Assistant Underwriter

Suncorp Group; Tasman; Hybrid; NZD 60,000 - 80,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Flexible & hybrid working

Inclusive team culture

Career development in underwriting

Intermediary network collaboration

Job summary

Suncorp New Zealand is seeking an Assistant Underwriter to join the Business Distribution team in Christchurch. You will support SME commercial business, renewals, and new opportunities while building strong relationships with intermediaries and customers to drive sustainable growth.

We’re looking for candidates with commercial underwriting experience and a customer-focused mindset who can collaborate across teams and contribute to digitisation and continuous improvement initiatives.

Qualifications

• 3+ years’ experience within commercial underwriting or the broader commercial insurance industry.
• Understanding of the New Zealand commercial insurance market.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills with the confidence to influence and negotiate.
• Customer-first mindset and commitment to delivering quality outcomes.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of sales principles.
• Strong collaboration across teams and stakeholder groups.
• Proactive approach to problem solving, innovation and continuous improvement.

Responsibilities

• Make informed underwriting decisions that support profitable and sustainable growth.
• Review existing SME commercial business and support renewal propositions.
• Quote and help secure new SME commercial business opportunities.
• Build strong and meaningful relationships with intermediaries and business partners.
• Deliver a smooth, efficient experience for commercial customers and partners, with a focus on achieving good customer outcomes.
• Collaborate across the wider Business team, sharing knowledge and driving strong outcomes.
• Support digitisation, automation and continuous improvement initiatives.

Skills

Commercial underwriting knowledge

Relationship-building skills

Customer-focused mindset

Sales principles understanding

Collaboration skills

Problem solving & continuous learning

Education

Tertiary and/or relevant industry qualifications

Job description

Job Description

At Suncorp New Zealand, we’re looking for a commercially minded Assistant Underwriter to join our Business Distribution team in Christchurch.

This is a great opportunity for someone with commercial insurance experience who enjoys building strong relationships, making sound underwriting decisions and delivering exceptional experiences for intermediaries and customers. You’ll support both new and existing SME commercial business, helping us drive sustainable, profitable growth while developing your underwriting capability.

What You’ll Be Doing

As an Assistant Underwriter, you’ll work closely with our Distribution team and intermediary partners to support commercial underwriting opportunities across the SME market. You’ll contribute to renewal propositions and new business opportunities while ensuring we continue to deliver strong customer outcomes.

You’ll

• Make informed underwriting decisions that support profitable and sustainable growth.
• Review existing SME commercial business and support renewal propositions.
• Quote and help secure new SME commercial business opportunities.
• Build strong and meaningful relationships with intermediaries and business partners.
• Deliver a smooth, efficient experience for commercial customers and partners, with a focus on achieving good customer outcomes.
• Collaborate across the wider Business team, sharing knowledge and driving strong outcomes.
• Support digitisation, automation and continuous improvement initiatives.

What You’ll Bring

We’re looking for someone who combines commercial insurance knowledge with strong relationship-building skills and a genuine customer focus.

• Around 3+ years’ experience within commercial underwriting or the broader commercial insurance industry.
• A good understanding of the New Zealand commercial insurance market.
• Strong interpersonal and relationship-building skills, with the confidence to influence and negotiate.
• A customer-first mindset and commitment to delivering quality outcomes.
• Commercial awareness and an understanding of sales principles.
• Strong collaboration skills and the ability to work effectively across different teams and stakeholder groups.
• A proactive approach to problem solving, innovation and continuous improvement.
• Tertiary and/or relevant industry qualifications will be highly regarded.

Why join us?

At Suncorp New Zealand, we’re proud to be part of one of Australasia’s most recognised insurance groups. Our people are empowered to make a meaningful difference through innovative thinking, customer obsession and collaboration.

We Offer

• Flexible and hybrid ways of working.
• A supportive and inclusive team culture.
• Opportunities to develop your commercial underwriting expertise.
• The chance to build strong relationships across our intermediary network and wider business.
• An environment where you can contribute ideas, continue learning and grow your career.

At Suncorp, we believe our best work comes from diverse perspectives and experiences. We are committed to creating an inclusive workplace where everyone feels valued, respected and empowered to succeed.

If you’re ready to take the next step in your commercial insurance career and want to be part of a collaborative team delivering great outcomes for our customers and partners, we’d love to hear from you.

While Christchurch is our preferred location for this role, we’re open to considering candidates based in other central South Island locations.

If you require more information or any support and adjustments to participate equitably in our recruitment process or in the workplace, we encourage you to contact [e-mail] for a confidential conversation.