Business Manager – Distribution & Trading Director

AXA UK; Bolton; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance provider in the United Kingdom is seeking a Business Manager to drive the strategic direction of their Distribution and Trading business. You'll support leadership, manage key initiatives, and enhance trading performance, requiring a strong background in the insurance sector and exceptional analytical and relationship management skills. This role includes both office and remote work, as well as significant travel requirements.

Benefits

Competitive annual salary

Annual bonus

Pension scheme with employer contributions

Life Assurance

Private medical cover

28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays

Wellbeing services

Qualifications

• Background in Insurance, ideally in the commercial sector.
• Good understanding of financial services industry, challenges, and opportunities.
• Ability to develop a strong understanding of the commercial business.

Responsibilities

• Support the creation of Distribution and Trading updates.
• Organize and produce meeting agendas and minutes.
• Drive business strategy and strategic projects.

Skills

Relationship management

Negotiation skills

Strategic thinking

Organizational skills

Analytical skills

Job description

Business Manager – Distribution & Trading Director

At AXA Commercial, we support our business customers, large and small, by making it easy for them to do business with us in the way that suits them. Whether they insure with us via brokers, directly on the phone or online through comparison sites, we’ve got them covered. Building on our growth, AXA Commercial continues to focus on delivering our underwriting strategy and income, increasing distribution and sales expertise, and customer service excellence through our branch network.

Reporting directly to the Chief Distribution Officer (CDO) and Mid Market Trading Director for AXA Commercial UK, you’ll lead the CDO’s Office and support the strategic direction of the Distribution and Trading business. As a strategic advisor, confidant, facilitator and implementer, you’ll identify and resolve issues, enable effective decision‑making, and partner with the CDO, the leadership team and the wider organisation to deliver on priority initiatives and long‑term goals.

At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You'll work at least two days a week (40%) away from home, moving to three days a week (60%) in the future. Away from home means either attendance at one of our office locations, visiting clients or attending industry events. This role will require frequent travel to our office in London.

What you’ll be doing:

• Support the creation of Distribution and Trading business updates and presentations.
• Organise and produce meeting agendas, minutes, and insightful meeting packs for the SLT (Senior Leadership Team) team meetings and other trading boards.
• Own and drive our business strategy and multiple strategic projects to support our transformational journey including driving excellence across operations, distribution, and underwriting to improve our trading performance.
• Liaise with key external and internal stakeholders on behalf of Distribution and Trading Director, using this association to influence and follow up on key initiatives.

Due to the number of applications we expect to receive for this role, we reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the listed closing date to ensure we’re able to effectively manage interest. Therefore, if you’re interested in joining us at AXA, please don’t hesitate to apply.

What you’ll bring:

• Background in Insurance, ideally in the commercial sector.
• Good understanding of financial services industry, challenges, and future opportunities.
• Ability to quickly develop a strong understanding of commercial business, including customers and distribution, servicing and enabling functions.
• Ability to rapidly understand, assimilate, analyse data and act on complex business and financial issues.
• Outstanding relationship management, influencing, negotiation and presentation skills.
• Forward thinking and strategic mindset.
• Delivery‑focused approach.
• Excellent organisational skills and attention to detail.

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom.

This position has been defined as an Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) role under the IDD regime which means that in addition to pre‑employment screening checks, the successful candidate will be subject to background screening every 4 years with an annual declaration in interim years.

What We Offer:

• Competitive annual salary
• Annual company & performance‑based bonus
• Contributory pension scheme (up to 12% employer contributions)
• Life Assurance (up to 10 x annual salary)
• Private medical cover
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to buy up to 5 extra days leave or sell up to 5 days leave
• Wellbeing services & resources
• AXA employee discounts

To apply, click on the ‘apply for this job’ button, you’ll then need to log in or create a profile to submit your CV. We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer and don’t discriminate against employees or potential employees based on protected characteristics. If you have a long‑term condition or disability and require adjustments during the application or interview process, we’re proud to offer access to the AXA Accessibility Concierge. For our support, please send an email to mel.ainscough@axa‑insurance.co.uk.

Who We Are :

AXA Commercial protects businesses, from multinationals to micro start‑ups, giving them the confidence to thrive. We’re currently making our biggest ever investment to develop the expertise and skills we need to be the best. We’re a vibrant community where everyone is supported to learn, develop, and take ownership of their work.