Financial Line Senior Underwriter

Liva Insurance UAE; Dubai; On-site; AED 300,000 - 540,000; Full time

Job summary

Liva Insurance UAE is seeking a Senior Underwriter for Financial Lines to grow and manage a profitable UAE/GCC portfolio, with emphasis on PI, D&O, cyber, and FI lines. The role requires independent underwriting within delegated authority and close collaboration with brokers and internal teams.

The ideal candidate has 5–8 years of Financial Lines underwriting experience in the UAE/GCC, strong English communication, and a proactive, analytical mindset to balance profitability with compliant

Qualifications

• Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Economics, Risk Management, Law, or a closely related field.
• Advanced professional insurance status desirable (ACII, CPCU, or equivalent).
• Minimum 5 to 8 years of technical corporate underwriting experience focused on Financial Lines in UAE/GCC.

Responsibilities

• Independently analyze and classify complex high-value corporate risk exposures using financial statements and reports.
• Formulate risk-pricing models to meet loss ratios and premium targets.
• Draft and negotiate specialized policy wordings and endorsements for complex exposures.
• Underwrite within delegated authority and escalate complex risks to technical teams or reinsurers.
• Source and secure facultative reinsurance for high-capacity or high-hazard accounts.
• Engage regional brokers and lead strategy sessions ahead of major renewals.
• Collaborate with actuaries and finance to monitor loss ratios and exposure accumulation.

Skills

Communication skills

English fluency

Proactive

Organized

Independent underwriting

Negotiation

Broker relations

Commercial mindset

Education

Bachelor's degree in related field

ACII / CPCU certifications

Tools

MS Office

Job description

The Senior Underwriter for Financial Lines is responsible for growing and maintaining a highly profitable, compliant corporate portfolio across the UAE and GCC. While managing general Financial Lines—including Directors & Officers (D&O), Errors and Omissions, Commercial Crime, Fidelity Guarantee, Cyber Insurance, this role focuses heavily on Professional Indemnity (PI) Insurance and SPPI. The position involves evaluating highly technical risks for diverse professional sectors (e.g., consultants, medical practitioners, IT firms, engineers, and financial advisers) while balancing strict risk controls with competitive commercial growth. The role involves independent underwriting within delegated authority, supporting business growth, and ensuring profitable and compliant underwriting aligned with UAE market practices.

Key Responsibilities

Technical Underwriting & Risk Evaluation

• Independently analyze, evaluate, and classify complex, high-value corporate risk exposures using actuarial data, financial statements, trade histories, and technical inspection reports.
• Formulate and execute strict risk-pricing models to align with Liva’s target loss ratios and premium targets.
• Draft, review, and negotiate specialized policy wordings, clauses, endorsements, and warranties to ensure terms precisely fit complex commercial exposures while safeguarding the company against systemic losses.
• Execute independent underwriting decisions within high delegated authority levels. Review and elevate out-of-scope risks to the technical team or reinsurers with comprehensive risk files.

Reinsurance & Risk Mitigation Management

• Source, negotiate, and secure Facultative Reinsurance support for large-capacity placements or high-hazard accounts that exceed local treaty capacity.
• Maintain complete alignment with international reinsurance treaty terms, exclusions, and technical limits.
• Coordinate closely with internal finance and billing departments to monitor premium collection timelines, credit windows, and Premium Payment guidelines.

Broker Distribution & Business Development

• Proactively engage with regional tier-1 and international insurance brokerages operating across the UAE.
• Lead specialized strategy sessions with brokers 90 to 120 days prior to major corporate renewals to secure target accounts and identify cross-selling possibilities.
• Formulate custom portfolio-underwriting programs for selected intermediary partners to capture high-margin mid-market and SME business efficiently.

Cross-Functional Collaboration & Portfolio Analytics

• Partner with technical pricing actuaries and financial analysis teams to monitor monthly loss ratios, operating metrics, and overall accumulation exposures.
• Collaborate with the corporate claims team to review ongoing litigation trends, defense cost patterns, and major notifications, converting those insights into updated underwriting guidelines.

Education

Bachelor’s degree in business administration, Finance, Economics, Risk Management, Law, or a closely related field.

Professional Certifications

Advanced professional insurance status is highly desirable (e.g., ACII - Associate of the Chartered Insurance Institute, CPCU - Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter, or equivalent).

Market Experience

Minimum 5 to 8 years of technical corporate underwriting experience, specifically focused on Financial Lines within the UAE or broader GCC insurance marketplace.

Product Expertise

Profound technical mastery of Professional Indemnity (PI), with supporting functional capabilities in Directors & Officers (D&O) liability, Cyber Liability, and Financial Institutions (FI) lines.

Skills Required

• Efficient use of computer with good working knowledge of all MS Office applications
• Good Communication skills
• Good in English language. Multiple languages will be an added advantage
• Proactive and organised
• Ability to underwrite independently while escalating complex risks appropriately.
• Effective communication and negotiation skills with brokers and internal stakeholders.
• Balanced commercial mindset with focus on sustainable profitability.