Senior Underwriter in Exeter

We are excited to announce a wonderful opportunity for an underwriting professional to join LV= as a Senior Life Underwriter. As a leading UK life and pensions mutual insurer with a proud history dating back to 1843, we exist to help people live financially confident lives – protecting their income while they work and maximising it when they stop. Today, over one million members and customers trust us to look after their futures, families and finances. Joining us means becoming part of a team that puts our members, customers and advisers at the heart of everything we do. We’re committed to creating an inclusive culture where colleagues can thrive.

We are proud to have built a workplace where our colleagues feel welcomed, respected, supported and valued – reflected in our recognition as one of the Financial Times UK’s Best Employers in 2025 and 2026. We celebrate individuality and believe our differences make us stronger, so bring your true self and help shape the future of LV=.

Within this unique, crucial role, you’ll efficiently underwrite new business applications for life, critical illness and income protection insurance, based on risk factors presented. You will make fair, balanced decisions using relevant evidence, and by gathering further information for clarity where required. Therefore, you must have prior experience of working within a life, critical illness, or protection role/industry.

The role is based at our Exeter office – however, we are happy to accept applications from candidates who live in other areas of the UK, as you can work predominately from home – we're more than happy to discuss how this works.

About You

• Be an experienced underwriting professional, with a strong understanding of life and income protection products.
• Demonstrate proof-reading skills, with a keen eye for detail.
• Be a knowledgeable individual and an efficient decision-maker, with a passion for delivering excellent customer experiences.
• Showcase strong administration and organisational skills.
• Maintain awareness of the wider market and competitor products.
• Be able to use Microsoft Office programmes such as Word, Excel, PowerPoint and Outlook.
• Be an excellent communicator, able to deliver information clearly, and with patience and empathy.
• Independently manage workload, while supporting colleagues and the wider team in achieving mutual goals.

Key Responsibilities

• Assess new business applications and make underwriting decisions within risk appetite and underwriting philosophy.
• Make fair, balanced decisions using appropriate evidence.
• Provide clear, robust justification of decisions where required, and refer cases to third parties, including CMO and re‑assurers.
• Build and maintain strong relationships with colleagues, customers and intermediaries.
• Contribute ideas for continuous process improvement, aid the resourcing of the department, and enable KPI’s to be met.
• Suggest ideas to improve the overall customer journey.
• Obtain ongoing CPD by self‑education, attending training seminars, industry events and providing feedback to colleagues and business areas as required.
• Provide coaching, support and feedback to members of the team where required, including quality checking, in a positive manner.
• Work on projects and testing, to assist with business change plans.
• Partake in the investigation of underwriting rules development/claims industry best practice, including analysis of MI where required.
• Act as a strong representative on projects, including product initiatives and service improvements.

Rewards & Benefits

This role is a Band B in the LV= salary structure. Please note all salary sacrifice benefits are subject to National Minimum Wage requirements i.e. you are unable to select any benefits that would reduce your base pay below the minimum wage threshold.

At LV= Life and Pensions, you’ll go above and beyond to do the right thing for our customers. We’ll reward your hard work with an attractive, competitive salary and benefits package, which includes:

• 26 days' holiday – increasing after two years of service to 28 days
• The opportunity to buy or sell up to five days of holiday
• An annual bonus scheme based on company and personal performance
• Flexible benefits, including a cycle to work scheme, personal accident insurance, critical illness cover, private medical insurance, and dental insurance
• Competitive pension scheme – LV= Life and Pensions will double‑match the amount you pay, up to 14% (subject to National Minimum Wage requirements)
• Group Life Assurance of four times your basic pay to your dependents (you’ll have the option to increase this to 8 x cover)
• Group Income Protection, if you enrol into the pension scheme and reach 5 years of service
• Employee Assistance Programme (EAP) service for support when you need it
• Virtual GP service
• Shared parental leave
• Up to 20% discount on our life products for you and your immediate family.

About Us

We’re proud of our inclusive culture at LV= and, as an equal‑opportunity employer, we continually work to remove unconscious bias from our recruitment process. We value our colleagues for what they bring to our team regardless of any protected status or characteristics they may have.

Talk to us about flexible working as part of your application – if it’s right for our customers, our business and for you, we’ll do everything we can to make it happen.

Please note that we are unable to offer Skilled Worker Visa Sponsorship for this role. Therefore, you must ensure that you are eligible to work in the UK without our sponsorship in order for your application to be considered.