Lead, Underwriting Portfolio Analytics

The Underwriting Strategy and Central Portfolio Management (UWS & CPM) team works at the heart of the business to shape Chaucer’s underwriting growth and transformation strategy and actively supports its implementation. The team’s overarching objective is to develop and implement an Underwriting Strategy that aligns with the Group Strategy, underpinned by a robust Portfolio Management and Underwriting Oversight Framework. The team currently has three main workstreams: Underwriting (UW) Strategy, UW Portfolio Management and UW Operational Change.

This role sits within the UW Portfolio Management workstream with the primary responsibility of extensively working with the UW Portfolio Manager and the rest of the UW Portfolio Management team, to steer the underwriting portfolio based on proactive performance and optimisation analysis. The primary responsibility for this role is to support the UW Portfolio Manager by maintaining the reporting suite and performing regular portfolio analysis, monitoring, reporting and stakeholder communications. Secondary responsibility is to support the other two workstreams within the wider team to effectively execute the team’s duties and deliver on the objectives as and when required.

Through the remit of the Chief Underwriting Officer, the team’s and thereby the role’s scope (via supporting the UW Portfolio Manager) is to proactively steer the UW portfolio, including the below elements:

• UW Portfolio MI Suite maintenance and improvements.
• UW Portfolio MI Project.
• Regular UW portfolio monitoring.
• Targeted performance reviews.
• Regular portfolio reporting.
• Feedback loop into strategy and planning.
• Wider team deliverables.
• Stakeholder collaboration.
• Wider team support.

This role has tremendous scope for leading Chaucer’s 1st line of defence UW Portfolio Management offering and actively steering a large UW portfolio. The role will carry a significant profile, with clear direction from the Head of the team and Underwriting Management. This role would suit an ambitious, analytical, proactive and enterprising candidate, who is an effective communicator and collaborator. The role also requires leadership skills in order to influence and challenge UW management and teams, quick decision making and effectively building and managing a high performing team.

The range of activities may include:

• Maintain, update develop and enhance the team’s extensive suite of existing excel-based reports, creating new MI where required. Thus, the ability to interpret and understand complex excel-based reports (incorporating VBA) – including reading, writing, streamlining and fixing code – is essential.
• Support the project to create a suite of UW Portfolio MI / Dashboards within Power BI to improve the team’s efficiency and analytical capabilities, as well as servicing the needs of various stakeholders, from the CUO to junior underwriters; this will include transitioning the team’s existing excel-based Dashboards / tools and assisting with user accepted testing.
• Monitor UW portfolio for performance related movements and actively flag any performance trends and opportunities esp. where likely to deviate vs. strategy and plan.
• Conduct targeted performance reviews and optimisation analysis, including in-depth analysis to assess the profitability and sustainability of the underwriting portfolio.
• Produce and provide regular reporting for various forums and also summarise position vs. strategic and planning targets, leading to an active discussion with respect to performance and steering. This will also include any reports summarising outputs from any detailed performance reviews and pulling reports / slides together for various committee and board reports.
• Support UW Portfolio Manager to actively inform, validate and challenge group UW and divisional strategy and plans via performing regular, proactive UW portfolio analysis. This includes robust, proactive and usable analysis summarising key performance trends for each segment and leading feedback loop into key discussion forums, planning milestones and strategy.
• Actively collaborate with stakeholders including Actuarial and Exposure Management teams. This also includes collaboration to drive relevant MI and one source of truth.
• Be aware of wider team goals and tasks and support where appropriate.

Skills and Competencies:

• Relevant experience in the (re)insurance industry, preferably working within portfolio management, financial analysis, actuarial or data teams.
• Excellent analytical and quantitative skills, with the ability to interpret complex financial data and make informed decisions.
• Experience with maintaining and improving extensive suite of MI, sourced from various data-heavy sources.
• Experience with summarising key takeaways in a clear and succinct manner, suited to stakeholders.
• Able to produce speedy analysis, thinking on their feet and be able to proactively work in a dynamic work environment.
• Technical Proficiency in Excel (incl. VBA) and an understanding of various analytical tools. Ability to interpret and understand complex excel-based reports (incorporating VBA), including reading, writing, streamlining and fixing code.
• Experience using Power BI is desirable, including dashboard creation and transitioning excel-based MI / Dashboards into Power BI.
• High level of attention to detail and accuracy in all tasks.
• Articulate written and verbal communicator with good presentation skills.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a team environment and manage multiple tasks simultaneously applying personal initiative and accountability within team environment.
• Organised and able to work to tight deadlines and manage priorities.
• Natural curiosity and inclination to challenge.
• Good commercial acumen and ability to interact with the business.

Education:

• Robust academic ability essential, with a numeric degree desirable, but not essential.

Chaucer is committed to diversity, actively values difference and respects people regardless of the protected characteristics which are outlined in the Equality Act 2010 (UK legislation) as a result of the Equal Treatment Directive 2006 (EU legislation). A diverse workforce and an inclusive workplace are core to our success as a business and integral to our winning strategy and culture. We recruit from the widest available pool of talent, and our hiring, assessment and selection process is fair, free from bias and one which ensures we select the right person for the job, based on merit. We are committed to promoting a culture that actively values difference, and recognises that everyone has the right to be treated with dignity and respect throughout their employment. We are open to considering flexible working arrangements for all roles and encourage you to outline your needs during the interview process.