Senior Financial Lines Underwriter
Professional
Guildford, ENG, GB, GU1 1DB Manchester, ENG, GB, M60 3YE Birmingham, GB, B37 7ET Lancaster, ENG, GB, LA1 3SW Bournemouth, ENG, GB, BH1 2NF Leeds, ENG, GB, LS1 4AJ Chelmsford, ENG, GB, CM2 0PP Bristol, ENG, GB, BS32 4AQ Maidstone, ENG, GB, ME14 1JP London, ENG, GB, EC3V 0HR
Underwriting
Allianz UK
Allianz Management Services Ltd
Full-Time
Remote working
Permanent
51680
Non-Executive
Senior Financial Lines Underwriter
Location: This role can be based anywhere in the UK with travel required approx once a month to our Guildford or London offices
Salary: Dep on exp + annual bonus + benefits
Role description
We are pleased to offer an exciting opportunity to join the Allianz Commercial Digital Trading Team as a Financial Lines Lead Underwriter, reporting to the Head of Digital Underwriting. The Commercial Financial Lines portfolio has strong growth ambitions in Allianz UK making it integral to the continued success of Allianz Commercial. In this role you will support the strengthening of our position within the market alongside delivery of profitability in line with the Corporate Plan objectives. This role requires strong collaboration with the portfolio steering, pricing and claims teams.
This role would be ideal for someone with a strong background in digital financial lines underwriting, looking to use their technical expertise through a more strategic lens, and provide further development opportunities to build your own technical skills.
Key Accountabilities:
- To assist the Underwriting Manager to develop underwriting strategy in collaboration with the pricing managers.
- To use technical knowledge and awareness of customer needs to identify opportunities and threats, making proposals to:
- Enhance products to ensure they are competitive and meet evolving customer expectations
- Develop underwriting footprint, rules and/or validation across channels to ensure growth and profitability (of new business and existing business)
- Enhance customer journey and communications across channels (for quotes, sales, MTA, renewals, and upsell/cross-sell) including identifying data enrichments to achieve this, and to expand into new channels or partnerships.
- Improve systems and/or processes to enhance risk assessment, customer service, efficiency or reduce leakage
- Improve policy documents, ensuring accuracy, appropriateness and clarity of policy terms for customers
- To monitor market, technology and data developments, customer feedback and product performance MI, using experience and trend analysis to provide insight and generate recommendations. Taking a cross-product and cross-functional view, and identifying opportunities to improve the process.
- To support the Underwriting Manager with projects, undertaking research, contributing to presentations, and participating in or leading work-streams, and act as subject matter expert.
- To actively participate in management forums internally (eg Pricing Committee, Risk Validation Steering and Product Forum) and externally (eg at the ABI)
- To analyse relevant product related regulatory bulletins (eg from ABI and FCA), escalating issues to Product Manager when necessary.
- To act as a referral point and to coach underwriters and assistant underwriters.
- To undertake audits of Operations and suppliers (including data enrichment providers) to ensure adherence to underwriting guidelines.
- To define testing requirements for product or underwriting changes for Manager approval.
- To work independently and take ownership of issues, using complex problem solving and resilience to overcome obstacles with minimal guidance.
- To provide guidance to Operations to expand their technical knowledge and reduce referrals.
- To contribute to the Annual Product Review to ensure the product remains fit for purpose and provides value for money for our customers.
- To undertake any other underwriting related activities to support the Manager as required.
- To deputise for the Manager as required, and to be an ambassador for Underwriting when dealing with others.
- To comply with Conduct Risk and TCF principles and with GDPR requirements when conducting the above activities.
About you
- Financial Lines underwriting experience & knowledge of the digital market is essential.
- Strong negotiation / persuasion skills
- Excellent numerical and analytical ability
- Experience of managing and collaborating with stakeholders of varying levels of seniority
- Understanding of the skills and tools required for effective portfolio management and has the ability to use these key skills to manage a profitable portfolio
- Understanding of causes and costs of claims and experience of applying risk management tools to mitigate losses
- Understanding of relevant legislation and its application to Financial Lines insurance;
- High level Underwriting authority in Line of Business achieved or being worked towards;
- Aware of different market approaches and competitors and how they impact on new business acquisition and existing business retention;
- Understanding of internal and external provider processes and how this may impact on product delivery and performance
- Working knowledge of Microsoft Word, Excel, Powerpoint and Outlook.
The successful candidate will:
- Be an excellent communicator with a positive and enthusiastic attitude
- Be self-motivated, focussed and able to prioritise your own workload
- Be resilient and able to work under pressure
- Have strong decision making ability
- Be ACII qualified or progression towards this.
What we will offer you
Recognised and rewarded for a job well done, we have a range of flexible benefits for you to choose from- so you can pick a package that’s perfect for you. We also offer flexible working options, global career opportunities across the wider Allianz Group, and fantastic career development and training. That’s on top of enjoying all the benefits you’d expect from the world’s number one insurance brand, including:
- Annual bonus scheme
- 25 days holiday plus bank holidays
- Contributory pension scheme
- Life cover
- Group Income Protection
- Flexible buy/sell holiday options
- Flexible working arrangements
- A discount up to 50% on a range of insurance products including car, home and pet
- Retail discounts
Our ways of working
Do you need some flexibility with the hours you work? Let us know as part of your application and if it’s right for our customers, our business and for you, then we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.
Here at Allianz, we are signatories of the ABIs flexible working charter. We believe in supporting hybrid work patterns, which balance the needs of our customers, with your personal circumstances and our business requirements. Our aim with this is to help innovation, creativity, and you to thrive - Your work life balance is important to us.
Our Purpose and Values
We secure your future
Be Brave | With Heart | Everyone Counts | Inspiring Trust
Our purpose and values are more than just words on a website - they are the why and how of Allianz. They influence everything we do and guide us how to do it. Created by our people, for our people, they shape our culture, bring us together, and inspire us to be the best. Building an inclusive culture for us all to succeed.
Diversity & Inclusion
At Allianz, we value diversity and inclusion and back this up with our accreditations. Allianz is EDGE certified for gender inclusion, members of the Women in Finance Charter, members of the Stonewall Diversity Champion programme, signatories of Business in the Community’s Race at Work Charter, and an Armed Forces Covenant gold standard employer.
We have a range of employee networks focusing on gender inclusion, cultural diversity, LGBTQIA+, disability and long term health conditions (including neurodiversity), intergenerational and life stages, parents and carers, mental wellbeing, menopause support and armed forces and veterans, all supporting you to bring your best and authentic self to work.
Join us - Let’s Care for Tomorrow
