Future Senior Business Leader

NFU Mutual; Penrith; On-site; GBP 54,000 - 66,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Company car / cash

Pension up to 20%

28 days leave

Private medical insurance

Employee discounts

Gym membership stipend

Job summary

NFU Mutual’s Future Senior Business Leaders programme offers a two-year fixed term pathway to self-employment in Cumbria. You’ll gain hands-on agency experience, mentor support and structured leadership development designed to grow your commercial judgment and readiness to run a multi-million-pound NFU Mutual agency.

This long-term development opportunity focuses on leadership, strategic thinking and practical capability, with placements across the NFU Mutual Agency Network from Kendal to

Qualifications

• Strong commercial track record in business development or sales.
• People leadership experience with ability to motivate and develop others.
• Strategic judgement with ability to interpret financial information.

Responsibilities

• Participate in a dedicated leadership development plan and technical product training.
• Undertake hands-on agency placements and mentoring across NFU Mutual networks.
• Contribute to regional projects and prepare for a self-employed Agent appointment.

Job description

About the Role

• 2-year fixed term contract pathway to self-employment


• Bespoke leadership development programme based in/around Cumbria


• Build the skills, confidence and commercial understanding to lead your own £multi-million insurance business.

Join NFU Mutual’s Future Senior Business Leaders programme and build the skills, confidence and commercial understanding to run your own £multi-million insurance business. This 2-year fixed term contract offers structured learning, mentoring, business coaching and hands-on agency experience, preparing you for a future self-employed Agent appointment in Cumbria.

You’ll be supported to make the transition from employed senior business professional to self-employed strategic leader, working with like-minded professionals to lead an established NFU Mutual agency within our trusted network.

What can you expect when you join our Future Senior Business Leaders programme?

• A dedicated leadership development plan, including technical product training, industry-recognised qualifications and hands-on agency placements.


• Access to senior mentors and top-performing self-employed Agents across the NFU Mutual Agency Network.


• Exposure to NFU Mutual’s core business areas, helping you understand how a leading UK insurance business operates.


• Involvement in key regional projects from day one, giving you the opportunity to contribute while building your future capability as an Agent of NFU Mutual.

This role falls under Insurance Distribution Directive requirements, and as a result, role holders will be required to demonstrate ongoing Continuous Professional Development in role, along with undergoing regular re-screening to show that they are of “Good Repute”. Further information can be found in the FCA Handbook.

About You

We’re looking for a high-potential business professional with the ambition, commercial judgement and drive to be ready to lead a £multi-million NFU Mutual agency within two years.

Previous insurance experience and/or a connection to farming and agriculture would be helpful, but not essential. What matters most is your potential, attitude and commitment to growing into broader business leadership.

More specifically, you’ll need to demonstrate:

• A strong commercial track record, ideally gained in B2B sales, business development or corporate account growth.


• People leadership experience, with evidence of motivating, developing and getting results through others.


• Clear commercial judgement, including the ability to interpret financial information and make robust business decisions.


• A strategic mindset to spot opportunities, set clear priorities and turn business goals into practical action.


• A proactive approach, with the motivation to take ownership of your own development and future performance.

This is a long-term development opportunity for someone who wants to become embedded in the local community. As the strongest future Agent opportunities are expected to be in Cumbria and the Lakes, you’ll need to show a clear and realistic commitment to living and working in the area, anywhere from Kendal to Carlisle.

At NFU Mutual, we support an inclusive workplace and value all the differences that make us unique. We celebrate the creativity and innovation that comes from diverse perspectives and experiences and share a common vision of doing the right thing for our customers and employees.

We recognise that some candidates may experience barriers during the recruitment process. So, we encourage candidates to discuss any adjustments or accommodations they need to be the best they can be throughout our recruitment process.

We’re proud to be a Disability Confident Employer, a Race at Work and Women in Finance Charter signatory and welcome applications from people of all backgrounds, regardless of age, ethnicity, disability, neurodiversity, gender, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, or socioeconomic background.

Benefits & Rewards

When you join our team, you can expect a supportive culture and an attractive range of rewards and benefits including:

• Salary - Up £60,000 per annum


• Company car / cash allowance


• Contributory pension scheme, up to 20%, including your 8% contribution


• 28 days annual leave + bank holidays + buy/sell/save holiday trading scheme


• A Family Friendly policy that helps you balance your work and family responsibilities


• Private medical insurance + options to add family members


• Access to savings at High Street brands, travel and supermarkets


• £20 contribution to a monthly gym membership - subject to T&Cs


• Health and wellbeing plan - cashback for dentist, opticians, physio and more


• Employee Volunteering - volunteer in the community for one day each year


• Unlimited access to Refer a Friend £500 bonus scheme


• Life Assurance cover of 4 x salary
  
• Employee discounts of 15% on a range of NFU Mutual insurance policies.

Working at NFU Mutual

We’re one of the UK’s leading general insurance and financial services companies. For over 110 years we’ve put our customers at the heart of everything we do. Our people are just as important to us.

We pride ourselves on being “a great place to work” and our Gallup Exceptional Workplace 2025 award was not only awarded with Distinction but also named us as the first UK-based company to receive a Gallup Exceptional Workplace for ten years in a row. We were also named in the LinkedIn Top 25 Companies List 2021, the Glassdoor Best Places to Work UK List 2023 and 2024, and we’re recognised as a certified UK Top Employer by the Top Employers Institute in 2023, 2024 and 2025.

We offer a supportive culture where we empower and inspire our people to perform, offer them opportunities to grow, and recognise and reward their contribution. Our people are proud to work for a company that respects them and their communities, and they trust us to be financially sustainable, so we are successful now and in the future.