Chief Underwriter

Canada Life; London; On-site; GBP 50,000 - 90,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a skilled Underwriting Manager to lead their medical underwriting and claims philosophy. This role involves developing a focused underwriting team, ensuring fair customer outcomes, and maintaining high standards in claims management. The company promotes a culture of collaboration, innovation, and continuous development, offering a competitive salary and a comprehensive benefits package. If you are passionate about making a difference in the insurance sector and have the expertise to drive change, this position is an excellent opportunity to advance your career.

Benefits

Generous Pension Scheme

Private Medical Insurance

Life Assurance

Income Protection

Bonus Scheme

Flexible Working Arrangements

Professional Development Opportunities

Qualifications

• Deep understanding of medical underwriting risk factors and processes.
• Ability to underwrite for multiple product lines and evaluate technological solutions.

Responsibilities

• Set underwriting policies and ensure compliance with company guidelines.
• Manage relationships with reassurers and provide training to operational teams.

Skills

Medical Underwriting Knowledge

Claims Management

Data Analysis

Negotiation Skills

Coaching and Training

Relationship Management

Excel Skills

Word Skills

Education

Bachelor's Degree in a Relevant Field

Job description

Canada Life UK looks after the retirement, investment and protection needs of individuals, families and companies. We help to build better futures for our customers, our intermediaries and our employees by operating as a modern, agile and welcoming organisation.

Part of our parent company Great-West Lifeco, Canada Life UK has operated in the United Kingdom since 1903. We have hundreds of respected and supported employees committed to doing the right thing for our customers and colleagues.

Canada Life UK is transforming to create a more customer-focused business by providing our customers with expertise on financial and tax planning, offering home finance and annuities propositions, and providing collective fund solutions to third party customers.

Job Summary

• To have corporate responsibility for medical underwriting and claims philosophy and ensure its effective implementation.
• To develop a commercially focussed underwriting team performing research and developing underwriting rules to support Canada Life's objectives.
• To embed systems and processes that increase the ability to offer:

• Fair and consistent customer and business outcomes
• Informed and data led decision making
• Proportionate to risk
• Operational efficiency
• Compliance with reinsurance treaties

• Demonstrate a collaboration with CL pricing and claims and customer servicing teams. Achieve a fluidity between the rates we charge (pricing) and the health assessment we perform through Medical UW and Claims.
• To ensure overall quality of Medical Underwriting and individual claims management for the UK and IOM

What you'll Do

• Set Underwriting & Claims Policy/Philosophy in line with Company Requirements
• Embed systems and processes that increase the ability to offer;

• Fair and consistent customer and business outcomes
• Informed and data led decision making
• Proportionate to risk
• Operational efficiency
• Compliance with reinsurance treaties

• Implement and review appropriate controls/limits/evidence requirements to ensure claims/cases are accepted/ rejected in line with Company policy, Reinsurance arrangements, Policy provisions, ABI & FOS guidelines and above all Consumer duty requirements
• Resolve contentious claims accurately, balancing the needs of the Customer, Company & Reassurer in the most appropriate way. Be mindful of FOS/ABI guidelines in this area.
• Maintain a high level of claims/underwriting knowledge in order to provide advice, guidance & support to the operational teams and senior management. Introduce systems and processes to achieve operational efficiency.
• Provide support, training and guidance to Operational teams.
• Manage relationships with Reassurers, Chief Medical Officer and FOS to ensure strategy, claims policy and processes are current and meet risk assessment/audit requirements.
• Act as the Nominated Genetic Underwriter for the company, as per ABI requirements.

Who You Are

Excellent underwriting knowledge:

• Detailed understanding of medical underwriting risk factors.
• Able to underwrite for multiple product lines.
• Full understanding of the ABI's Statement of Best Practice including genetics, and how they apply.
• Fully conversant with underwriting manuals and processes.
• Detailed understanding of the company's products which require underwriting input.
• Maintains underwriting knowledge with industry and market changes.
• Able to evaluate and introduce technological solutions
• Able influence and persuade those not directly reporting in through open, collaborative and team working ways.
• Able to address conflicts, and negotiate acceptable solutions for all parties
• Able to provide coaching and training to develop staff
• Able to build strong relationships
• Able to lead on technical issues
• Able to explain complex ideas simply
• Good Excel and Word skills

Please note this role falls under Significant management function for both CLL and CLP and is also a MRT for Solvency II.

Benefits of working at Canada Life

We believe in recognising and rewarding our people, so we offer a competitive salary and benefits package that's regularly reviewed. As a Canada Life UK colleague, you'll receive a competitive salary and comprehensive reward package including a generous pension and bonus scheme, along with, income protection, private medical insurance and life assurance. We have a fantastic number of other benefits and support services as well as regular personal and professional development.

How we work at Canada Life

Our culture is unique and incredibly important to us. We care about doing the right thing for our people, customers and community and helping others to build better futures. Our blueprint behaviours shape and influence how we work, and are central to the relationships we have with others. Every day we are encouraged to be more curious, own the outcome, face into things together and find a way forward.

We want colleagues to have rewarding careers with us so we invest in the development of our people, technology and workplaces. That's why we offer a range of training, flexible working and opportunities to grow and develop.

Diversity and inclusion

Building an inclusive workplace with a diverse workforce where everyone can feel they belong and achieve their potential regardless of gender, ethnicity or any other characteristic is a key commitment for us. We are proud of the progress we're making in DEI, and we continue for it to be a significant focus.

"At Canada Life we believe in the power of great people from different backgrounds, experiences and perspectives coming together to build better futures. Emerging talent is crucial to our growth and creating an environment that continues to inspire us all." Nick Harding, Chief People Officer, Canada Life UK

We appreciate that everyone has different work and life responsibilities. We're happy to discuss flexible working arrangements, including part time, for any of our roles should this be a requirement for you.