Forensic Manager

Client Summary:

Our client is Southern Africa’s leading insurance and financial services provider. Renowned for market leadership, financial stability, and an uncompromising commitment to governance, they are rapidly growing their footprint across emerging markets in Africa and Asia. They foster an inclusive, performance-driven culture where business integrity, ethical leadership, and innovation form the bedrock of their long-term success.

Job Description:

Our client is seeking an experienced, forward-thinking Senior Manager: Group Forensic Services to serve as the operational second-in-command to the Head of Department. This is not a traditional hands-on investigator post; it is a premier leadership appointment designed for a visionary strategist who excels at managing managers, rebuilding capacity, and embedding cutting-edge fraud detection and prevention frameworks across a corporate group.

In this role, you will take direct strategic ownership of the group-wide forensic function. You will modernize investigation methodologies, leverage automated fraud-detection technology, and champion a transparent whistle-blowing culture.

Key Responsibilities:

• Drive Group Forensic Strategy: Partner with executive leadership to design, implement, and refine modern fraud prevention, detection, investigation, and remediation frameworks.
• Lead and Develop Leaders: Directly manage, mentor, and empower frontline forensic managers and specialist investigators, rebuilding operational capacity and fostering a high-performance culture.
• Executive Oversight & Governance: Oversee high-stakes corporate and insurance crime investigations, ensuring end-to-end alignment with internal policies, regulatory standards, and civil/criminal litigation procedures.
• Technology & Innovation: Spearhead the integration of advanced data analytics, investigative technologies, and proactive fraud frameworks (including SAS Fraud Framework alignment) to stay ahead of evolving financial crime trends.
• Champion Ethical Platforms: Enhance and maintain a secure, legislation-aligned whistle-blowing platform that encourages proactive reporting and transparency across the enterprise.
• Stakeholder & Industry Engagement: Represent the organization on industry fraud prevention forums and law enforcement liaisons, serving as a trusted subject-matter advisor to senior management and audit committees.

Requirements:

Must-Haves

• Qualifications: LLB, master’s in law, or Master’s in Forensic Investigation, supported by relevant professional credentials (CFE - Certified Fraud Examiner or FP(SA) - Forensic Practitioner).
• Leadership Track Record: 10+ years of senior-level corporate forensic leadership experience, with proven success managing managers and leading multi-disciplinary investigation teams.
• Strategic Capability: Demonstrated experience designing, transforming, and embedding enterprise-wide forensic and fraud governance strategies (moving beyond day-to-day operational case delivery).
• Investigation & Legal Acumen: Deep working knowledge of South African commercial crime investigation processes, law enforcement prosecution pipelines, and civil/criminal litigation procedures.
• Policy & Governance: Proven ability drafting enterprise fraud policies, anti-corruption frameworks, and high-level reports for board committees and executive leadership.

Nice-to-Haves

• Industry Background: 5+ years of leadership exposure within short-term/general insurance, banking, or broader financial services environments.
• Technical Enablement: Hands-on experience optimizing forensic teams using fraud intelligence tools, technology enablers
• Cybercrime Exposure: Prior oversight of digital forensics and cyber-enabled financial crime investigations.