Development Underwriter (Life Sciences)

Markel; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 90,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Private Medical Insurance

Life Assurance

Income Protection

Quarterly bonus (20% target)

Professional qualification support

Holiday allowance

Job summary

Markel is seeking a Development Underwriter to own a growing Life Sciences portfolio across the UK, with hybrid working in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham or London. You’ll build broker relationships, win new business and shape underwriting appetite.

This role offers significant autonomy, market-facing responsibilities and opportunities for long-term career development within a supportive Life Sciences team.

Qualifications

• Experience underwriting Commercial Combined, P&C, Financial Lines or Life Sciences.
• Strong broker development and relationship-building skills.
• Commercial awareness and trading capability.
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills.
• Drive to create opportunities and build a portfolio.

Responsibilities

• Develop broker relationships across key UK markets and convert opportunities.
• Underwrite Life Sciences risks within delegated authority.
• Build a robust pipeline of opportunities and maintain CRM activity.
• Collaborate with underwriting colleagues to deliver broker outcomes.
• Provide market insight and help shape underwriting appetite.
• Represent Markel at broker meetings and industry events.
• Support growth and profitability objectives across the portfolio.

Skills

Underwriting experience

Broker development

Commercial awareness

Negotiation

Stakeholder management

Independent working

Tools

CRM software

Job description

Development Underwriter (Life Sciences)

Flexible UK Location | Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham, London – Hybrid working
Permanent | Full Time

Help Build the Future of Life Sciences Insurance at Markel!

This isn’t a maintenance role. It isn’t a desk-bound underwriting position.
This is an opportunity to take ownership of a growing, profitable portfolio and become the face of Markel’s Life Sciences proposition across the UK.

As we continue to invest in our specialist underwriting capabilities, we’re looking for a commercially minded Development Underwriter to help drive the next phase of growth within our Life Sciences portfolio. You’ll be responsible for building broker relationships, identifying new opportunities, winning business and helping shape the future direction of the proposition.

Whether you already have Life Sciences experience or you’re a talented Commercial Combined, P&C or Financial Lines Underwriter looking to specialise in a high-growth niche, we want to hear from you.

Why Join Markel?

Life Sciences is one of our most exciting growth areas.

We’re already delivering strong, profitable results and have ambitious plans to expand our footprint in the market. With significant investment in people, underwriting capability and broker engagement, we’re looking for someone who wants to help us build something special.

This role offers:

• The opportunity to shape and grow a specialist portfolio
• Significant autonomy and flexibility
• Exposure to a broad range of innovative businesses
• The chance to build market presence and broker relationships
• Direct influence on underwriting appetite and proposition development
• Support from an experienced team of Life Sciences specialists
• A clear platform for long-term career progression

What You’ll Be Doing:

As our Development Underwriter, you’ll combine technical underwriting expertise with a strong market-facing approach.

You’ll spend time building relationships, visiting brokers, identifying opportunities and converting business, while also underwriting and supporting profitable portfolio growth.

Key responsibilities include:

• Developing and managing broker relationships across key UK markets
• Creating and converting new business opportunities
• Underwriting Life Sciences risks within delegated authority
• Becoming a recognised specialist within your broker network
• Building a robust pipeline of opportunities and maintaining CRM activity
• Working closely with underwriting colleagues to deliver excellent broker outcomes
• Providing market insight and helping shape future underwriting appetite
• Representing Markel at broker meetings, market events and industry forums
• Supporting delivery of growth and profitability objectives across the portfolio

What We’re Looking For:

We’re more interested in finding the right person than ticking every technical box.

You could be:

• A Development Underwriter looking for a specialist market opportunity
• A Commercial Combined or P&C Underwriter wanting to move into a more market-facing role
• A New Business Underwriter with strong broker relationships
• A Life Sciences specialist seeking a broader platform for growth
• A specialist Life Sciences Broker looking to transition into underwriting

You’ll bring:

• Underwriting experience within Commercial Combined, P&C, Financial Lines or Life Sciences
• Strong broker development and relationship-building skills
• Commercial awareness and trading capability
• Confidence negotiating and influencing outcomes
• Excellent communication and stakeholder management skills
• The drive to create opportunities and build a portfolio
• A proactive and self-motivated approach to work

The Person:

Our Hiring Manager, is clear on what success looks like:

"We can train the technical skills. We can’t train the personality."

We’re looking for someone who is:

• Outgoing and relationship-focused
• Commercially minded
• Naturally curious
• Resilient and ambitious
• Comfortable working independently
• Motivated by growth and building a market presence
• Confident opening doors and creating opportunities

Flexibility That Works:

This is a true development underwriting role.

Rather than being tied to a desk, you’ll have the autonomy to manage your own diary, spend time in the market and build productive broker relationships. You’ll be aligned to a Markel office but enjoy significant flexibility in how you work.

What You’ll Get:

• Competitive salary
• Quarterly bonus opportunity (target 20% of salary)
• Hybrid and flexible working
• Private Medical Insurance
• Life Assurance
• Income Protection
• Generous holiday allowance with buy/sell options
• Professional qualification support
• Ongoing learning and career development
• A collaborative and supportive culture where your contribution makes a genuine impact

Ready to Make Your Mark?

If you’re an underwriter who enjoys building relationships, creating opportunities and driving growth, this is your chance to play a leading role in one of Markel’s most exciting specialist propositions.

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at [e-mail] or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.