Senior Travel Underwriter | Thornton Heath, UK

Allianz Partners is a truly global company, with a global structure throughout the Underwriting department. This role will be a key role in the UK, and part of the broader European Underwriting team. The role will also have a strong working relationship with both UK and colleagues in other European countries.

What you do

• Safeguard the future profitability of the Travel line of business.
• Ensure that new and renewal business pricing proposals are made in line with the company's profitability objectives and underwriting policy.
• Partner with Sales colleagues to deliver ambitious growth targets.
• Collaborate in selected cases with business partners and brokers to gather the necessary information for qualified underwriting decisions.
• Provide top quality analysis and insight of existing scheme performances, utilizing customer data, claims history, and other factors for insurance policy evaluations.
• Work closely with the claims department to ensure that claims are handled in accordance with underwriting guidelines and to understand the impact of the case reserves.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest trends and developments in the travel/travel insurance market.
• Rehabilitate poor performing schemes within the portfolio.
• Utilize data analytics tools to analyze underwriting trends, portfolio performance, and risk exposures.
• Support Global and European topics, including the sharing of knowledge and implementing "best practice" processes.

The role will work closely with:

• Regional and Global Product Management teams.
• Regional and Global Pricing Model and Portfolio Monitoring teams.
• Heads of Travel Case UW and Pricing Europe.
• Regional and Global UW teams (multi-country tenders).
• Local and Global Sales teams.
• Local Operations / Claim handling teams.
• Local Compliance and Risk Management teams.

Other Duties:

• Support the development of technical underwriting competency across the Underwriting function.
• Ensure accurate records of all quotations provided including any proof of authorisation and any changes made to the final quotation from the original price proposal.
• Ensure prices are correctly set-up on relevant systems and match the approved prices.
• Monitor on a regular basis, the ongoing performance of business and ensure timely proposals for remedial action for accounts not performing to target.
• Have knowledge of the practical application of any regulatory and/or legislative issues applicable to the Travel line of business.
• Contribute to any development of new products or line of products as required by the Business.
• Be a point of contact for co-insurer, re-insurer, and other Travel line of business specific providers.
• Complete all appropriate administration on a timely basis.
• Pro-actively identify and recommend areas of improvement, with particular focus on streamlining processes and ensuring audit trails are maintained.
• Support ad-hoc workloads requiring input from the Underwriting department.

What you bring

• Minimum 7+ years experience in underwriting, actuarial or similar roles.
• Strong understanding of insurance principles, practices and risk perception.
• Strong numerical and analytical skills, with adequate knowledge of data analysis, data manipulation, dashboards and reports.
• Experience of working with Excel and PowerBI/Microstrategy.
• Adequate knowledge of data analysis tools (e.g. SQL, R, Python, SAS, Radar) is considered as a plus.
• Strong understanding of regulatory bodies and legislation and their impact on the business.
• Strong communication skills and open cultural mindset to work with colleagues in Europe specifically and all over the world generally.
• Experience of working in remote teams.
• Customer-focused background.

Special Skills & Knowledge:

• Strong organizational and problem-solving skills.
• Numerate and analytical.
• Ability to recognize and deliver excellent customer service.
• Ability to effectively communicate at all levels both verbally and in writing.
• Ability to manage tasks effectively to ensure compliance with quotation deadlines.
• Proven knowledge and understanding of technical Underwriting, including reserving, earning models, IBNR and their practical application to pricing.
• Willingness and competence for cross-border co-operation in Europe and globally.
• Candidates with previous experience in Underwriting Travel Insurance business will be considered with priority.

Aptitude & Personality:

• Excellent communication and interpersonal skills.
• Proactive, quick thinking, flexible and adaptable to changing situations.
• Responsible and confident approach to work duties.
• Self-motivator.
• Quality focused.
• Able to work under pressure.
• Able to make quick/sound decisions.
• Problem solving.
• Assertive.
• Ability to prioritize workload/tasks.
• Listen to other people's ideas and point of view.
• Strong eye for detail.

What we offer

Our employees play an integral part in our success as a business. We appreciate that each of our employees are unique and have unique needs, ambitions and we enjoy being a part of their journey. We are there to empower and encourage you with your personal and professional development ensuring that you take control by offering a large variety of courses and targeted development programs. All that in a global environment where international mobility and career progression are encouraged. Caring for your health and wellbeing is key priority for us. This is why we build Work Well programs to provide you with peace of mind and give the flexibility in planning and arranging for a better work-life balance.

Allianz Group is one of the most trusted insurance and asset management companies in the world. Caring for our employees, their ambitions, dreams and challenges, is what makes us a unique employer. Together we can build an environment where everyone feels empowered and has the confidence to explore, to grow and to shape a better future for our customers and the world around us. We at Allianz believe in a diverse and inclusive workforce and are proud to be an equal opportunity employer. We encourage you to bring your whole self to work, no matter where you are from, what you look like, who you love or what you believe in. We therefore welcome applications regardless of ethnicity or cultural background, age, gender, nationality, religion, disability or sexual orientation.