Head of Commercial & Portfolio Management

Hastings Direct; Leicester; Hybrid; GBP 90,000 - 130,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

£6k car allowance

Flexible hybrid working

Competitive bonus scheme

Private medical insurance

Life assurance 4x salary

Job summary

Hastings Direct is seeking a Head of Commercial & Portfolio Management (Telematics) to lead the Telematics portfolio with a hybrid working model. You will set direction, drive growth and profitability, and collaborate with Retail, Underwriting, Pricing, Product and Digital to shape a differentiated Telematics proposition.

Based with the Telematics team, you will own the portfolio's performance and use market insight to prioritise opportunities, turning them into actionable initiatives that

Qualifications

• Strong commercial judgement with P&L ownership influence.
• Collaborative leadership to align senior stakeholders.
• Ability to translate market data into actionable decisions.
• Disciplined performance management and accountability.
• Experience creating robust reporting and performance frameworks.
• Ability to bring clarity and operating rhythm to a fast-moving environment.

Responsibilities

• Own the Telematics portfolio's long-term commercial performance and direction.
• Shape pricing strategy and trading decisions in partnership with Pricing and Underwriting.
• Lead cross-functional teams across Retail, Underwriting, Pricing, Product and Digital to deliver growth.

Skills

Commercial leadership

Strategic thinking

Data interpretation

Performance management

Reporting frameworks

Cross-functional leadership

Job description

Head of Commercial & Portfolio Management (Telematics) Hybrid, with a minimum of one day per week at one of our main sites in Bexhill, Leicester or London

We’re a fast-growing digital insurer serving more than four million customers, with ambitious plans for the UK market and significant investment across our insurance and telematics businesses, underpinned by market-leading pricing and data capability

As Hastings continues to grow, Telematics has evolved from a single product into a strategic pillar of our business. We’re looking for a commercially minded leader to shape where and how we compete, accelerating sustainable growth, improving profitability and delivering great customer outcomes

Sitting at the heart of the business, you’ll bring together commercial strategy, trading, market intelligence and portfolio performance. Working across Retail, Underwriting, Pricing, Product and Digital, you’ll turn insight into action, identify the opportunities that matter most and help build a differentiated Telematics proposition for the future

Based within our Telematics business, you’ll take overall responsibility for the commercial direction and long-term performance of the portfolio. You’ll use your understanding of the market, customers and portfolio performance to set priorities, make clear commercial choices and bring teams together behind the opportunities that will deliver sustainable growth, stronger profitability and better customer outcomes

You’ll lead the long-term commercial performance of our Telematics portfolio, using your understanding of the market and the drivers behind performance to set direction and make confident decisions. This is a visible leadership role with the opportunity to bring teams together, turn opportunities into action and deliver growth initiatives that make a lasting difference to the business

Leading commercial performance:

• You will take ownership of the Telematics portfolio’s overall performance, setting clear priorities around growth, profitability and customer value and bringing teams together to deliver them

Market and competitor insight

• Bring the market into our decisions: Building a strong understanding of market cycles and use it to guide where and how we pursue growth
• Stay ahead of change: Keeping close to competitor activity, customer behaviour and emerging trends, turning what you see into clear recommendations for the business

Portfolio strategy and pricing direction

• Own the portfolio view: Maintaining a clear, forward-looking view of portfolio performance, including loss ratio, profitability and the overall base-rate position
• Shape pricing direction: Leading recommendations on portfolio trading strategy and base-rate movements, working closely with Pricing and Underwriting to turn decisions into action

Skills and experience we’re looking for

• Strong commercial judgement, with experience owning or influencing P&L performance
• A confident, collaborative leadership style, with the ability to influence senior stakeholders and bring different teams behind a shared direction
• The ability to turn complex data and market insight into clear decisions and practical action
• A disciplined approach to performance management, with strong attention to detail and a clear focus on accountability
• Experience creating effective reporting and performance frameworks that support timely, well-informed decisions
• The ability to bring clarity, focus and a consistent operating rhythm to a complex, fast-moving environment

The journey with us

Our straightforward interview process is designed to help us get to know each other and give you a clear picture of the role: Initial conversation with our recruiter Introductory discussion with the hiring leader Case study interview with the hiring leader Final conversation with a senior leader

As a Disability Confident employer, we’re committed to ensuring our recruitment processes are fully inclusive – what this means to you is if you’re applying for a job with us, you’ll have fair access to support and adjustments throughout your recruitment journey. We also welcome applications through the Disability Confident Scheme (DCS). For more information on the DCS, please visit our inclusive business page on our career’s website

Benefits:

• in addition to a competitive salary and a £6k car allowance, you will also receive… Flexible working –we champion a flexible hybrid working approach – please speak to your recruiter to discuss in more detail Competitive bonus scheme- all colleagues are eligible for our annual 4Cs performance bonus Physical wellbeing – as a Band 5 colleague, Hastings pay for you to receive private medical Insurance (also known as PMI). This gives you flexibility and convenience to see a specialist or consultant and allows you to decide when and where you will be seen Financial wellbeing – as well as providing you with 4x your salary with our life assurance cover, income protection at no extra cost, and matched pension contributions up to 10%, we are proud to provide you with an award-winning package which includes – discounts, cashback, free independent mortgage advice and free access to financial wellbeing support Mental wellbeing programme – we have the thrive mental health app, our colleague assistance programme available 24/7, our own in-house mental health first aiders, support groups and a dedicated team to make sure we are covering your needs

There's more!

• 27 days annual leave + bank holidays, with the option to buy or sell one of your weeks
• Access to our health care cash back plans, dental plans, discounted health assessments, Cycle to work and tech schemes, discounted and free onsite facilities, social events throughout the year and much more ….

Join us and you’ll find a different way of doing things. We call it the 4Cs. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues, customers, company and community. As one of our colleagues, you’ll be helping to drive our growth, so in return, we’ll give you all the support, training and development you need

Our 4Cs principles are simple: we believe by creating the right culture for our colleagues and giving them the right tools to do their job, we’ll deliver good outcomes for every customer, helping us to grow the company profitably and sustainably and allowing us to invest in the communities we serve

Hastings Group is an equal opportunities employer which means we treat people fairly. We welcome applications from all suitably skilled persons regardless of their gender, age, race, disability, ethnic background, religion/belief, sexual orientation, gender reassignment or marital/family status. Please also note that we have a thorough referencing process, which includes credit and criminal record checks. At Hastings Direct, we’re committed to creating an inclusive environment where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. If you require any reasonable adjustments during the recruitment process, we encourage you to be open with us. Our recruitment team is here to provide the support you need to ensure a fair and accessible experience for all.

Job posting end date: 16/10/2026

Hastings Direct is a fast growing, agile, digitally focused general insurance provider of products and services to over 4 million customers in the UK, employing over 4,600 colleagues. Our vision – to be the best and biggest digital insurance provider in the market. It's our attitude and the way we run our business that makes us different. We focus on getting it right for our colleagues, customers, company and community. It's a dynamic, flexible, fun and constantly changing environment. You'll enjoy the scope to make a real difference for our customers, influence our company, benefit the communities we work in and have fun along the way. If you enjoyed the video and would like to learn more about #LifatHD, check out our colleague stories