Head of Financial Lines (Sector Sales)

Markel; Birmingham; Hybrid; GBP 45,000 - 80,000; Full time

Job description

Are you from a sales/underwriting operations background with experience in Broker/Commercial Insurance?

Do you have commercial insurance trading experience?

Come and lead the open market Financial Lines new business underwriting team here at Markel.

What part will you play? If you’re looking for a place where you can make a meaningful difference, you’ve found it. The work we do at Markel gives people the confidence to move forward and seize opportunities, and you’ll find your fit amongst our global community of optimists and problem-solvers. We’re always pushing each other to go further because we believe that when we realise our potential, we can help others reach theirs.

Join us and play your part in something special.

The opportunity:

We have an exciting new opportunity for a Head of Financial Lines (Sector Sales) to join our NMUK Broker team. The hybrid working role can be based across any of our offices in Leeds, Manchester, Birmingham or London, with some national travel involved. This role will focus on driving performance and productivity alongside technical excellence which delivers our profitability.

We arrange our business into five channels, with the NMUK Broker Channel being the largest and fastest growing of all our UK business units. Our broker engagement and subsequently pipeline and new business volumes have increased exponentially.

The Financial Lines new business underwriting team is part of Sales & Distribution and is one of three teams, the others being Care/Social Welfare and Construction. Roles within the team include Development Underwriters, Senior Underwriters, and Underwriters, with most working remotely.

This role will lead the open market Financial Lines new business underwriting team. Reporting to the Head of Trading, your expertise will drive operational efficiency, insightful data analysis, and excellence in service delivery.

What you’ll be doing:

• Work in tandem with the Broker Distribution Senior Leadership Team to ensure alignment and collaboration.
• Manage and optimise underwriting processes (i.e., new business processes), leveraging technology to streamline operations and boost productivity.
• Develop strategies and initiatives to improve broker service experience with a focus on process simplification, striving for operational best practice and excellence.
• Regularly review broker feedback to identify areas for improvement and implement necessary changes.
• Set and deliver challenging quote and conversion rates, delivering required GWP growth.
• Embed CRM usage into the team to ensure consistency in approach and understanding.
• Leadership and Management of Financial Lines new business open market underwriters.
• Support Underwriter development with mentoring and training.
• Ensure the highest standards of customer service are maintained and continually enhanced.
• Uphold professional standards and practices, ensuring continuous improvement.

Our must haves:

• A proven track record in sales/underwriting operations, with experience in Broker/Commercial Insurance.
• Commercial insurance trading experience, ideally in a Financial Lines environment e.g., Professional Indemnity, Technology, Life Science.
• Strong analytical and data management skills.
• Proficient in Microsoft Dynamics 365 (CRM system).
• Able to demonstrate experience and success in roles with an operational/business development focus and have a proven track record of delivery against new business and portfolio growth targets.
• Understand project management and stakeholder management (internal and external).
• Show a high level of competence in the use of data to robustly performance manage.
• Be self-starting and success-oriented individuals and have a desire to build a market-leading business.
• Be a credible and engaging representative of Markel.
• Have effective communication skills.
• Demonstrate leadership skills with experience in team management.
• Collaborative nature, capable of working in sync with the Broker Channel Exec and leadership group.

Who we are:

Markel Corporation (NYSE – MKL), a Fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory, and investment operations around the world.

We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better | We enjoy the everyday | We think further

What’s in it for you:

• A great salary plus generous annual bonus & strong benefits package.
• 25 days paid holiday (pro rata) plus Bank Holidays, with the opportunity to buy/sell extra leave.
• Fantastic company pension scheme, private medical and dental cover, life assurance, travel insurance cover, income protection, season ticket loan as well as other great benefits on offer.
• There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career, and we can provide the support needed to do just that!

What we hope you’ll do next:

Choose ‘Apply Now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role, then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.

We are an equal-opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at [e-mail] or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.

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