Working hours: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Duration: Permanent
Location: Gloucester
Job Ref: 204890
About the Role
Ecclesiastical Insurance, who are proudly part of Benefact Group, are looking for a Head of Underwriting Direct to join our Gloucester office.
We’re looking for an experienced Head of Underwriting Direct to lead underwriting strategy, quality, and financial performance across our Direct portfolio. You’ll be the figurehead for technical excellence and owner of portfolio outcomes, proactively managing key accounts and coaching our Underwriting talent to deliver sustainable, profitable growth and exceptional retention.
In this influential leadership role within the Direct Team, you’ll set direction and pace driving portfolio results, shaping pricing at both portfolio and key account level, and driving the team to turn underwriting strategy into day‑to‑day delivery balancing commercial goals with good customer outcomes.
If you want the opportunity to own and shape a core portfolio, have a proven senior UW track record, and a passion for balancing profitability with customer outcomes, we’d love to hear from you.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Portfolio performance: Own results across GWP, New Business, Retention, Rate Movement, and Profitability – balancing commercial targets with good customer outcomes.
- Pricing strategy: Shape pricing strategies at both portfolio and key account level.
- Business planning: Act as a lead contributor to planning, bringing incisive analysis and constructive challenge.
Underwriting Excellence
- Standards & risk appetite: Set and maintain underwriting standards; actively engage with UK Underwriting Risk Appetite to ensure alignment and adherence.
- Authority framework: Use your own authority to best effect; cascade authority appropriately and govern it rigorously.
- Strategy into delivery: Translate UW strategy into day‑to‑day practice, challenging where needed to support customer needs and the business plan.
- Quality & audit: Lead the quality framework; meet audit and quality metrics or challenge and improve them where they are not fit for purpose – leaving clear, implementable actions.
- Competency & succession: Drive the underwriting competency framework, building capability and succession. Create and deliver technical training where relevant.
- Technical leadership: Act as the senior referral point, disseminate expertise and keep your own technical edge sharp.
- Continuous improvement: Champion smarter underwriting processes and tools that optimise accuracy, speed and underwriting quality.
Leadership & Impact
- Develop and inspire: Coach, mentor, and stretch colleagues at all levels; set clear expectations and celebrate high performance.
- Build relationships: Collaborate and partner closely within own area and across UK business teams to optimise performance.
- Market voice: Represent underwriting matters confidently with internal stakeholders, key clients and market stakeholders.
- Do the right thing: Balance portfolio outcomes and customer in your decision making, operate within the regulatory framework.
What You’ll Need to Have
- ACII (or equivalent) and a proven track record in a senior underwriting role.
- Strong portfolio management expertise and commercial fluency.
What Makes You Stand Out
- A confident, influential communicator – credible at all levels internally and externally.
- Demonstrable coaching capability and a passion for developing others.
- The ability to apply critical thinking beyond standard guidelines and frame pragmatic, risk aware solutions.
How Success Will Be Measured
- Delivery against GWP, retention, rate and profitability targets.
- Evidenced improvements in quality/audit outcomes and referral turnaround.
- Capability uplift and succession depth against the competency framework.
- Stakeholder feedback from key accounts and internal partners.
What We Offer
- A competitive salary – let's discuss it.
- Hybrid working.
- Group Personal Pension – up to 12% employer contribution.
- Generous annual bonus scheme: on-target bonus between 10% and 40%.
- 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, and a holiday buy and sell scheme.
- An array of health and wellbeing benefits, including private healthcare, income protection and life assurance.
- £200 annual personal grant to a charity of your choice.
- Encouraged to take at least one volunteering day per year.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Full study support to gain professional qualifications.
- Access to virtual GP.
- Enhanced maternity and paternity pay.
Working hours: 35 hours per week, Monday to Friday
Duration: Permanent
Location: Gloucester
Job Ref: 204890
About the Role
Ecclesiastical Insurance, who are proudly part of Benefact Group, are looking for a Head of Underwriting Direct to join our Gloucester office.
We’re looking for an experienced Head of Underwriting Direct to lead underwriting strategy, quality, and financial performance across our Direct portfolio. You’ll be the figurehead for technical excellence and owner of portfolio outcomes, proactively managing key accounts and coaching our Underwriting talent to deliver sustainable, profitable growth and exceptional retention.
In this influential leadership role within the Direct Team, you’ll set direction and pace driving portfolio results, shaping pricing at both portfolio and key account level, and driving the team to turn underwriting strategy into day‑to‑day delivery balancing commercial goals with good customer outcomes.
If you want the opportunity to own and shape a core portfolio, have a proven senior UW track record, and a passion for balancing profitability with customer outcomes, we’d love to hear from you.
What You’ll Be Doing
- Portfolio performance: Own results across GWP, New Business, Retention, Rate Movement, and Profitability – balancing commercial targets with good customer outcomes.
- Pricing strategy: Shape pricing strategies at both portfolio and key account level.
- Business planning: Act as a lead contributor to planning, bringing incisive analysis and constructive challenge.
Underwriting Excellence
- Standards & risk appetite: Set and maintain underwriting standards; actively engage with UK Underwriting Risk Appetite to ensure alignment and adherence.
- Authority framework: Use your own authority to best effect; cascade authority appropriately and govern it rigorously.
- Strategy into delivery: Translate UW strategy into day‑to‑day practice, challenging where needed to support customer needs and the business plan.
- Quality & audit: Lead the quality framework; meet audit and quality metrics or challenge and improve them where they are not fit for purpose – leaving clear, implementable actions.
- Competency & succession: Drive the underwriting competency framework, building capability and succession. Create and deliver technical training where relevant.
- Technical leadership: Act as the senior referral point, disseminate expertise and keep your own technical edge sharp.
- Continuous improvement: Champion smarter underwriting processes and tools that optimise accuracy, speed and underwriting quality.
Leadership & Impact
- Develop and inspire: Coach, mentor, and stretch colleagues at all levels; set clear expectations and celebrate high performance.
- Build relationships: Collaborate and partner closely within own area and across UK business teams to optimise performance.
- Market voice: Represent underwriting matters confidently with internal stakeholders, key clients and market stakeholders.
- Do the right thing: Balance portfolio outcomes and customer in your decision making, operate within the regulatory framework.
What You’ll Need to Have
- ACII (or equivalent) and a proven track record in a senior underwriting role.
- Strong portfolio management expertise and commercial fluency.
What Makes You Stand Out
- A confident, influential communicator – credible at all levels internally and externally.
- Demonstrable coaching capability and a passion for developing others.
- The ability to apply critical thinking beyond standard guidelines and frame pragmatic, risk aware solutions.
How Success Will Be Measured
- Delivery against GWP, retention, rate and profitability targets.
- Evidenced improvements in quality/audit outcomes and referral turnaround.
- Capability uplift and succession depth against the competency framework.
- Stakeholder feedback from key accounts and internal partners.
What We Offer
- A competitive salary – let’s discuss it.
- Hybrid working.
- Group Personal Pension – up to 12% employer contribution.
- Generous annual bonus scheme: on-target bonus between 10% and 40%.
- 28 days annual leave plus bank holidays, and a holiday buy and sell scheme.
- An array of health and wellbeing benefits, including private healthcare, income protection and life assurance.
- £200 annual personal grant to a charity of your choice.
- Encouraged to take at least one volunteering day per year.
- Employee Assistance Programme.
- Full study support to gain professional qualifications.
- Access to virtual GP.
- Enhanced maternity and paternity pay.
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