scaled up banca retail business and established alternate channels such as HNW, direct, online and digital.

Job Description

Strategy & Profit Centre Responsibility

• Responsible for the full retail growth & profit center GWP, expense ratio, persistency, and net profitability
• Co-design and execute the multi-year retail life sales & distribution strategy, operating model, and annual business plan
• Driving product development strategy from product ideation, market feasibility study, pricing & development and launch of products with system readiness, Co-designing, driving and managing end to end retail distribution processes.

Talent, Culture & Institution Building – Retail Financial Advisor’s (RFA) Network

• Build, scale, and optimise a high-productivity RFA tied-agency network for banca, agency and direct channels as the backbone of retail distribution nationwide including upcountry and remote regions.
• Build a retail training and capability academy; drive succession planning for all senior retail roles.
• Own RFA recruitment, activation, persistency management, and performance tiering. Maintain portfolio-wide retention of 90%+.
• Ensure full compliance with TIRA regulations governing RFA licensing and retail distribution.

Partnership Channels

• Grow bancassurance partnerships on retail business in coordination with Banca Manager and expand business through banks, brokers, external agencies, SACCOs, Social groups, Religious Groups, Associations, and MFIs.
• Develop loyalty programmes and White Labelling.
• Define SLAs, and governance for all partnership agreements.

Digital & Mobile Distribution

• Driving direct sales through online and digital platforms with clear focus on enhancing share of direct business to minimise distribution costs and increase reach.
• Lead mobile money-linked insurance distribution (M-Pesa, Airtel Money), digital onboarding, e-KYC, and CRM-driven sales management.
• Set and deliver annual targets for direct digital GWP share.

Customer Experience & Retention

• Own Net Promoter Score targets; champion the retail customer across the full lifecycle onboarding, servicing, and claims.
• Design proactive lapse prevention and win-back programmes along with operations teams.

Financial Inclusion

Develop accessible products (along with Pricing team) and distribution models for informal, rural, and low-income segments supporting Tanzania’s financial inclusion agenda and TIRA’s mandate.

Qualifications

• Associate diploma from ACII UK or III India or LOMA USA
• CIM Degree or MBA in Sales & Marketing or General Management
• Graduate from a recognised University.

Experience – Essential

• 10–15 years in Life retail insurance distribution leadership; minimum 5 years in a P&L-accountable / profit center management or GM-level role; At least 5 years’ experience of managing partnership channel either with a bank or a large broker.
• Portfolio Size: Handled a minimum Insurance sales portfolio of TZS 15 bn within the Life Insurance.
• Team management: Managed 200+ distribution staff across geographically dispersed locations.
• RFA / Tied Agency: Proven track record building and scaling an RFA model (Banca, Agency & Direct) recruitment, activation, persistency, performance management and tiering.
• Digital & Direct Channels: Experience of handling online/ digital and direct sales will be an added advantage.
• Compliance (TIRA) Familiarity: Working knowledge of Tanzania insurance regulations and RFA related requirements.
• Financial Acumen: Advanced understanding of life insurance financial statements and profitability metrics.
• ExCo / Board level presentation experience.

• Responsible for the full retail growth & profit center GWP, expense ratio, persistency, and net profitability
• Co-design and execute the multi-year retail life sales & distribution strategy, operating model, and annual business plan
• Driving product development strategy from product ideation, market feasibility study, pricing & development and launch of products with system readiness, Co-designing, driving and managing end to end retail distribution processes.
• Build, scale, and optimise a high-productivity RFA tied-agency network for banca, agency and direct channels as the backbone of retail distribution nationwide including upcountry and remote regions.
• Build a retail training and capability academy; drive succession planning for all senior retail roles.
• Own RFA recruitment, activation, persistency management, and performance tiering. Maintain portfolio-wide retention of 90%+.
• Ensure full compliance with TIRA regulations governing RFA licensing and retail distribution.
• Grow bancassurance partnerships on retail business in coordination with Banca Manager and expand business through banks, brokers, external agencies, SACCOs, Social groups, Religious Groups, Associations, and MFIs.
• Develop loyalty programmes and White Labelling.
• Define SLAs, and governance for all partnership agreements.
• Driving direct sales through online and digital platforms with clear focus on enhancing share of direct business to minimise distribution costs and increase reach.
• Lead mobile money-linked insurance distribution (M-Pesa, Airtel Money), digital onboarding, e-KYC, and CRM-driven sales management.
• Set and deliver annual targets for direct digital GWP share.
• Own Net Promoter Score targets; champion the retail customer across the full lifecycle onboarding, servicing, and claims.
• Design proactive lapse prevention and win-back programmes along with operations teams.
• Develop accessible products (along with Pricing team) and distribution models for informal, rural, and low-income segments supporting Tanzania’s financial inclusion agenda and TIRA’s mandate.

• Sales strategy development
• Distribution network management
• Business development
• Financial analysis
• Team leadership
• Digital transformation
• Customer relationship management
• Partnership management
• Compliance with TIRA regulations
• Financial acumen
• Presentation skills

• Associate diploma from ACII UK or III India or LOMA USA
• CIM Degree or MBA in Sales & Marketing or General Management
• Graduate from a recognised University.