Senior Underwriter

About LV=GI

At LV= General Insurance (LV= GI), we go above and beyond to help our millions of customers look after what they love. Putting our people first, and our customer at the heart of everything we do, we’ve made it our mission to become Britain’s best-loved insurer.

Having joined the Allianz family, we’re proud to be one of the largest personal insurers in the UK.

Our purpose is ‘We secure your future’ for our employees, our customers and the wider society. This sits at the heart of our business.

About the opportunity

LV= GI has a great opportunity for a Senior Underwriter within our Retail business. Your primary focus will be the agile management of our motor portfolio through underwriting development and trading decisions across all direct distribution channels to support LVGIG’s strategic aims. You’ll take a leading role in proactively enhancing our Motor portfolio and footprint including participating in / chairing forums and sharing insight and recommendations with senior management to drive continuous improvements.

As an empowered Senior Motor Underwriter, you will play a key role in delivering our ambitious profitable growth plans through driving the underwriting activity and focus within the team. Your role will involve providing timely and intelligent portfolio underwriting decisions.

You’ll undertake market research and monitor MI, identify opportunities and recommend changes to our products and processes to ensure they are competitive, meet customer expectations and comply with regulatory requirements.

You’ll work closely with the Product Manager to define product strategy and collaborate closely with colleagues across the business to ensure successful delivery of underwriting and pricing initiatives. You’ll also act as an expert referral point.

This is an exciting opportunity for someone with in-depth motor and rescue portfolio knowledge to help shape our motor products and underwriting to reflect a rapidly evolving digitalised world and customer needs whist being a part of a successful team within the GI Retail business.

About You:

As a self-starter with the ability to proactively work on your own initiative, setting own priorities and managing workload with minimum supervision, you’ll offer us your significant experience as an insurance professional. You’ll be working in a fast-paced trading environment, where decisive actions are required.

You’re likely to have a background in motor underwriting or product development within a Direct environment (call centre, web, aggregator and partner), or have relevant technical expertise relating to motor insurance. And you’re likely to hold or be progressing towards a relevant professional qualification.

You’re organised, analytical and thorough and proactively identify opportunities and risks, and form sound judgements to make appropriate recommendations. You enjoy working as part of a busy team, using your strong communication skills and friendly, confident manner to collaborate and build great relationships with colleagues across the business and external partners, while managing stakeholder expectations.

You’re able to think commercially and always have the customer at the forefront of your mind. Your inquisitive nature means you constantly seek ways to improve the commercial outcomes of the portfolios and your can-do attitude and project management skills ensure that you see tasks through to a timely conclusion, overcoming obstacles and driving change.

The Details:

You'll need to:

• Create a culture where data is actively used to develop activities and strategies that deliver beneficial results.

• Oversee definition of and monitoring of insight into market, technology and data developments, customer feedback and product performance MI, and use trend analysis to support the above activities.

• Regularly monitor KPI’s to ensure performance against plan is met, reporting on risk mix and recommendations for change to drive profitability outcomes for the business.

• Undertake ongoing research and provide regular insight into new motor propositions and product enhancements to assist with developing strategy and to support pricing and underwriting activity.

• Develop and monitor market insight, customer feedback and product performance MI in order to:

  • Define and deliver product enhancements to ensure our products are competitive and

  • meet customer expectations.

  • Define and deliver underwriting and terms across channels to improve profitability and expand footprint.

  • Identify and recommend enhancements to procedures and controls in order to improve efficiency and reduce risk.

• Engage proactively with other functional teams to ensure alignment of purpose and successful delivery of initiatives and represent Underwriting at management meetings.

• Increase the strengths and capabilities of individuals and the team by coaching, identifying training needs and sharing best in order to support personal growth, enhance the performance of the team and to meet business needs.

• Regularly engage senior stakeholders, including GI Exec, to keep them abreast of commercial.

• Deputise for the Underwriting Manager.

• Undertake audits of operations or partners to ensure adherence to underwriting guidelines.

• Analyse product relevant regulatory bulletins (e.g. from ABI and FCA), escalating issues to management when necessary.

• Comply with Conduct Risk principles.

What We're Looking For

To be successful for the role you will have:

• Previous motor or home insurance underwriting experience.

• Strong analytical capability and technical competence, experience of portfolio/account management desirable.

• Ability to manage Exec level and external stakeholders.

• Commercial approach – focused on bottom line

• Drive to deliver with the ability to do so through others.

• In-depth understanding of the GI market and regulatory regime.

• Strong influencing skills and diplomacy.

• Excellent relationship management skills.

• Uses initiative and able to manage multiple complex priorities with tight deadlines.

• Excellent communication skills, including reports, presentations, and letter writing.

• Proactively identifies opportunities or risks and generates innovative ideas for improvement.

• Collaborative approach and can do attitude.

• A good team player. Supportive to others with an enthusiastic and positive attitude.

• A calm, credible and reliable presence

• Ability to balance customer and business needs

• Experience of Direct sales channels; PCW’s, Web, Call Centre, IFA and Partnerships

• Experience of managing audit activities

• Be self-driven and proactive in development of own skills and technical knowledge.

• Relevant professional qualification preferred but not essential, eg ACII

Ways of Working

We are delighted to confirm that we are now a hybrid working business. Our office with flex model means that you will have the opportunity to work from home as well as the office. As a hybrid worker you will be in the office between 2 and 16 days per month depending on individual and business need. This will be discussed at interview stage.

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.

The role can be based at LV=GI Bournemouth, Frizzell House, Bournemouth BH1 2NF or LV=GI Croydon, 69, Park Lane, Croydon, CR9 1BG.

About the Rewards

This role a Senior Associate cluster in LV= Structure. To find out more about our bands, click to view our FAQ page here. We want you to love what you do that’s why we’ve put together a benefits package that recognises and rewards a job well done.

We’ll give you:

• 26 days' holiday – which increases after two years’ service to 28 days

• A competitive pension for which LV= will pay twice the amount you pay, up to 14% (please click here to read more about it)

• An annual bonus scheme based on company and personal performance

• A flexible benefits package (e.g. discounted retail vouchers, great value dental insurance)

• A generous 25% discount off our general insurance products including home, pet and travel as well as up to 50% discount on your car insurance.

To find out more about our benefits and rewards, please click here.

Our Values

Our company values drive everything we do - and they are:

Be Brave | With Heart | Everyone Counts | Inspiring Trust

LV= is an equal opportunities employer who values a diverse and inclusive workplace. We recognise that people work in different ways, and we value alternative viewpoints, celebrate individuality and foster a culture where everyone can bring their true self to work. We are committed to creating a diverse workforce, we accept applications from everyone regardless of your background, beliefs, culture, gender identity, ethnicity, sexual orientation, disabilities and long term health conditions.

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