Head of Casualty Underwriting

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**Head of Casualty Underwriting - Commercial Division | Location - flexible**

We’re seeking a
** Head of Casualty Underwriting **to join our Commercial Division, which is Allianz Australia’s largest distribution channel whose customers include local, national and international brokers, and buying groups throughout Australia and New Zealand.

You will be asked to lead the delivery and embedment of underwriting strategy and excellence for the Casualty products to achieve profitable growth in accordance with AAL underwriting strategy and guidelines.

**You'll be responsible for**:

- Manage the execution of the Commercial underwriting strategy and business plan for Casualty (Liability and Financial Lines) to deliver on profitable growth targets through best practice risk selection, underwriting and market analysis.
- Work in partnership with Technical to deliver the Casualty underwriting strategy and improve underwriting excellence using market, competitor and broker insights to enhance our proposition.
- Collaborate with the product/ portfolio managers team to ensure alignment with Group Underwriting Standards.
- Lead the Casualty team by supporting, monitoring, educating and communicating changes to the Allianz Underwriting Framework/s, Allianz Standards for Underwriting (ASU) and delegated authority.
- Provide formal and informal coaching, mentoring and capability development to Casualty underwriters.
- Lead Centre of Excellence underwriting execution teams to deliver high quality underwriting capability and service.
- Act as the underwriting referral point for profitable growth in the Casualty lines of business.
- Manage the Casualty underwriting objectives, retention, and underwriting execution to balance the cycle management targets.
- Support profitable new business opportunities and maximise conversion rates in line with business expectations and cycle management.
- Support to maximise the retention of preferred accounts and ensure timely review of renewal referral business.
- Keep abreast of market conditions and trends, maintain a market presence in their region, and the line of business community within AAL.
- Review, monitoring and initial approval of all Casualty business underwriting licences and licence amendments, while working within the technical framework.
- Work in partnership with the Head of Underwriting Enablement to manage the technical performance of the Underwriters and, when appropriate, remediate or control underwriting outside appetite.
- Work with the Head of Underwriting Enablement to develop and maintain Casualty underwriting value propositions that provide market facing information, resources and solutions aligned to our target underwriting appetite.
- Oversee and ensure underwriting governance and compliance to the underwriting control framework, including underwriting guidelines.
- Support the maintenance of structures, pricing and terms for reinsurance in collaboration with Reinsurance and Technical, including providing information as requested and engaging when appropriate on referral risk.

**Important to your success**:

- Tertiary degree in Business or a relevant discipline or demonstrated business experience.
- Comprehensive knowledge and experience in Liability and/or Financial Lines underwriting, with proven contemporary technical underwriting capability and expertise.
- Extensive experience in a people-leader role managing a multi-layered organisation.
- Extensive experience in developing and implementing business strategies aligned to the organisation’s vision and purpose.
- Demonstrated ability to partner and collaborate effectively with senior stakeholders, external partners and suppliers to establish strong professional relationships and influence outcomes.
- Demonstrates executive presence and leadership to drive positive culture changes.
- Able to identify, analyse and assess risks inherent to the business and put in place appropriate controls / actions to manage the risks for future sustainability.
- Excellent verbal and written communication skills, capable of communicating with audiences at all levels with clarity, impact and influence.
- Demonstrated commercial ac