Head Surety UK & Ireland (80 - 100%)

Team Leadership

• Lead a dedicated team of underwriters focused on originating new business relationships, products, and transaction opportunities across the UK & Ireland and international markets 

• Drive talent development by contributing to recruiting, onboarding, and facilitating regional underwriting training and technical growth programmes 

Business Development and Strategy

• Deliver country targets for the local surety team, ensuring alignment with broader regional and group ambitions 

• Shape and execute the country-specific surety strategy, defining priorities for key ongoing and future business initiatives including new markets and new products 

• Lead and execute strategic underwriting initiatives such as International Bonding, and represent Swiss Re Surety to external stakeholders in the market 

• Drive the development of appropriate UW standards for the country in close alignment with global Credit & Surety standards and ensure correct implementation of end-to-end processing

Product & Portfolio Management

• Steer the country surety portfolio, continuously enhancing monitoring, analysis, guidance, and tactical execution 

• Drive capacity planning at obligor, country, and portfolio levels to ensure sustained profitability in line with cycle steering initiatives 

• Proactively identify key market trends and translate insights into actionable portfolio steering decisions 

• Contribute to the design and implementation of underwriting-relevant IT infrastructure projects 

About the Team 

Our Surety team in the UK & Ireland is a key part of the regional surety leadership structure, operating at the heart of a global network of underwriting expertise. The team is responsible for originating and managing surety business across the UK & Ireland market, as well as contributing to international bonding initiatives. We are a collaborative, ambitious, and intellectually curious group, committed to delivering excellence for our clients and brokers while fostering a culture where every voice is valued. 

About You 

We are looking for a confident, commercially minded leader who combines deep surety expertise with the ability to inspire teams, influence stakeholders, and navigate complexity with sound judgement. You bring a positive mindset, a courageous approach to challenging the status quo, and a genuine commitment to developing people and driving sustainable business performance. 

Expertise and experience 

• 10+ years of experience in underwriting surety, commercial banking, and/or credit-risk related financial services, with demonstrable market knowledge and a strong professional reputation 

• Strong leadership capability with experience building and developing high-performing underwriting teams, including talent recruitment, onboarding, and technical development 

• Proven track record of successfully managing a profitable surety or credit portfolio across the business cycle, with end-to-end understanding of the Surety value chain 

• Strategic, analytical and conceptual thinking with an entrepreneurial mind-set focused on delivering results 

• Deep industry network across the UK & Ireland surety and/or broader banking market, with the ability to represent the business credibly at senior levels 

• Fluency in English, with excellent written and verbal communication skills for client-facing, regulatory, and internal stakeholder engagement 

Our company has a hybrid work model where the expectation is that you will be in the office at least three days per week.

For London the annual base salary range for this position is between GBP 106 000 and GBP 158 000 (for a full-time role). 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.

In addition to your base salary, Swiss Re offers an attractive performance-based variable compensation component, designed to recognise your achievements. Further you will enjoy a variety of global and location specific benefits. Eligibility may vary depending on the terms of Swiss Re policies and your employment contract.