Senior Underwriter (PI & D&O) – Direct & Digital Trading

Markel International; Manchester; Hybrid; GBP 70,000 - 110,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Private medical insurance

Life assurance

Income protection

25 days holiday

Bonus opportunity

Hybrid working

Learning and development

Career progression

Job summary

Markel International in Manchester is seeking a senior underwriter to lead PI and D&O propositions within the Direct & Digital business. You will apply senior underwriting authority, influence trading performance and shape product and digital development.

In a fast-paced hybrid environment, collaborate with underwriting, trading, pricing and governance to deliver strong customer outcomes and governance-driven decisions while enabling AI-enabled improvements.

Qualifications

• Significant commercial underwriting experience.
• Strong Professional Indemnity (PI) expertise.
• Experience underwriting Directors’ & Officers’ (D&O) risks.
• Experience operating with underwriting authority.
• Exposure to referral underwriting and technical decision‑making.
• Strong understanding of underwriting governance and controls.
• Portfolio management and performance monitoring experience.
• Excellent customer management and communication skills.

Responsibilities

• Apply senior underwriting authority across PI and SME risks.
• Make referral decisions outside standard automated rules.
• Support profitable growth through effective risk selection.
• Drive improvements in quote, conversion and retention performance.
• Monitor portfolio performance and trading results.
• Analyse conversion, acceptance rates, loss ratios and profitability.
• Identify trends, opportunities and emerging risks.
• Provide recommendations to improve trading outcomes.
• Help shape future underwriting rules, referral pathways and digital journeys.
• Support automation and straight-through processing initiatives.
• Contribute to AI, technology and digital transformation projects.

Skills

Senior underwriting authority

PI underwriting

D&O underwriting

Underwriting governance

Portfolio management

Customer management

Referral underwriting

Pricing collaboration

Digital & technology awareness

Job description

What You'll Be Doing:

Underwriting & Trading

Manchester | Hybrid Working | Permanent – Great Salary Generous Annual Bonus + Excellent Benefits

Ready to shape the future of underwriting?

About Us:

Markel UK is a specialist insurer serving SMEs across a range of sectors through both broker and direct distribution channels. As part of a financially strong global organisation, we’re investing heavily in our Direct & Digital proposition as we continue to grow and innovate

Our Direct business combines:

• Digital quote-and-buy journeys
• Expert underwriting support
• Advanced trading capability
• Data-driven decision making
• Emerging AI and automation solutions

The Opportunity:

This is a newly created and strategically important role within our Direct & Digital business. You’ll become the senior underwriting authority supporting our Professional Indemnity and related management liability propositions whilst helping drive trading performance and customer outcomes.

You’ll act as the bridge between:

• Underwriting
• Trading
• Product
• Pricing
• Digital & Technology
• Governance

You’ll have genuine influence over how underwriting evolves within a fast-paced, digitally focused environment. Unlike many underwriting roles, you’ll have the opportunity to shape processes, introduce new ideas and contribute to future AI and automation initiatives.

What You’ll Be Doing:

Underwriting & Trading

• Apply senior underwriting authority across Professional Indemnity and SME risks.
• Make referral and underwriting decisions outside standard automated rules.
• Support profitable growth through effective risk selection.
• Drive improvements in quote, conversion and retention performance.

Portfolio Management:

• Monitor portfolio performance and trading results.
• Analyse conversion, acceptance rates, loss ratios and profitability.
• Identify trends, opportunities and emerging risks.
• Provide recommendations to improve trading outcomes.

Product & Digital Development:

• Help shape the future of our Direct insurance products.
• Provide underwriting expertise on new product launches.
• Influence underwriting rules, referral pathways and digital journeys.
• Support automation and straight-through processing initiatives.

Strategic Projects:

• Contribute to AI, technology and digital transformation projects.
• Improve customer journeys and trading effectiveness.
• Collaborate with senior partners to evolve the Direct trading model.

Technical Leadership:

• Act as a subject matter expert for PI and D&O products.
• Support governance, controls and underwriting standards.
• Provide guidance and technical expertise across the business.

What We’re Looking For:

We’re looking for someone who brings strong technical underwriting expertise but also wants to influence wider business strategy.

Essential Experience:

• Significant commercial underwriting experience.
• Strong Professional Indemnity (PI) expertise.
• Experience underwriting Directors’ & Officers’ (D&O) risks.
• Experience operating with underwriting authority.
• Exposure to referral underwriting and technical decision‑making.
• Strong understanding of underwriting governance and controls.
• Portfolio management and performance monitoring experience.
• Excellent customer management and communication skills.

We’d Love To See:

• Direct insurance experience.
• SME commercial insurance knowledge.
• MGA, insurer or commercial broker background.
• Product development exposure.
• Pricing or rating experience.
• Experience working with digital insurance propositions.
• Interest in technology, automation and AI.

Who Will Thrive Here?:

You’ll enjoy this role if you’re:

• Commercially minded and comfortable balancing risk and opportunity
• Curious about how technology will shape the future of insurance
• Interested in influencing strategy, not just underwriting risk
• Comfortable working in a fast-moving environment
• Keen to make your mark in a newly created role
• Looking for broader exposure across product, trading, portfolio management and digital innovation

Why Join Markel?:

This role offers something different from a traditional underwriting career path.

You’ll have the chance to:

• Shape a new role and help define its future.
• Work closely with senior leaders across the business.
• Influence trading strategy and portfolio performance.
• Get involved in digital transformation and AI initiatives.
• Broaden your experience beyond pure underwriting.
• Join a business investing heavily in growth and innovation.

What’s In It For You?:

• Competitive salary + 20% annual bonus opportunity
• Hybrid working
• Private medical insurance
• Life assurance
• Income protection
• 25 days holiday plus buy/sell options
• Excellent learning and development opportunities
• Clear career progression pathways

Interested?

If you’re a PI and D&O underwriting professional looking for a role where you can combine technical expertise, commercial influence and digital innovation, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.

We are an equal‑opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at [e-mail] or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.

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