Personal Lines Underwriting Manager

Lawes Consulting Group; West of England; Hybrid; GBP 63,000 - 77,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Hybrid working

Bonus scheme

Job summary

Lawes Consulting Group in the UK is seeking a Personal Lines Underwriting Manager to lead regional underwriting strategy for Motor & Personal lines. Hybrid role based in York or Bristol with 40% office and up to 60% home working, reporting to Head Office teams and managing Senior Technical Underwriters.

You will handle complex referrals, complaints, and high‑value exposures (£5m+), shape policy wordings, and drive performance against KPIs while developing talent within the team.

Qualifications

• Experience as a senior underwriter or underwriting manager within Personal Lines.
• Experience handling complaints, escalations and complex referrals.
• Strong regulatory awareness and stakeholder communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Lead a team of Senior Technical Underwriters and develop regional underwriting capability.
• Shape and deliver Personal Lines underwriting strategy and local implementation.
• Monitor key metrics and ensure high underwriting standards and customer outcomes.
• Collaborate with Head Office and tied Agents to inform policy wordings and product development.

Skills

Senior leadership

Stakeholder management

Underwriting management

Personal Lines underwriting

Regulatory awareness

Job description

Job Title: Personal Lines Underwriting Manager

Location: South West England or North Yorkshire

Full/Part Time: Full Time

Salary: £70,000 + Bonus

Hybrid working arrangements - be based out of their York or Bristol offices 40% of your week, with up to 60% home working on offer!

Purpose of the role

In this role, you will provide technical leadership and expertise to Regional Underwriters across the Personal Lines product range (Motor & Personal - M&P). The business is continuing to evolve in this area, with a strong focus on delivering a compelling customer proposition and exceptional experience. This is an exciting opportunity to join during a period of significant transformation, including the implementation of a large-scale digital change programme.

You will play a key role in shaping and delivering the Personal Lines underwriting strategy at a regional level, taking responsibility for local implementation, monitoring key account performance metrics, and setting technical standards. Working closely with Head Office teams and tied Agents, you will act as the primary referral point for the most complex risks, holding the highest underwriting authority within the Regional Team. You will also provide insight into market trends and analysis to support proactive business responses, alongside contributing technical expertise to policy wordings and product development to ensure continued competitiveness.

Leading a team of Senior Technical Underwriters, you will focus on developing and enhancing the technical capability of Regional Underwriters, encouraging intuitive decision-making and maximising their contribution to overall business objectives.

Experience

You will bring a well-established background in Personal Lines underwriting, with a demonstrable and in-depth understanding of the market. This will include experience managing complaints, escalations, and complex referrals, alongside a strong awareness of current industry developments and regulatory requirements. Highly analytical and technically focused, you will be able to communicate effectively with a wide range of stakeholders, including non-technical audiences, and possess the credibility and confidence to challenge existing practices and influence decision-making.

As a collaborative and people-focused leader, you will have a proven track record of coaching and mentoring others, developing talent, and driving high levels of performance within your team. You will combine strong technical expertise with commercial awareness, ensuring underwriting decisions support business objectives, deliver positive customer outcomes, and contribute to long-term success.

Key criteria to highlight on your CV include:

• Demonstrable experience in a senior Underwriter or underwriting management role within a Personal Lines specialism
• Expertise in handling complaints, escalations, and complex referrals, including Home and Motor, Reinsurance, Flood Re, and high-value sum insured exposures (£5m+)
• Exceptional stakeholder management and influencing capabilities
• Experience delivering against KPIs, projects, and strategic objectives
• Strong leadership, mentoring, and people management skills