Underwriter & Team Leader

AXA UK; Manchester; On-site; GBP 45,000 - 65,000; Full time

Job summary

A leading company in the specialty insurance arena is seeking an Underwriter & Team Leader for its Manchester office. In this role, you'll supervise a talented underwriting team, ensuring high customer service standards while managing complex underwriting processes. You will also have the opportunity to mentor junior staff and influence the strategic direction of the business.

Benefits

25 days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays

10% Non-contributory Pension

Eligibility for an Annual Bonus

Private Medical + Dental Insurance

Critical illness insurance + Life Assurance + Permanent Health Insurance

Wellbeing and Development Scheme + EAP + Health Assessments

Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme

Study & continuing Professional Development Support

Hybrid Working + IT Home Set-up Support

Qualifications

• Detailed understanding of technical underwriting and Company trading strategy.
• Ability to interpret and effectively use management information.

Responsibilities

• Provide day-to-day supervision and technical expertise to the underwriting team.
• Act as a mentor to less experienced staff.
• Manage Operations Team's workloads and distributions.

Skills

Communication

Leadership

Technical Underwriting

Customer Service

Education

Dip CII/ACII or substantial progress towards

Job description

At Munich Re Specialty – Global Markets (MRS-GM), it is our ambition to become the leading Primary Specialty Insurance provider, underpinned by an effective and adaptablestrategy, superior products and industry leaders working in a supportive environment to achieve this.

At the heart of our success is a strong culture where people are encouraged to be present, bold and curious, allowing them to achieve their individual goals.

Please see our website for more information.

Company

Munich Re Specialty - Global Markets

Location

Manchester , United Kingdom

We are seeking an experienced Underwriter & Team Leader to join our Manchester team. In this pivotal role, you'll act as the first point of contact for our Cargo, Freight, and Engineering underwriters—providing day-to-day supervision, technical expertise, and mentoring to support the development of less experienced team members.

We’re looking for a confident professional with excellent communication skills and a passion for leadership. If you thrive in a collaborative environment and are ready to make a real impact, we want to hear from you.

Responsibilities

Underwriting

• Working on-site with the intermediary/customer, undertaking end-to-end handling for the allocated portfolio to deliver the agreed joint business development plans in line with the Company’s overall trading strategy.
• Working with the underwriting team, develop strong relationships with allocated intermediaries, balancing intermediary needs with the Company’s trading objective in a way that will deliver profitable and balanced trading growth.
• Plan and process own work in a way that will assist the team to meet its customer service targets including credit control targets.
• Act as a reference point on all issues for the allocated intermediary/customer or less experienced staff, so that a high level of customer service is delivered.
• Assist in maintaining a balanced and high quality portfolio, optimising the use of information gathered.
• Act as a mentor to the team on matters of a complex nature.
• Liaise with other departments ensuring collaboration and service levels are maintained to the highest standard.

Supervision

• Manage Operations Team holidays and sickness, via the MyView system
• Distribute renewals and manage workloads
• Liaise with Operations Manager and assist with the implementation of new initiatives, processes and procedures
• Conduct regular Continuous conversations with employees and provide relevant feedback to Operations Manager
• Promote, encourage, engage and embed global, regional and local policies, procedures and processes liaising with relevant stakeholders when necessary
• Conduct office induction for new starters including introductions to team, tour of office including fire exits/where to assemble etc
• Ensure the display of current H&S and insurance documents
• Help drive forward good Conduct for the business to deliver the best outcomes for customers / policyholders.
• Understand all appropriate lines of escalation and the responsibilities of the Product Conduct Risk Strategy Group (PCRSG), Underwriting & Claims Sub Committee (UCSC) , ExCo and Board for Conduct Risk.

You are required to comply with the PRA and FCA conduct rules:

• Acting with honesty and integrity at all times
• Acting at all times with due care, skill and diligence
• Being open and honest with the FCA, the Prudential Regulation Authority (PRA) and all UK regulators at all times
• Always paying due regard to the interests of customers and always treat them honestly and fairly
• Observing proper standards of market conduct at all times
• Act to deliver good outcomes for retail customers. This includes abiding by the Consumer Duty cross-cutting rules below:
• Act in good faith towards retail customers.
• Avoid causing foreseeable harm to retail customers.
• Enable and support retail customers to pursue their financial objectives

Knowledge and Skills

• Detailed understanding of technical underwriting, philosophy and Company trading strategy.
• Ability to interpret and effectively use management information.
• Excellent communication skills.
• Knowledge of the local market.
• Dip CII/ACII or substantial progress towards is preferred

Key Relationships

• Internal relationships with other team members, the commercial team, Line of Business Managers, Claims Department, Centralised Services, the Syndicate and the Directors.
• External relationships to be developed with a range of contacts within the allocated intermediaries and customers.

Education and Professional Qualifications Required

• Dip CII/ACII or substantial progress towards is preferred

If you are excited about this role but your experience does not align perfectly with everything outlined, or you don’t meet every requirement, we encourage you to apply anyway. You might just be the candidate we are looking for!

Diversity, Equity & Inclusion

At Munich Re, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion foster innovation and resilience and enable us to act braver and better. Embracing the power of DEI is at the core of who we are. We recognise diversity can be multi-dimensional, intersectional, and complex, so we want to build a diverse workforce that includes a wide range of racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender identities; economic and geographic backgrounds; physical abilities; ages; life, school, and career experiences; and political, religious, and personal beliefs. Additionally, we are committed to building an equitable and inclusive work environment where this diversity is celebrated, valued, and has equitable opportunities to succeed.

All candidates in consideration for any role can request a reasonable adjustment at any point in our recruitment process. You can request an adjustment by speaking to your Talent Acquisition contact.

Learning and innovating today, striving for sustainable societies and business tomorrow

At Munich Re Specialty – Global Markets our approach to ESG is underpinned by our desire to seize business opportunities and to nurture a stimulating and inclusive work environment. Our ESG strategy aims to deliver holistic impacts across environmental, social and governance topics including supporting a number of local initiatives within our community and offering volunteering opportunities for colleagues.

Learn more about sustainability at Munich Re–choose your impact!

Benefits

• 25 days Annual Leave + Bank Holidays
• 10% Non-contributory Pension
• Eligibility for an Annual Bonus
• Private Medical + Dental Insurance
• Critical illness insurance + Life Assurance + Permanent Health Insurance
• Wellbeing and Development Scheme + EAP + Health Assessments(subject to scheme eligibility)
• Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice Scheme
• Study & continuing Professional Development Support
• Hybrid Working + IT Home Set-up Support

#BePresent#BeBold#BeCurious