Trainee Underwriter

WTW; Douglas; On-site; GBP 18,000 - 24,000; Full time

Job summary

Willis Towers Watson is recruiting a Trainee Underwriter to join the Claims Administration team. You will learn to receive, register and maintain claims, review notifications and ensure policy details are accurate, while supporting audit-ready records and timely closures.

The role expands into financial administration with reserve tracking, reconciliation and reporting for clients, boards and regulators, under supervision, with full training provided.

Qualifications

• Good numeracy, literacy and written communication skills.
• Proficiency with Microsoft Office, especially Excel, Word and Outlook, or ability to learn quickly.
• Strong organisation, attention to detail and deadline management.
• Professional, proactive approach handling confidential information.
• Genuine interest in a career in insurance, claims and underwriting.
• Ability to learn, analyse information and follow procedures.
• No prior insurance experience required; full training provided.

Responsibilities

• Receive, acknowledge, register and maintain claims and documents.
• Review notifications for completeness and gather missing information.
• Maintain audit-ready claim files with correspondence, evidence, reserves and recoveries.
• Track diary dates, service standards and outstanding actions.
• Escalate complex or potentially fraudulent or reputationally sensitive claims.
• Close claims with finalised records and settlements.
• Record approved reserves and maintain audit trails.
• Verify payments and approvals before processing.
• Reconcile claims data with accounting and third-party statements.
• Monitor deductibles, limits and reinsurance thresholds.
• Prepare reinsurance notifications and recovery schedules.
• Produce claims registers and ageing analyses for clients and regulators.
• Act as administrative contact for clients, brokers, fronting insurers and reinsurers.
• Support claims review meetings and monitor service-provider performance.
• Follow client governance frameworks and delegated authorities.
• Maintain confidential, audit-ready records and comply with data protection, AML, sanctions and record-retention requirements.
• Assist audits and regulatory inspections.
• Collect and validate underwriting information and renewal submissions.
• Support underwriting files, risk summaries, premium calculations and renewal schedules.
• Review loss experience and identify data gaps.
• Attend client and broker meetings and record decisions.
• Develop knowledge of risk appetite, coverage design, pricing, deductibles and reinsurance.
• Undertake underwriting tasks when trained and authorised.

Skills

Numeracy

Literacy

Written communication

Organisational skills

Attention to detail

Deadline management

Professional, proactive approach

Interest in insurance

Ability to learn

No prior insurance experience required

Education

Degree or higher education qualification

Studies in business/finance/economics/mathematics/law/risk/insurance

Tools

Microsoft Office

Excel

Word

Outlook

Job description

Description

Trainee Underwriter

The Role

Claims Administration

• Receive, acknowledge, register and maintain claims and supporting documents accurately.
• Review notifications for completeness, obtain missing information and check relevant policy periods, limits, deductibles, exclusions and notification requirements.
• Maintain complete, audit-ready claim files recording correspondence, evidence, approvals, reserves, payments and recoveries.
• Track diary dates, limitation periods, service standards and outstanding actions; prepare routine correspondence, payment requests and claim summaries.
• Escalate coverage issues and large, complex, contentious, potentially fraudulent or reputationally sensitive claims.
• Complete claim closure checks, ensuring records, payments, recoveries and documentation are finalised.

Financial Administration and Reporting

• Record approved reserves and maintain a clear audit trail of changes.
• Verify payment documentation, bank details, authority and approvals before processing.
• Reconcile claims data to accounting records, third-party statements and bordereaux, resolving discrepancies promptly.
• Monitor deductibles, limits, captive retentions, fronting arrangements and reinsurance thresholds.
• Prepare reinsurance notifications and recovery schedules, subject to review.
• Produce claims registers, movement and large-loss reports, ageing analyses and information for clients, boards, actuaries, auditors and regulators.

Stakeholder, Governance and Compliance

• Act as an administrative contact for captive clients, insureds, brokers, fronting insurers, reinsurers and claims service providers.
• Support claims review meetings, maintain action logs and monitor service-provider performance.
• Follow client governance frameworks, claims procedures and delegated authorities.
• Maintain confidential, contemporaneous and audit-ready records and comply with applicable insurance, data protection, sanctions, anti-money laundering, fraud prevention and record-retention requirements.
• Escalate conflicts, control weaknesses and material issues and assist with audits, regulatory inspections and remedial actions.

Additional Responsibilities

• Collect and validate underwriting information, exposure data, claims experience and renewal submissions.
• Support underwriting files, risk summaries, premium calculations, renewal schedules and management information.
• Review loss experience, identify trends or data gaps and assist with policy schedules, endorsements and approved wording.
• Attend relevant client and broker meetings, record decisions and follow up actions.
• Develop knowledge of risk appetite, coverage design, pricing, deductibles, limits, reinsurance and underwriting governance.
• Undertake underwriting tasks only when trained and expressly authorised, with recommendations and decisions appropriately reviewed.

Decision-Making Authority

The postholder may complete routine claims administration and assigned trainee underwriting tasks and prepare analysis or recommendations within documented procedures. They must not admit or decline liability, alter reserves, authorise payment, settle claims, quote or bind insurance, approve premium or policy terms, or accept or decline risk unless expressly authorised. Underwriting activity remains supervised until competence and authority are formally confirmed.

Qualifications

What you’ll bring

Essential

• Good numeracy, literacy and written communication skills.
• Confidence using Microsoft Office, particularly Excel, Word and Outlook, or the ability to learn these applications quickly.
• Evidence of organisation, attention to detail and effective deadline management gained through education, employment, placements, volunteering or extracurricular activities.
• A professional and proactive approach, with the ability to work accurately and handle confidential information responsibly.
• A genuine interest in developing a career in insurance, claims and underwriting.
• The ability to learn, analyse information and follow established procedures.
• No previous insurance experience is required as full training will be provided.

Desirable

• A degree, higher education qualification or equivalent study in any discipline.
• Study in business, finance, economics, mathematics, law, risk, insurance or a related subject.
• Relevant work experience gained through an internship, placement, part-time employment, volunteering or an administrative or customer-service role.
• Basic awareness of insurance, claims, underwriting, financial services or regulated business.
• Interest in working towards a relevant professional qualification, such as the Chartered Insurance Institute Certificate in Insurance

Standard local IOM Benefits are applicable as per policy.

Equal Opportunity Employer

We’re committed to equal employment opportunity and provide application, interview and workplace adjustments and accommodations to all applicants. If you foresee any barriers, from the application process through to joining WTW, please [e-mail]