Head of Underwriting

Tower Insurance; Auckland; On-site; NZD 180,000 - 260,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Parental leave

Birthday leave

Annual leave 22 days

Wellness leave

Career growth

Flexible working

Discounts on Tower products

Free life insurance

Job summary

Tower Insurance, Auckland, seeks a Head of Underwriting to lead a modern, AI-enabled underwriting function and drive sustainable growth. This role blends deep underwriting expertise, commercial judgement and a passion for innovation to deliver better customer outcomes across products and channels.

You will shape risk selection, portfolio performance and governance, while guiding a transformation that redefines how underwriting works in a data-driven, automated environment.

Qualifications

• Deep expertise in underwriting, portfolio management and risk selection.
• Experience in insurance pricing, profitability and portfolio optimisation.
• Strong knowledge of AI, ML and analytics applications.
• Experience leading large-scale transformation programmes and teams.

Responsibilities

• Lead underwriting strategy across products, channels and partnerships.
• Use data, analytics and emerging tech to improve risk selection and performance.
• Collaborate with Tower teams to create faster, simpler underwriting experiences.
• Build a future-ready function with capability and ways of working for growth.

Skills

Underwriting leadership

Portfolio management

Risk selection

Insurance pricing

AI and analytics

Transformation leadership

Team leadership

Job description

As a proud Kiwi born and bred insurer, we pride ourselves in challenging status quo - and move fast to make things happen. We're here to create beautifully simple, rewarding experiences for our customers and communities, and we're working hard to protect the future of Aotearoa.

At its heart, insurance is about helping people through the unexpected. Doing what's right for our customers - especially in tough times - gives real purpose to our work.

At Tower, we're reimagining insurance for a digital world. As we continue our transformation journey, we're looking for an exceptional Head of Underwriting to lead the evolution of underwriting into a modern, AI-enabled, customer-focused capability that delivers sustainable growth, smarter decisions and better outcomes for our customers.

This is more than a leadership role. It's an opportunity to redefine how underwriting works in a world of advanced data & analytics, automation, embedded insurance and real-time customer expectations.

Your day-to-day would look like:

You’ll lead Tower’s underwriting function through a significant period of change, helping shape a smarter, more modern approach to risk, performance and customer experience. This is a role for someone who can bring together strong technical underwriting capability, commercial judgement and a genuine appetite for innovation.

You’ll play a key role in moving underwriting beyond traditional models, using data, analytics, AI and automation to support better decisions and create simpler, faster experiences for customers. At the same time, you’ll ensure strong governance, risk discipline and portfolio performance remain central to how the function operates.

• Lead the underwriting strategy across products, channels and partnerships, balancing growth, profitability and customer value.
• Use data, analytics and emerging technology to improve risk selection, portfolio performance and decision making.
• Work closely with teams across Tower to create underwriting experiences that are faster, simpler and better connected to customer needs.
• Build a future-ready function with the capability, confidence and ways of working needed to support Tower’s next stage of growth.

To thrive in this role, you'll need:

We're looking for a strategic thinker, transformational leader and commercial operator who can connect technology, data and customer outcomes.

• Deep expertise in underwriting, portfolio management and risk selection
• Significant experience in insurance pricing, profitability and portfolio optimisation
• Strong understanding of AI, machine learning and advanced analytics applications
• Experience leading large-scale transformation and change programmes
• Proven ability to lead and inspire high-performing teams
• Strong governance, risk management and decision-making capability
• 10+ years' experience in insurance, with senior leadership experience in underwriting, portfolio management or pricing

We invest in you.

We're serious about looking after our people. Along with a competitive salary, we offer a bunch of perks and benefits to support you and celebrate the work you do:

• 26 weeks of paid parental leave for the primary carer and 4 weeks for partners
• A paid day off on your birthday
• 22 days annual leave, plus two extra annual leave days and the option to buy up to eight more
• Wellness leave
• Career growth and internal progression opportunities
• Flexible working and a beautiful, modern office in Auckland
• Discounts on Tower insurance products
• Free life insurance

If you're passionate about transforming underwriting through AI, data and innovation, and want to lead one of the most exciting capability evolutions in insurance, we'd love to hear from you.

We're reviewing applications as they come in – so don't wait too long and let's chat.