Underwriting & Governance Analyst (Underwriting Enablement Team Lead)
Leeds (Preferred) | Manchester | Birmingham
Hybrid Working – 3 days in the office, 2 days from home

Shape the future of underwriting governance at Markel !

At Markel, we believe insurance is about far more than policies and paperwork. It's about helping people move forward with confidence and supporting businesses when they need us most. As we continue to evolve our underwriting function, we're creating an exciting new opportunity for an ambitious underwriting professional to join us as an Underwriting & Governance Analyst, taking a lead role within our newly established Underwriting Enablement Team.

This isn't a traditional governance role.

We're looking for someone who is equally comfortable rolling up their sleeves on technical underwriting matters whilst helping lead and develop a team. It's a unique opportunity to step into a player-coach leadership role, combining governance expertise, technical underwriting support, stakeholder management and people leadership.

If you're looking for a role where you can genuinely influence how a function operates, build new processes, develop people and work closely with senior underwriting leaders, this could be your next career move.

The Opportunity:

Reporting directly to the Underwriting Director, you'll play a critical role in supporting the wider underwriting leadership team by ensuring robust governance, regulatory compliance, underwriting controls and operational excellence across the business.

You'll be responsible for helping maintain the frameworks and processes that keep our underwriting function operating effectively, while also leading and developing a newly formed team that supports Product, Pricing and Underwriting leaders across Markel UK.

This role offers significant visibility across the business and the opportunity to help shape how the Underwriting Enablement Team develops over the coming years.

What You'll Be Doing:

Technical Underwriting & Governance

• Maintaining underwriting governance standards across the business

• Reviewing and approving non-standard endorsements

• Supporting underwriting controls, delegated authorities and governance processes

• Monitoring adherence to underwriting guidelines and protocols

• Supporting the implementation of legal and regulatory changes

• Analysing underwriting data and governance reporting

• Working closely with Product Line Leaders and senior stakeholders

• Supporting governance, reinsurance and operational projects that contribute to profitability and regulatory objectives

• Acting as a key point of contact for governance-related queries and technical underwriting support

Team Leadership

• Leading, coaching and developing the Underwriting Enablement Team

• Providing guidance, support and performance management across the team

• Allocating and prioritising workloads

• Building processes, structure and operating models within a newly created function

• Helping shape the future direction of the team as it grows and evolves

Business Partnership

• Building strong relationships with Underwriting Product Leaders, Pricing and senior management

• Driving continuous improvement and process efficiency

• Supporting strategic underwriting priorities while ensuring governance excellence

• Championing knowledge sharing and technical excellence across Markel UK

What We're Looking For:

We're open to candidates from a variety of underwriting backgrounds, but you'll ideally bring:

• Significant experience within underwriting, technical broking or a governance-focused insurance role

• Strong technical underwriting knowledge

• Experience working with underwriting controls, governance or regulatory requirements

• Excellent stakeholder management and communication skills

• Strong analytical and organisational abilities

• Experience coaching, mentoring or leading others

• ACII qualification (or progression towards completion) would be advantageous

• A proactive, improvement-focused mindset with an interest in using technology and AI to improve processes

• Product experience within: Financial Lines, Liability, Commercial insurance would be beneficial, however we're primarily looking for strong technical underwriting capability and leadership potential.

Why This Role?

This role offers something genuinely different.

You'll have the opportunity to:

• Lead a newly created team and help define its future direction

• Combine technical underwriting expertise with people leadership

• Work closely with senior underwriting leaders and decision-makers

• Gain broad exposure across Product, Pricing and Underwriting functions

• Influence governance standards and operational excellence across the business

• Build leadership experience in a highly visible role with significant growth potential

Why Markel?

At Markel, we're proud of our people-first culture. We combine the ambition and opportunity of a global specialist insurer with the collaboration and support of a close-knit team. We empower our colleagues to take ownership, challenge the status quo and continuously develop their careers.

What's in it for you?

• Competitive salary

• Annual bonus opportunity

• 25 days holiday plus bank holidays

• Option to buy and sell annual leave

• Private medical and dental cover

• Company pension scheme

• Life assurance

• Income protection

• Travel insurance

• Fully funded CII qualifications

• Ongoing career development and progression opportunities

• A flexible, supportive and inclusive working environment

Ready to take the next step?

If you're a technically strong underwriting professional who's ready to step into a broader leadership role and help shape the future of underwriting governance at Markel, we'd love to hear from you.

Apply today and become part of a business that puts people first and continuously strives for better.

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 [email protected] 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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