Market Head SEAS

Strategic Goal of Team:

Develop, underwrite, and market profitable new and existing business opportunities across the SID P&C businesses, to provide the company with long term sustainable growth and profit.

General Job Outline:

Provide leadership and support to ensure that the goals and objectives of the Market Underwriting teams are defined, developed, implemented and achieved.

Accountabilities:

Key Outcomes

1. To work closely with all SID BU Heads in order to ensure that leadership, challenge and direction is provided  to all levels of the market underwriting teams to ensure all agreed strategic objectives for each client are both set and met.
2. To ensure that the skillsets, resources and capability are in place to implement the market underwriting model delivering an efficient and diversified platform for the SID business
3. To ensure that marketing objectives, strategies, and business plans, which return appropriate premium and profitability targets, are pro-actively developed, updated, implemented and communicated internally and externally.
4. To take a holistic view in relation to the allocated markets by ensuring an entire service proposition is provided that considers all business opportunities, including facultative and treaty business.
5. To ensure that all Products Teams are well informed of strategic objectives and that these resources are effectively managed and mobilised as appropriate to ensure achievement of agreed development objectives.
6. To raise, maintain and enhance the leading profile of Swiss Re within the allocated markets.
7. To ensure that underwriting activities are undertaken in compliance with the appropriate guidelines and conforming with best practice.

Major Functions:

External client service

1.          Develops, maintains own personal contacts and drives the ongoing development of relationships at senior management levels with selected clients.

2.          Pro-actively initiates discussions with clients relevant to their perceived needs.

3.          Tracks and communicates industry/sector/environment developments and raises these for discussion with strategic clients in conjunction with a considered viewpoint on opportunities/threats to client for such developments and how Swiss Re may be able to assist.

4.          Contributes significant energy and effort to the development and implementation of reinsurance solutions for clients.

5.          Coordinates with the appropriate CE to ensure the handling of local operations of Global clients is managed in accordance with the Global client strategy and their local requirements.

Internal client service

1.        Contributes to and challenges the development of objectives for clients.

2         Maintains an extensive depth and breadth of knowledge and understanding of the operations, structure and issues regarding allocated clients, including the market environment.

3.        Works closely with BU Heads to report on progress against agreed client management and business unit objectives, strategies & plans.

4.        Works closely with BU Heads in order to ensure all staff having dealings with client are well versed in our objectives, value proposition and progress in respect of same.

5.        Maintain close links with Division and become actively involved in appropriate internal and external reporting, objective setting etc

Underwriting

1. 1. 1. 1. Provides input on overall product strategies to the Centres.  Monitors the risk landscape to ensure that Swiss Re’s underwriting strategy is aligned with the risk environment (Portfolio management & Portfolio Steering).
         2. Contributes towards the drafting of local underwriting guidelines and renewal messages, and ensures compliance with underwriting guidelines.
         3. Manages the process of risk analysis, structuring and capacity deployment.
         4. Makes underwriting decisions within his/her authority levels, and supports the management of the escalation of cases exceeding his/her authority in accordance with authorities and responsibilities as listed in the Referral & Escalation Process Guidelines.
         5. Recommends changes to underwriting authorities for staff.
         6. Provides support to ensure an appropriate usage of reporting and underwriting tools

Professional Development

1.        Maintains high level knowledge of the insurance and reinsurance industry and the legal and economic and social environment in allocated markets.

2.        Maintains significant knowledge of the relevant sector of the Non Life industry, in the markets in which the clients operate.

3.        Maintains detailed awareness of broad trends in key product areas in which the clients operate, and of developments/initiatives in Swiss Re related to those product areas.

4.        Maintains an appropriate level of technical expertise, such that clients respect and use SR expertise and appropriate underwriting decisions are assured.

5.        Maintains a high level of financial and analytical capabilities.

6.        Contributes to the training and development of staff through on the job coaching/mentoring as required and by leading and participating in appropriate internal seminars and training sessions.

Management

1. Ultimate responsibility for accuracy of client data held in SR systems – particularly PER
2. Ensures SOX compliance and contributes to the SOX process for underwriting activities.
3. Is responsible for Performance Management of direct reports and career & technical development of all Market Underwriters.
4. Contributes as a member of the SID management team.

Training and Development

• Identifies underwriting training needs, develops and executes technical training plans.
• Ensures that underwriters’ skills profiles are maintained and used as a tool to foster professional development.
• Develops and executes strategies to recruit, train, and retain superior underwriting talent.

Person Specification

Knowledge

• sales and marketing
• strategic development

• Property and Casualty insurance/reinsurance

Skills

• negotiation and influencing
• flair, enthusiasm and desire to think innovatively and creatively
• underwriting

Experience

• successful track record in underwriting, business development and client relationship development/management
• financial services and/or insurance/reinsurance