Team Leader, Underwriting

Role Overview

• Lead and manage the Desk Underwriting Team, setting clear objectives and creating a high-performing, accountable and collaborative team culture.
• Manage team capacity, prioritise workloads and ensure service, quality and turnaround standards are consistently met.
• Coach, develop and performance manage team members through regular feedback, development planning and performance reviews.
• Support recruitment, onboarding and capability building to strengthen team performance and maintain a sustainable talent pipeline.
• Ensure the team understands the business strategy and translates it into clear day-to day priorities and decisions.
• Underwrite, price and negotiate new and existing business in line with underwriting appetite, risk quality and company guidelines.
• Retain and grow the portfolio by managing renewals, handling mid-term adjustments, and identifying cross-sell and up-sell opportunities.
• Maintain profitability through sound, consistent underwriting decisions and effective commercial negotiation.
• Build and maintain strong broker relationships to support service delivery, business growth and market presence.
• Work closely with operations, claims, finance and marketing to support product delivery and contribute to business performance.
• Take accountability for customer experience and embed a customer-focused culture across the team.
• Ensure compliance with underwriting, operational and control standards across all team activity.
• Monitor the performance of the team’s book of business, including retention, new business, service levels and profitability, and take action where needed.
• Use reporting and management information to identify trends, improve performance and support decision-making.

Requirements

• Degree educated or equivalent
• Fluent written and spoken English
• Preferably proven experience in underwriting, ideally within SME, Professional Indemnity or Commercial Risks.
• Demonstrated experience leading and managing teams, including workload planning, performance management and day-to-day team leadership.
• Experience of developing people, building team capability and creating a high performing team culture.
• Experience of working in a service-driven environment with strong attention to quality, compliance and customer outcomes, preferably also in a regulated environment
• Confident using Microsoft Outlook, Excel and PowerPoint.
• Flexibility to travel where required.

Benefits

• great employee benefits that take care of your mental and physical wellbeing