Life Underwriter - New Business

LV=; Bournemouth; Hybrid; GBP 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading insurance provider in Bournemouth is seeking an organised, self-motivated underwriter to join their team. In this essential role, you will efficiently underwrite new business applications for life, critical illness, and income protection insurance. The company offers a flexible working model, competitive benefits, and is committed to a culture of inclusion. You must be eligible to work in the UK without sponsorship. Training may occur at the Exeter office, but remote work is an option.

Benefits

26 days’ holiday, increasing after two years

Annual bonus scheme

Flexible benefits like health and dental insurance

Qualifications

• Demonstrate excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Be able to work in a fast-paced environment while maintaining quality.
• Competently make pragmatic decisions in line with regulatory requirements.

Responsibilities

• Make important decisions in a customer-focused manner.
• Provide fair and balanced information surrounding decisions.
• Utilize excellent customer service skills to maintain relationships.

Skills

Excellent communication skills

Robust administration skills

Excellent numeracy and literacy skills

Experience in medical underwriting

Education

CII exams in Life & Disability underwriting

Tools

Microsoft Office (Word, Excel, Outlook)

Job description

About The Role

We have a fantastic opportunity for an organised, self‑motivated underwriter to join our established team at LV. Within this fundamental role, you’ll efficiently underwrite new business applications for life, critical illness and income protection insurance on appropriate terms in relation to the risk. The product range within the department consists of Life, Critical Illness and Income Protection insurance, so previous experience of underwriting at least one of these products is essential. You will be fully supported by our existing team and make a positive impact within the business and to our valued customers. This role is offered on a permanent basis, with fantastic opportunities for growth and development. You’ll be required to attend some training sessions at our Exeter office, but we offer a highly flexible working model in which you may work predominately from home, the Exeter office, or our Bournemouth or Hitchin offices.

Key Responsibilities

• Making important decisions in an efficient, customer‑focused way, utilising all relevant information to reach your decision.
• Providing fair and balanced information surrounding your decision, including concise and robust justifications of why decisions have been reached.
• Referring cases to third parties, including reassurers, in an accurate and clear manner.
• Utilising your excellent customer service skills to build and maintain relationships with customers and intermediaries.
• Contributing your ideas for process improvement to support the department and meet KPI’s.
• Identifying and contributing suggestions on improving the customer journey.
• Obtaining ongoing CPD by self‑education, attending training seminars, industry events and providing feedback to colleagues and other business areas as required.
• Providing coaching and support to colleagues over time, where required.
• Becoming involved in projects and/or testing.
• Assessing new business applications and making underwriting decisions within risk appetite.

About You

• Demonstrate excellent communication skills, both written and verbal.
• Be able to work in a fast‑paced, changing environment while completing work to a high standard within an agreed timeframe.
• Possess robust administration skills, with the ability to prioritise, plan and organise your workload to meet customer needs.
• Take ownership and work independently on complex cases, while also helping your team meet key targets.
• Competently make pragmatic decisions and judgements on your cases in line with regulatory requirements and LV= values.
• Demonstrate excellent numeracy and literacy skills, with a keen eye for detail (spotting errors, conflicting information or concerns is key within the role).
• Competently use Microsoft Office (Word, Excel and Outlook).
• Be experienced in working on initial or full medical underwriting.
• Have a good level of knowledge on Protection products we offer at LV=.
• Have obtained CII exams in Life & Disability underwriting or similar (desirable but not essential for the role).

Rewards & Benefits

• 26 days’ holiday – increasing after two years of service to 28 days
• The opportunity to buy or sell up to five days of holiday
• An annual bonus scheme based on company and personal performance
• Flexible benefits, including a cycle to work scheme, personal accident insurance, critical illness cover, private medical insurance, and dental insurance
• Competitive pension scheme – LV= Life and Pensions will double‑match the amount you pay, up to 14% (subject to National Minimum Wage requirements)
• Group Life Assurance of four times your basic pay to your dependents (you’ll have the option to increase this to 8 x cover)
• Group Income Protection, if you enrol into the pension scheme and reach 5 years of service
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service for support when you need it
• Access to a virtual GP service
• Shared parental leave
• Up to 20% discount on our life products for you and your immediate family.

About Us

We’re proud of our inclusive culture at LV= and, as an equal‑opportunity employer, we continually work to remove unconscious bias from our recruitment process. We value our colleagues for what they bring to our team regardless of any protected status or characteristics they may have. Talk to us about flexible working as part of your application; if it’s right for you, our members and customers, and our business, then we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.

We’re also open to conversations about flexible working as part of your application - if it’s right for our customers, our business and for you, then we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.

Please note that we are unable to offer Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship for this role. Therefore, you must ensure that you are eligible to work in the UK without our sponsorship in order for your application to be considered.

Go on, bring your true self to LV.