At a Glance
- Tasks: Lead and mentor underwriters while making confident decisions on complex life insurance cases.
- Company: Join Aviva, a forward-thinking company with ambitious growth plans.
- Benefits: Competitive salary, bonus opportunities, generous pension, and 29 days holiday.
- Why this job: Shape the future of underwriting and make a real impact on customer outcomes.
- Qualifications: Deep UK Life Insurance experience and strong coaching skills required.
- Other info: Flexible working options and a supportive, inclusive culture await you.
The predicted salary is between 36000 - 60000 £ per year.
Bristol, Leatherhead, Norwich, Sheffield or York — and we’re happy to consider homeworking if none of these locations are within a reasonable commute for you. This is a great job for someone who brings confident, well‑judged decision‑making to complex cases and takes pride in delivering outstanding outcomes for customers. You’ll excel if you’re a recognised technical expert who shapes the capability of those around you and sets high standards for underwriting excellence. It’s a role for someone who leads through coaching and mentorship, supporting trainees and experienced underwriters as they progress through authority levels. You’ll also be comfortable partnering with senior leaders, offering clear insight, constructive challenge and performance guidance to strengthen team capability. If you thrive on sharing expertise, driving improvements and influencing how our underwriting approach evolves, this role will give you the scope and impact you’re looking for.
A bit about the job: We’ve just published a fantastic set of results and are continuing with ambitious growth plans across Aviva. As part of this, we have several key Life Underwriting opportunities within our Insurance, Wealth and Retirement (IWR) business. These Senior Life Underwriter roles have been created to support Aviva’s accelerated growth plans. You’ll play a pivotal role in shaping and delivering our underwriting strategy, supporting complex decision‑making and strengthening our technical capability. Most importantly, you’ll help us deliver brilliant outcomes for customers as our business grows.
Skills and experience we’re looking for:
- Deep UK Life Insurance underwriting experience, with strong technical expertise across protection products.
- Proven track record making confident, high‑quality decisions on complex cases.
- Experience coaching, mentoring or leading underwriters, with a passion for building capability and helping others progress.
- Strong analytical and problem‑solving skills, with the ability to balance customer needs, commercial impact and risk appetite.
- Comfortable influencing stakeholders and contributing to continuous improvement, underwriting philosophy and team performance.
What you’ll get for this role: Our purpose - with you today, for a better tomorrow – is a promise we make to our colleagues too. And one of the ways we live up to that promise is by investing in you. We have so much to offer when it comes to being an Aviva colleague.
- Competitive salary (depending on location, skills, experience, and qualifications)
- Bonus opportunity - 8% of annual salary Actual amount depends on your performance and Aviva’s.
- Generous pension scheme - Aviva will contribute up to 14%, depending on what you put in.
- 29 days holiday plus bank holidays, and you can choose to buy or sell up to 5 days
- Aviva-funded Private Medical Benefit to help you get expert support when you need it
- Make your money go further - Up to 40% discount on Aviva products, and other retailer discounts
- Up to £1,200 of free Aviva shares per year through our Matching Share Plan and share in the success of Aviva with our Save As You Earn scheme
- Brilliantly supportive policies including parental and carer’s leave
- Flexible benefits to suit you, including sustainability options such as cycle to work
- Make a difference, be part of our Aviva Communities and use your 3 paid volunteering days to help others
- We take your wellbeing seriously with lots of support and tools
Aviva is for everyone: We’re inclusive and welcome everyone – we want applications from all backgrounds and experiences. Excited but not sure you tick every box? Even if you don’t, we would still encourage you to apply. We also consider all forms of flexible working, including part time and job shares. We flex locations, hours and working patterns to suit our customers, business, and you. Most of our people are smart working – spending at least 50% of their time in our offices every week - combining the benefits of flexibility, with time together with colleagues.
To find out more about working at Aviva take a look here. We’d love it if you could submit your application online. If you require an alternative method of applying, please give Jessica Mason a call on 07387 545 666 or send an email to Jessica.Mason@aviva.com.
Senior Life Underwriter employer: Aviva
Contact Detail:
Aviva Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Life Underwriter
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the insurance industry, especially those who work at Aviva. A friendly chat can open doors and give you insider info on the role.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for the interview by brushing up on your technical expertise. Be ready to discuss complex underwriting cases you've handled and how you’ve influenced team performance. Show us your decision-making prowess!
✨Tip Number 3
Don’t forget to showcase your coaching skills! Talk about how you’ve mentored others in the past and the impact it had on their careers. We love seeing candidates who lift others up!
✨Tip Number 4
Apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, you’ll find all the latest opportunities there, so keep an eye out for new roles that match your skills.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Life Underwriter
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Off Your Expertise: Make sure to highlight your deep UK Life Insurance underwriting experience in your application. We want to see how your strong technical expertise can contribute to our team and help us deliver brilliant outcomes for customers.
Be Confident in Your Decisions: When discussing your past experiences, focus on your proven track record of making confident, high-quality decisions on complex cases. We love candidates who can demonstrate their analytical and problem-solving skills!
Emphasise Coaching and Mentorship: Since this role involves leading through coaching and mentorship, don’t forget to mention any experience you have in supporting trainees or experienced underwriters. We’re all about building capability and helping others progress!
Apply Through Our Website: We’d love it if you could submit your application online. It’s the easiest way for us to review your details and get back to you. If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to Jessica Mason directly!
How to prepare for a job interview at Aviva
✨Know Your Underwriting Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your UK Life Insurance underwriting knowledge, especially around protection products. Be ready to discuss complex cases you've handled and the confident decisions you've made. This will show that you're not just a technical expert but also someone who can apply that expertise in real-world scenarios.
✨Showcase Your Coaching Skills
Since this role involves mentoring and coaching, think of specific examples where you've helped others progress in their careers. Prepare to share how you've built capability within your team and the impact it had on performance. This will demonstrate your leadership qualities and commitment to developing others.
✨Prepare for Stakeholder Engagement
You’ll need to influence senior leaders, so practice articulating your insights clearly and confidently. Think about times when you've provided constructive challenges or guidance that led to improvements. Being able to communicate effectively with stakeholders is key, so make sure you can showcase your experience in this area.
✨Emphasise Continuous Improvement
Be ready to discuss how you've contributed to continuous improvement in underwriting processes. Think of specific initiatives you've led or been part of that enhanced team performance or customer outcomes. This shows that you're proactive and aligned with Aviva's growth plans and commitment to excellence.