Head of Retail Underwriting, Fraud & Pricing Governance in Manchester

At AXA Retail, our mission is to protect our customers both on the road and at home through our comprehensive Motor and Home insurance products. We serve our customers across the AXA, Swiftcover, and Moja brands—delivering solutions directly, through brokers, price comparison websites, and corporate partners. Our transformation programme has recently been revitalised, aligning with AXA Retail's new strategic direction. We’re investing heavily in expanding our team’s size and capabilities—enhancing our IT systems, analytical tools, and learning and development initiatives. We welcome motivated professionals eager to make a meaningful impact on our business, our customers, and our people.

As part of this transformation, we’re seeking an experienced and strategic leader to join us as the Head of Underwriting, Fraud, and Pricing Governance. Reporting directly to the Chief Pricing and Analytics Officer, this vital role is responsible for defining and overseeing AXA Retail’s underwriting appetite, footprint, and fraud strategies within our Motor and Home lines of business. In this position, you’ll establish robust governance frameworks, ensure compliance with FCA and PRA standards, and lead quality assurance initiatives to uphold the integrity and effectiveness of our pricing and underwriting operations. If you’re a visionary leader with a passion for risk management, regulatory compliance, and operational excellence, this is a unique opportunity to shape the future of AXA’s Retail insurance strategy.

At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You’ll work at least two days a week (40%) away from home, moving to three days a week (60%) in the future. Away from home means either attendance at one of our office locations, visiting clients or attending industry events.

What you’ll be doing:

• Manage the Retail underwriting appetite and fraud policy, ensuring it is reviewed, updated annually, and aligned with emerging KPIs and industry trends.
• Report on adherence to the underwriting and fraud policy, highlighting areas outside our appetite, emerging risks, and market developments.
• Monitor the retail market for new entrants, exits, risks, and opportunities, providing insights to optimise our underwriting footprint.
• Track and report on current and emerging risks and trends related to fraud, climate change, cyber threats, and new technologies, using KRIs to identify potential risks and opportunities.
• Collaborate with stakeholders to ensure appropriate actions are taken to mitigate risks and seize opportunities, supporting our Retail Loss Ratio targets.
• Oversee Pricing and Underwriting quality assurance processes, investigating breaches, handling customer complaints, and ensuring compliance with regulations and internal standards.
• Manage pricing governance structures, including the Pricing and Underwriting Committee, Executive Pricing Committee, and Risk and Approval committees, ensuring effective oversight and reporting.
• Develop and maintain a long-term strategy for Underwriting and Fraud that meets our ambition to be upper quartile in these disciplines.

What you’ll bring:

• Strong experience in Retail leadership Underwriting roles in UK Market.
• Deep knowledge of both Motor and Home market including key players and performance drivers.
• Exceptional people leadership, influencing, stakeholder management, and communication skills.
• Proven track record on driving and delivering profitable change.

Due to the number of applications we expect to receive for this role, we reserve the right to close this advert earlier than the listed closing date to ensure we’re able to effectively manage interest. Therefore, if you’re interested in joining us at AXA, please don’t hesitate to apply. As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom. This position has been defined as an Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) role under the IDD regime which means that in addition to pre‑employment screening checks, the successful candidate will be subject to background screening every 4 years with an annual declaration in interim years.

What we offer:

• Competitive annual salary
• Annual company & performance‑based bonus
• Contributory pension scheme (up to 12% employer contributions)
• Life Assurance (up to 10 × annual salary)
• Private medical cover
• Car allowance of £5,200
• 28 days annual leave plus Bank Holidays
• Opportunity to buy up to 5 extra days leave or sell up to 5 days leave
• Wellbeing services & resources
• AXA employee discounts

To apply, click on the ‘apply for this job’ button, you’ll then need to log in or create a profile to submit your CV. We’re proud to be an Equal Opportunities Employer and don’t discriminate against employees or potential employees based on protected characteristics. If you have a long‑term condition or disability and require adjustments during the application or interview process, we’re proud to offer access to the AXA Accessibility Concierge.

Who we are: AXA Retail helps people live the life they love, knowing we’ve got their back, at home and on the road. Our people are vital to us becoming more digital, faster and easier to access. We’re a dynamic team of experts completely committed to making sure our customers ‘get back to the good stuff’ when the unexpected happens.