Principal Specialist: Strategic Portfolios

Discovery – Health

Senior Manager: Strategic initiatives  

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 to not only achieve financial success, but to ignite positive and meaningful change within our society.

Job Purpose

The Senior Manager owns and drives delivery of defined initiatives end‑to‑end — from concept through build, launch, and scale. This role is hands‑on and execution‑led, with accountability for turning strategy into working solutions that deliver measurable business and customer outcomes.

Key Outputs

The successful applicant will be responsible for but not limited to the following job functions:

• Actively shape and build out value propositions for members, providers, and partners.
• Own the development of features, journeys, and requirements, working directly with product, tech, and business teams.
• Lead and participate in hands‑on research and analysis, including member insights, provider feedback, and market scanning.
• Translate insight into delivery‑ready outputs — clear specs, journeys, prioritised backlogs, and decision papers.
• Drive and support testing, validation, and regulatory readiness, ensuring solutions are launch‑ready.
• Design and execute commercial models, not just define them.
• Work hands‑on with commercial, finance, and partner teams to implement pricing, incentives, and partnership structures.
• Drive solutions that unlock revenue, participation, and scale in the ecosystem.
• Personally drive delivery from concept through build, launch, and transition into BAU.
• Actively manage roadmaps, milestones, dependencies, and risks — course‑correcting fast where needed.
• Operate as a key execution lead and subject‑matter contributor across initiatives.
• Prepare and own materials for SteerCos, governance forums, and senior decision‑making — focused on progress, risks, and actions.
• Build working relationships with external providers, partners, and clients that move delivery forward.
• Act as a day‑to‑day operational driver with selected partners, ensuring commitments are met.
• Lead elements of partner onboarding and enablement, working closely with ops and commercial teams.
• Actively collect feedback, convert it into changes, and push improvements into delivery.
• Work directly with marketing and communications teams to get solutions launch‑ready.
• Enable sales and distribution teams with practical tools, FAQs, and playbooks.
• Support deployment and hands‑on handover into operations.

Experience Required

• Minimum of 6 years of relevant work experience
• Minimum of 4 years years’ experience in a management position.

• Experience in product design, development, marketing or management within financial services, consulting, healthcare, or a related sector will be advantageous (Advantageous)
• Experience working in the provision of healthcare (Advantageous).

Qualifications Required

• Relevant Honors Degree in Actuarial Science, Business, Commerce, Management, Healthcare, Finance or related field is required.

• Masters Degree, MBA, PHD will be advantageous

Technical Skills or Knowledge

• Product design, development, marketing or management within financial services, consulting, healthcare, or a related sector

EMPLOYMENT EQUITY   
                             
The Company’s approved Employment Equity Plan and Targets will be considered as part of the recruitment process. As an Equal Opportunities employer, we actively encourage and welcome people with various disabilities to apply.