Head of Travel Insurance

AXA; Redhill; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

An established industry player is seeking a Head of Travel Insurance to lead their claims services, ensuring timely reimbursements and high-quality customer outcomes. This pivotal role involves strategic planning, operational oversight, and effective crisis management while fostering strong client relationships. The successful candidate will manage a hybrid team across multiple locations, driving service improvements and compliance within a dynamic environment. If you have a passion for leadership and a track record in the insurance sector, this is a fantastic opportunity to make a significant impact.

Qualifications

• Strong commercial acumen in B2B environments and excellent stakeholder management.
• Experience in strategic planning, analytics, and operational resilience.

Responsibilities

• Oversee daily operations of travel insurance services, ensuring prompt responses.
• Lead and support the medical assistance team, providing guidance and training.
• Act as the main contact for key partners and clients, resolving inquiries.

Skills

B2B Commercial Acumen

Stakeholder Management

Strategic Planning

Data Analysis

Operational Resilience

Risk Management

Leadership

Crisis Management

Talent Development

Team Building

Job description

We are currently recruiting for an exciting new role as Head of Travel Insurance here at AXA Partners. This role is responsible for leading the travel insurance claims services, ensuring that clients receive timely and effective reimbursement post-travel claims. It will also oversee strategic planning, coordination of insurance claims services, and delivering high-quality customer outcomes.

You will lead the UK Travel contact centres and be responsible for hub performance across Barcelona and Mexico, ensuring excellent customer advocacy. The role involves managing procedures efficiently, accurately, and in a manner that protects the interests of the insured parties while providing satisfactory customer service within the UK strategy and transformation programme. It aims to maintain high standards of employee and customer outcomes within a cost-effective operation that meets regulatory requirements. The role also acts as a liaison between local operations and the company's commercial ambitions.

The position is based in our Redhill office with a hybrid work model. We operate a 35-hour week, Monday to Friday, 9 am – 5 pm.

Key Responsibilities:

1. Operational Oversight:

• Oversee daily operations of travel insurance services, ensuring prompt and effective responses.
• Monitor and evaluate service delivery metrics for quality and compliance.
• Oversee reserving processes, including adjustments and closures in line with finance policies.

Leadership and Management:

• Lead and support the medical assistance team, providing guidance and training.
• Develop departmental policies to improve service and efficiency.

Strategic Planning:

• Work with the COO to define vision and strategic goals.
• Identify opportunities for service improvement based on best practices and client needs.

Client Relationship Management:

• Act as the main contact for key partners and clients, resolving inquiries and issues.
• Maintain strong stakeholder relationships.

Crisis Management:

• Lead responses to escalations, coordinating with internal and external teams.
• Develop crisis management protocols.

Training and Development:

• Identify training needs and facilitate professional development.
• Conduct training sessions on best practices and industry standards.

Reporting and Analysis:

• Prepare performance reports and identify areas for improvement.
• Use data analysis to inform strategic decisions.

Technical/Functional Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities:

• Strong commercial acumen, especially in B2B environments.
• Excellent stakeholder management skills at senior levels globally.
• Experience in strategic planning, analytics, and execution.
• Knowledge of operational resilience, regulatory controls, and risk management.
• Understanding of financial services and regulatory environments.
• Ability to synthesize information across functions and assess risks.
• Leadership skills to manage ambiguity and lead teams effectively.
• Innovative mindset to challenge the status quo and implement sustainable change.
• Proven collaboration skills across multidisciplinary teams.
• Ability to make quick decisions and communicate clearly under pressure.
• Experience in talent development and team building.
• Preferably experience in risk, compliance, or operational resilience management.