PL Bespoke: Senior Trading Underwriter

The role

The Senior Trading Underwriter's primary responsibilities are:

• contribute towards creating and executing an effective strategy for the product(s)
• using your extensive market and product knowledge to inform the selection of your chosen risk appetite and to act as inputs to the pricing of the product(s)
• having accountability for the financial performance of the product(s) and/or distribution(s).
• leading and managing a team of Underwriters and Senior Underwriters
• driving the development of trading activity through a wide range of new and existing relationships

The role is highly market visible, involving extensive broker contact when communicating our strategy, managing the financial performance of existing relationships and in seeking to broaden our market penetration. Success in the role requires extensive technical and trading expertise in our product(s) and frequent collaboration with other business functions to ensure that we leverage capabilities from across the business in delivering first-class propositions to our chosen market.

Key responsibilities

• Working with the Underwriting Head and Senior Trading Underwriter (London) to develop the underwriting strategy for our product(s) and having accountability for executing that underwriting strategy. The strategy will be such that it ensures we see continued growth and margin improvement, enhancing ERS's market position.
• Working with the Underwriting Head and Product Manager to set the short and medium-term financial plans for the product(s) and having accountability for the actions necessary to meet or exceed those financial plans.
• Building and maintaining knowledge of the market in which you operate ensuring that you have extensive knowledge of the legal, economic, competitive and socio-demographic factors that influence the market and our ability to be successful in that market. Constantly updating your knowledge and staying in touch with current affairs to inform risk appetite and pricing decisions.
• Working closely with our broker partners at a senior management level to build and develop the portfolio in such a way as to ensure that we meet or exceed our financial plans.
• Underwriting a range of risks in accordance with our stated underwriting appetite. You will also provide input and feedback such that we constantly refine our underwriting appetite to ensure that we take advantage of market opportunities and outperform our peers through superior risk selection and proactive management of our business mix.
• Acting as a point of technical referral and opinion from other members of the underwriting team, brokers and other internal functions, using your extensive risk, product and pricing knowledge to inform appropriate decisions in respect of those referrals.
• Provide feedback to Product Managers & Heads of Class and to members of our Pricing team relating to the effectiveness of our risk pricing models to help us constantly drive enhanced sophistication and accuracy in our risk pricing.
• Understanding the risk environment in which we operate. Contribution to the identification of and helping to manage the key risks which threaten the success and sustainability of our business.
• Providing substantial contribution to our "first line of defense" activities, using audit and peer review tools, complemented by exception reporting and performance MI, to constantly assess and monitor our underwriting activities to ensure that all business is being written in accordance with our stated underwriting authorities, agreed processes and in compliance with our regulatory and conduct standards.

The above duties and responsibilities are not an exhaustive list and you may be required to undertake any other reasonable duties compatible with your experience and competencies. This description may be varied from time to time to reflect changing business requirements.

Essential qualifications, skills and experience

This role carries strategic input and financial responsibility as well as being recognised as a market-leading subject matter expert in our product(s).

• Extensive technical knowledge of the product(s), including the features of the product, factors that drive product performance, market dynamics which influence how the product is delivered and the requirements of customers using the product(s).
• To demonstrate gravitas and clarity of purpose which will give confidence to senior stakeholders, both internally and externally.
• Detailed understanding of sophisticated pricing practices and methodologies with the ability and experience to help us constantly enhance our pricing capability, adding insight and innovation to how we build and utilise risk pricing.
• Extensive knowledge of the legal, regulatory and compliance provisions that apply to the UK motor insurance market.
• Clear understanding of the principles relating to risk management: ensuring that you are able to identify, monitor and manage the risks that threaten the achievement of your objectives and the future success of our business.

The combination of these skills, experiences and knowledge will ensure that you are able to materially contribute to the development of our underwriting strategy and risk appetite and to the achievement of our short and longer-term financial plans.

Benefits

• Competitive Benchmarked Salary
• 25 days holiday
• Discretionary bonus scheme
• Employee assistance programme
• Annual holiday buy (up to 3 extra days)
• Salary sacrifice benefits
• Annual benefits reviews
• The option for professional qualifications and study support