Underwriter

Pen Underwriting; Birmingham; On-site; GBP 36,000 - 60,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Minimum 25 days holiday

Defined contribution pension

Life insurance 4x salary

Income protection

Private medical insurance

Volunteer days

Employee stock purchase plan

Share incentive plan

Discounted gym membership

Season ticket loan

Job summary

Pen Underwriting is seeking an Underwriter to join the Risk Managed Commercial team in Birmingham. You will underwrite new and renewal business across Property Owners, Contractors Combined and Commercial Combined, while building strong broker relationships and developing your technical underwriting skills in a supportive, high-performing team.

You’ll manage risks within your authority, supported by experienced colleagues who will coach you as you grow.

Qualifications

• Experience in commercial lines underwriting, including new business and renewals.
• Strong customer service mindset with broker-facing experience.
• Willingness to learn and develop underwriting capabilities within a high-performing team.

Responsibilities

• Underwrite and service a portfolio of new and renewal business across Property Owners, Contractors Combined and Commercial Combined.
• Build and maintain strong broker relationships, and be the trusted trading contact.
• Work within your agreed authority, referring complex cases to senior underwriters when needed.

Skills

Commercial underwriting

Broker relations

Underwriting authority

Risk assessment

Communication

Analytical thinking

Education

CII qualification (or working towards)

Job description

Introduction

At Pen, we don’t just underwrite risk, we unlock possibility. We’re a dynamic underwriting and distribution business backed by the strength of Gallagher and powered by a belief that every challenge has a solution. With entrepreneurial energy, niche expertise, and a bold growth mindset, we’re transforming what it means to be an MGA in today’s insurance landscape. Whether you’re shaping new products, solving complex problems, or collaborating across teams, your ideas and initiative will help deliver smarter solutions for our clients—and move the industry forward. Here, agility meets stability. Creativity meets execution. And your career meets real opportunity. At Pen, we champion innovation, value accountability, and thrive on building something better together. If you’re looking to join a team that’s rewriting the future of underwriting, we’d love to hear from you.

Overview

Ready for your next underwriting role—one that gives you real broker exposure, broader product experience and the support to grow your authority and confidence?

Pen Underwriting is looking for an Underwriter to join our Risk Managed Commercial team in Birmingham, trading with brokers across the Midlands, building long‑term partnerships and becoming a trusted trading contact.

You’ll underwrite new and renewal business across Property Owners, Contractors Combined and Commercial Combined—building strong broker relationships while developing your technical underwriting skills within a supportive, high‑performing team.

You’ll manage and develop risks within your agreed authority, using sound judgement and referring cases when needed—supported by experienced colleagues who will coach you as you grow.

This is an ideal next step for someone with industry experience who is customer‑centric, outgoing and resilient—and who enjoys building successful relationships across all levels within an organisation.

Why Pen

At Pen, you’ll join an innovative underwriting business with the scale to invest in people and the agility to move quickly. With >£1bn GWP, we combine strong market presence with a collaborative, empowered culture—so you can make decisions, build relationships and see the impact of your work every day.

We offer study support, mentoring and coaching from highly experienced underwriters, plus exposure across multiple products and a clear pathway to progress.

How you'll make an impact

• Underwrite and service a portfolio of new and renewal business, responding to rating and adjustment enquiries in a timely, customer‑focused way.
• Support profitable growth by identifying and progressing new business opportunities with brokers, in line with underwriting appetite and agreed strategy.
• Underwrite Property Owners, Contractors Combined and Commercial Combined risks, evaluating exposures, handling technical cover requests and liaising with brokers, insurers and internal teams.
• Collaborate with senior underwriters on referrals and more complex cases, using feedback and coaching to build your technical capability and confidence.
• Operate within your agreed underwriting authority, escalating and referring where appropriate and documenting decisions clearly.
• Build and maintain deep product knowledge across Property Owners, Contractors Combined and Commercial Combined, ensuring consistent, high‑quality underwriting decisions.
• Monitor portfolio performance and broker feedback, using MI and insights to support trading decisions and continuous improvement.

About You

• Experience in commercial lines underwriting (or closely related roles), with exposure to new business and renewals and a strong service mindset.
• CII qualification (or working towards) and a solid general insurance foundation (e.g., A‑Levels or equivalent experience).
• Good technical judgement and curiosity to assess risk exposure and appetite, asking the right questions and referring when needed.
• A confident, proactive communicator with strong relationship‑building and negotiation skills, and a keen eye for detail.
• A commercial mindset with an interest in trading—working with brokers to achieve customer‑focused outcomes and profitable results.
• Organised and resilient, able to plan and prioritise renewals while progressing new business opportunities in a fast‑paced environment.
• Analytical and problem‑solving skills.
• A positive, team‑oriented attitude with a commitment to delivering excellent service.
• Eligibility to work in the UK.

Compensation and benefits

On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits.

Below are the minimum core benefits you’ll get, depending on your job level these benefits may improve:

• Minimum of 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays, and the option to ‘buy’ extra days
• Defined contribution pension scheme, which Gallagher will also contribute to
• Life insurance, which will pay 4x your basic annual salary, which you can top‑up to 10x
• Income protection, we’ll cover up to 50% of your annual income, with options to top up
• Health cash plan or Private medical insurance

Other benefits include:

• Three fully paid volunteering days per year
• Employee Stock Purchase plan, offering company shares at a discount
• Share incentive plan, HMRC approved, tax effective, stock purchase plan
• Critical illness cover
• Discounted gym membership, with over 3,000 gyms nationally
• Season ticket loan
• Access to a discounted voucher portal to save money on your weekly shop or next big purchase
• Emergency back‑up family care
• And many more…

We value inclusion and diversity

Inclusion and diversity (I&D) is a core part of our business, and it’s embedded into the fabric of our organisation. For more than 95 years, Gallagher has led with a commitment to sustainability and to support the communities where we live and work.

Gallagher embraces our employees’ diverse identities, experiences and talents, allowing us to better serve our clients and communities. We see inclusion as a conscious commitment and diversity as a vital strength. By embracing diversity in all its forms, we live out The Gallagher Way to its fullest.

Gallagher is Disability Confident Committed. We have pledged to make sure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible, in addition to supporting our existing employees with any long‑term health conditions or disabilities.

We understand that applicants may have disabilities, if you do, you may find some parts of the recruitment process more challenging than others. Don’t worry, we’re here to help, however, we can only do this if you let us know.

Should you require reasonable adjustments to your application, please get in touch with [e-mail]. If you’d prefer to speak on the phone, please request a call back, leaving details, so we get in touch.

Our employing entity, Arthur J. Gallagher Services (UK) Limited, is proud to be accredited as a Living Wage employer with the Living Wage Foundation. We are committed to diversity and opportunity for all and are opposed to any form of less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender or gender identity, marital status, civil partnership status, parental status, race, ethnicity, colour, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion/ belief, age and those with caring responsibilities.

Gallagher believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any form of discrimination by its managers, employees, vendors or customers based on race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy status), sexual orientation, gender identity (which includes transgender and other gender non‑conforming individuals), gender expression, hair expression, marital status, parental status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran or military status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected (herein referred to as "protected characteristics") by applicable federal, state, or local laws.

Equal employment opportunity will be extended in all aspects of the employer‑employee relationship, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, layoff, and termination. In addition, Gallagher will make reasonable accommodations to known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified person with a disability, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.