Head L&H Underwriting & Claims Portfolio

Are you driven by the vital impact that underwriting and claims brings to Life and Health insurance? Can you guide clients through the evolving risk landscape, balancing technological innovation with prudent risk management? Do you thrive in leading and engaging teams across diverse locations, cultures, and cross-functional disciplines? If so, this opportunity may be the next step in your career: join our L&H team as the Head of Underwriting & Claims Portfolio for UK & Ireland. 

As a client-facing leader, you will deliver, promote and shape Swiss Re’s underwriting and claims strategy, playing a pivotal role in strengthening the Swiss Re UK & Ireland brand. 

About the Role 

We are seeking an inspiring leader with significant underwriting experience to lead the Claims and Underwriting: Portfolio/Technical team for the UK & Ireland. You will oversee portfolio performance, providing actionable insights to support the effective management of both in-force and new business. You will drive underwriting and claims philosophy and risk appetite both internally and in collaboration with clients and cross-functional teams. You will work alongside the Propositions team to deliver on the UK & Ireland market strategy, ensuring our claims and underwriting services are aligned with evolving market needs and supporting the overall business objectives. 

Your leadership will guide the technical claims and underwriting team towards delivering market-leading services, setting benchmarks for industry standards and ensuring outcomes consistently exceed expectations. By cultivating a culture of excellence and continuous improvement, you will drive robust risk management practices, leveraging your technical expertise to enhance portfolio outcomes and safeguard Swiss Re’s business integrity. 

Through proactive, strategic direction, you’ll ensure claims and underwriting quality aligns with our objectives and supports effective risk management. Working closely with cross-functional teams, you’ll deliver targeted claims and underwriting services aligned with Swiss Re’s strategy for risk and client relationships. 

As a key member of the claims and underwriting leadership team, you will help shape the strategy for UK & Ireland, acting as a visible and credible champion for Claims & Underwriting excellence both within Swiss Re and across the industry. This role reports to the Head of Underwriting & Claims UK&I. 

Main Activities 

• Oversee the delivery of technical underwriting and claims services to clients, ensuring consistent standards and results. 

• Build, coach, and develop a high-performing team of senior claims and underwriting professionals, fostering market-leading technical expertise. 

• Proactively contribute to the L&H Claims and Underwriting UK&I leadership team, influencing strategy and direction. 

• Work alongside the Propositions team to deliver on the UK & Ireland market strategy, ensuring our claims and underwriting services are aligned with evolving market needs and supporting the overall business objectives. 

• Enhance Swiss Re’s commercial focus by elevating the profile of underwriting and claims with our clients. 

• Represent Swiss Re at client events and within the broader UKI L&H insurance sector, showcasing thought leadership and subject matter expertise. 

• Lead the community in understanding and addressing hot topics in claims and underwriting, driving positive impact on UK&I L&H reinsurance business. 

• Drive the development and implementation of claims and underwriting risk appetite strategy, aligning with business objectives and actively shaping its direction. 

• Lead portfolio management, providing actionable insights for effective management of the in-force business. 

• Utilise advanced analytical tools for detailed portfolio analysis, generating insights to inform underwriting strategies and philosophy. 

• Coordinate the seamless delivery of underwriting and claims services to clients. 

• Cultivate and strengthen client relationships, reinforcing the Swiss Re Claims and Underwriting brand. 

• Collaborate across claims & underwriting, pricing, and client markets, bringing risk insights to drive progress towards business targets. 

• Guide clients in adopting innovative solutions, such as AI, and support them in building robust risk control frameworks to address emerging challenges. 

About You 

• You are genuinely passionate about the transformative power of underwriting and claims, always seeking opportunities to improve and you must be comfortable to challenge the status quo. 

• With more than 10 years' underwriting experience in (re)insurance, you possess a strong technical understanding of Life & Health products and a sharp awareness of the factors affecting profitability. 

• Your background demonstrates proven leadership, people management, and relationship management skills, enabling you to inspire and guide teams effectively. 

• You excel at translating complex technical concepts into clear, compelling commercial proposals, articulating benefits and impacts with precision. 

• Proactive and accountable, you take initiative on tasks and projects, collaborating seamlessly with colleagues and supporting the wider team’s success. 

• Innovative and data-driven, you harness analytics to improve portfolio outcomes, constantly exploring new ways to drive business success. 

The base salary range for this position is between 84,000 GBP and 126,000 GBP (full time equivelent). The specific salary offered considers:

• • the requirements, scope, complexity and responsibilities of the role
  • the applicant's own profile including education/qualifications, expertise, specialisation, skills and experience.

• Hybrid working model with a minimum of three days per week in the office

Our Commitment to Diversity & Inclusion 

Swiss Re is an equal opportunity employer. We value diversity and do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, gender, including gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status. 

We provide a contemporary work environment and appealing workplaces, empowering all employees to adapt to evolving work and life phases. Reasonable accommodation is provided to individuals with disabilities throughout the job application or interview process, in performing essential job functions, and in accessing benefits and privileges of employment. 

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