Senior Underwriting Team Lead

NHBC company; Milton Keynes; Hybrid; GBP 65,000 - 100,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

27 days annual leave + bank holidays

Enhanced pension scheme (up to 10.5%)

Life assurance

Subsidised private medical insurance

Employee discounts platform

Enhanced maternity/paternity/adoption

Job summary

NHBC is seeking an experienced Senior Underwriting Team Lead to guide and develop the Senior Underwriter team. You will oversee complex underwriting decisions across major projects, surety and specialist risks, while balancing hands‑on underwriting with leadership.

You will drive quality, manage delegated authority, and support risk management, reporting into senior stakeholders. Hybrid role with Milton Keynes and London locations offers flexible working.

Qualifications

• Substantial underwriting experience, including complex or specialist risks.
• Experience leading, supervising or developing other underwriters.
• Strong technical underwriting judgement within delegated authority.
• Good understanding of underwriting principles, referral processes and risk.
• Excellent communication, with ability to document and justify decisions.

Responsibilities

• Lead and develop a team of Senior Underwriters.
• Oversee complex underwriting cases and workloads.
• Underwrite high‑value and complex cases within authority.
• Drive quality through peer reviews and documentation.
• Prepare and present referral papers to the Underwriting Committee.
• Monitor performance, service levels and decision quality.

Skills

Underwriting

Leadership

Complex risk

Communication

Education

ACII (desirable)

Job description

Working Location: Milton Keynes/London, Hybrid working, 2 days in office

Employment Type: Full Time, Permanent

Closing Date: 18 th November 2026

Job summary:

We're looking for an experienced Senior Underwriting Team Lead to lead and develop our Senior Underwriter team, overseeing complex underwriting decisions across major projects, surety and specialist risks. Combining people leadership with hands‑on underwriting, you'll ensure decisions are consistent, commercially sound and delivered within agreed authority levels, while driving quality, building technical capability and supporting effective risk management.

What you’ll be doing:

• Lead, coach and develop a team of Senior Underwriters, managing performance and building technical capability.
• Allocate and oversee complex underwriting cases, ensuring workloads are managed effectively.
• Underwrite high‑value and complex cases, making decisions within your delegated authority.
• Drive decision quality through peer reviews, quality assurance and clear documentation.
• Prepare and present referral papers to the Underwriting Committee where required.
• Monitor underwriting performance, service levels and decision quality, providing regular management information.
• Work collaboratively with colleagues across underwriting, credit, pricing and technical standards to manage larger risks effectively.

What we’re looking for:

• Substantial underwriting experience, particularly with complex or specialist risks.
• Experience leading, supervising or developing other underwriters.
• Strong technical underwriting judgement and experience operating within delegated authority frameworks.
• A good understanding of underwriting principles, referral processes, contractor and builder risk.
• Excellent communication skills, with the ability to clearly document and justify underwriting decisions.
• Experience in major projects, surety, structural warranty or construction underwriting would be advantageous.
• A relevant degree or equivalent experience, with ACII or progress towards it desirable.

What we offer

Our benefits package includes:

• 27 days annual leave + bank holidays
• enhanced pension scheme (up to 10.5%)
• life assurance
• subsidised private medical insurance
• employee discounts platform
• enhanced maternity, paternity, adoption leave and pay for all new parents

+ many more!

Who we are

At NHBC, we pride ourselves on being truly unique. No other organisation in our sector matches the range of services and scale we provide. As the market leader, we are recognised as the go‑to for new home warranties and insurance. Our team is united by a core purpose: to raise the standards of house building and protect homeowners.

Why you should join us

As a modern, family‑friendly employer, we’re in a phase of rapid growth, embracing technology, data and new ways of working. We’re seeking passionate, skilled and driven individuals to join us on this exciting journey.

Once onboard, you’ll have access to fantastic opportunities for personal and career growth. You’ll receive thorough training, continuous development and the chance to earn recognised qualifications and professional memberships to support your journey.

We support flexible working and encourage our colleagues to find a balance that suits them. While we may not be able to accommodate every request, we’re always happy to have a conversation about flexible working arrangements.

Our inclusive culture

We are dedicated to fostering an inclusive culture where everyone feels empowered to bring their authentic selves to work. We firmly believe in the right of all our employees and customers to be treated fairly, with dignity and respect, and free from discrimination. Our active employee networks support colleagues and their allies, providing safe spaces for open conversations and idea-sharing.

We are a Disability Confident organisation committed to fair and inclusive recruitment. Our first step is to review applications to ensure candidates meet the essential criteria for the role. We assess skills, experience, and potential objectively, and provide support or reasonable adjustments where needed. Candidates who meet the criteria will progress to the next stage.

Why NHBC

Work for the UK's leading independent provider of warranty and insurance for new-built homes.

We have a range of job opportunities across the UK, including field and home‑based roles within corporate, business operations and field tech. We welcome experienced professionals and those new to the world of work such as trainees, and with our flexible working approach we are open to helping you find a role that works for you.

NHBC colleagues have access to a wide range of additional benefits and we ensure our packages are attractive to current and potential employees.

Flexibility

Working flexibly is part of our commitment to supporting a positive work‑life balance and we are always happy to talk about flexible and hybrid working, wherever possible.

Bonus

We offer a yearly performance based bonus to all employees based on a percentage of salary.

27 days holiday + bank holidays with the opportunity to purchase extra days.

Enhanced leave and pay

We offer equalised maternity, paternity, adoption leave and pay for all new parents.

We recognise the valuable contribution that our colleagues make, benchmarking our salaries, against the wider market to ensure our packages are attractive.

Our Diversity Equity and Inclusion (DE&I) strategy is focused on providing a shared direction and commitment for the organisation to respect and value our diverse workforce and continue to build a more inclusive workplace. We aim to attract and retain a workforce that represents the communities in which we work.