Claims Specialist Advisor

Posting Description

Claims Specialist Advisor - Marine

Why not take your career to the next level? Are you ready to join a dynamic team and make a difference in the finance and insurance industry? Read on!

Aon South Africa is looking to hire a Claims Specialist Advisor specializing in Marine claims. This hybrid role offers flexibility to work virtually or from our Sandton head office.

The Claims Specialist Advisor provides expert claims handling and client support in a broking setting. This role manages marine claims from notification to settlement and closure. It involves interpreting complex policy wordings, preparing evidence-backed claim submissions, and negotiating with insurers to achieve fair and timely results under the policy. The specialist works closely with clients, Client Managers, insurers, and appointed experts. They offer clear advice, address disputed positions constructively, and uphold strict claims' governance.

Aon is in the business of better decisions

At Aon, we shape decisions for the better to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world.

As an organization, we are united through trust as one engaged team, and we are passionate about helping our colleagues and clients succeed.

What the day will look like

• Full accountability: Supervise marine claims from start to finish, covering complicated and challenged losses, ensuring clear strategies, timely updates, and accurate system entries.
• Technical coverage analysis: Examine policy schedules, marine clauses, endorsements, exclusions, warranties, deductibles and limits in relation to the loss circumstances; detect coverage concerns promptly and articulate their consequences clearly.
• Client advocacy: Prepare substantiated claim presentations, critically assess insurer responses and negotiate fair outcomes within policy terms. Challenge disputed decisions professionally and raise material issues with supporting evidence.
• Marine loss investigation: Gather and examine shipping and commercial documents, survey reports, loss calculations and relevant correspondence to determine the cause, extent and value of the loss.
• Expert and collaborator coordination: Liaise with insurers, surveyors, loss adjusters, recovery specialists and legal advisers; arrange appointments within agreed authority and carefully assess their findings.
• Mitigation and recoveries: Coordinate timely guidance on loss mitigation, salvage and preservation of recovery rights, including relevant notification requirements and time-sensitive blocking issues to appropriate specialists.
• Clear client communication: Keep clients and Client Managers advised of progress, outstanding information, coverage concerns and next steps; manage expectations without making unauthorized coverage or settlement commitments.
• Portfolio reporting: Provide claims statistics and monthly reports for collaborators covering significant losses, outstanding actions, ageing, settlement progress and emerging trends; attend monthly client and Client Manager meetings.
• Financial and file field: Maintain accurate claims records, monitor aggregates and manage claims funds where applicable within agreed mandates and controls.
• Binder Claims Handling – Clear experience in binder marine claims.
• Broking collaboration: Share claims insights with broking and placement colleagues to highlight wording ambiguities, coverage gaps and recurring loss issues for consideration at renewal.
• Technical contribution: Support colleagues with marine claims' guidance, share lessons from complex matters and organize workloads to meet productivity targets and service level agreements.

Skills and experience that will lead to success

Qualifications.

• Completion of Grade 12 or an equivalent level of education
• A Bachelor’s degree or equivalent experience is preferable
• Must hold registration as a representative with the FSCA in accordance with the FAIS Act
• Must hold a licentiate registration with the IISA (or be currently pursuing it)

Knowledge.

• Solid expertise in marine insurance policy wordings, especially marine cargo and goods-in-transit coverage, encompassing relevant Institute Cargo Clauses, endorsements, exclusions, warranties, deductibles, and valuation provisions.
• Detailed knowledge of stock throughput insurance and claims, including the interaction between transit and storage cover, insured locations, stock valuations, accumulation limits, deductibles and the allocation of losses under the applicable policy wording.
• Technical expertise in various marine claim categories is required. These include import and export cargo, inland transit, and goods-in-transit. Additional areas cover stock throughput and storage losses, theft, pilferage, non-delivery, and shortages. Knowledge of physical damage during loading, unloading, and handling is important. Also needed is awareness of water damage, contamination, refrigerated cargo deterioration, temperature variation, bulk commodity losses, as well as project cargo and heavy-lift losses. Familiarity with general average and salvage claims is necessary. Understanding hull and machinery, marine liability, and delay in start-up claims is also important when relevant to the portfolio and insurance cover.
• Practical understanding of shipping and logistics processes, Incoterms, insurable interest and the relevance of bills of lading, invoices, packing lists, delivery records and survey evidence to a claim.
• Solid knowledge of marine loss investigation, claims quantification, mitigation, salvage, subrogation and recovery procedures, including familiarity with general average and time-sensitive referral requirements.
• Thorough claims administration knowledge and understanding of the broker’s client-advocacy role, authority boundaries, confidentiality obligations and procedures for handling blocking issues.
• Knowledge of South African and international short-term insurance markets, industry and business strategies, and company goals will be advantageous.
• Competence in digital applications featuring advanced MS Word and Excel expertise, alongside careful operation of claims systems and the capacity to understand portfolio data.

Skills and Attributes.

• Client-first advocacy: Represents the client’s interests with independence, integrity and persistence, while remaining objective about policy cover and available evidence.
• Technical judgement and analytical thinking: Identifies material facts, tests assumptions, interprets complex wordings and develops well-reasoned solutions rather than simply relaying insurer decisions.
• Negotiation and constructive challenge: Presents persuasive, evidence-based arguments and handles coverage disagreements firmly and professionally while maintaining productive market relationships.
• Ownership and urgency: Drives claims forward, follows through on commitments and prioritizes notifications, recovery deadlines and urgent client needs.
• Clear communication and empathy: Explains technical issues in plain language, listens carefully and provides practical updates that help clients make informed decisions.
• Attention to detail: Checks policy provisions, documentation, calculations and settlement terms carefully and maintains a complete, auditable record.
• Commercial awareness: Understands how a marine loss affects a client’s operations, cash flow and supply chain, and balances urgency with sound technical assessment.
• Collaboration and relationship management: Works effectively with clients, broking teams, insurers and external specialists, sharing knowledge and keeping responsibilities clear.
• Composure, organization and professional accountability: Manages competing priorities under pressure, recognizes the limits of personal authority and brings up concerns appropriately without promising outcomes.

Experience.

• At least three years of focused marine claims experience, showing clear capability in managing claims independently. This includes complex losses, technical coverage matters, and disputed claims until they are resolved.
• Demonstrated expertise in claims advisory, client representation, and insurer negotiations, backed by the capability to draft clear technical submissions and evaluate settlement offers.
• Experience collaborating with marine surveyors, loss adjusters and recovery specialists, and interpreting shipping documentation and loss reports.
• Experience in an insurance broking environment is preferred; candidates from insurer or specialist marine claims backgrounds should show a solid grasp of broker-led client advocacy.