Senior Manager, London Market Portfolio Management

This Senior Manager is responsible for embedding portfolio management as a core subject area across the London Market business by leading the portfolio management business partnering team. Responsibilities include integrating segmentation into underwriting, discovering new methods and data for performance analysis, and leading on pricing model algorithm development and calibration for all pricing models, with the goal of driving underwriting strategy and decision making. You’ll collaborate closely with the rest of the International Portfolio Analytics team, who use innovative advanced analytics, data management, business intelligence, and technical pricing implementation to deliver market‑leading programmes and technologies.

Key stakeholders outside of the team will be the Managing Director of the London Market insurance division, underwriting Managing Directors (MDs), the office of the CUO and the Actuarial function.

Business Unit overview: The International Portfolio Analytics (IPA) team at Markel is a dynamic, multi‑functional group that operates with creativity, autonomy, and empowerment. Embedded within the underwriting business and represented in senior leadership forums, the team supports all divisions of Markel International. Its core focus lies in the key areas essential to driving profitability and performance for a specialty lines insurer: Portfolio Management, Pricing Transformation, Advanced Analytics, and Catastrophe & Exposure Management.

What you’ll be doing:

• Strategic Execution and Monitoring: Shape and lead the London Market portfolio management strategy, partnering with executive leadership to embed a culture of active portfolio optimisation and data‑driven decision‑making. Act as a trusted adviser to senior stakeholders, influencing underwriting strategy and guiding divisional leaders on remedial actions and growth opportunities. Drive robust quarterly business planning and performance tracking, leading the content and strategic direction of Quarterly Business Reviews (QBRs). Provide clear, actionable insights that enable teams to make informed decisions and deliver on strategic priorities. Oversee monitoring of key performance drivers across the London Market portfolio at granular segmentation levels, covering both open market and delegated authority business. Represent London Market portfolio management at leadership forums, ensuring alignment with international objectives and contributing to enterprise‑wide critical initiatives.
• Analytics & Insight: Develop advanced analytics, tools and insights to optimise portfolios and enable smarter underwriting decisions. Lead the design and delivery of predictive modelling and strategic analytics, partnering closely with IPA and Advanced Analytics teams. Champion the use of data and technology to embed analytics into long‑term planning and daily operations. Deliver tools that empower underwriters and leaders to actively manage portfolios and respond to emerging trends.
• Pricing & Underwriting Excellence: Own the strategic development and continuous refinement of pricing models, ensuring they remain market‑leading and aligned with underwriting strategy. Provide technical oversight and strategic insight into pricing calibration, ensuring models support profitability and competitive positioning. Collaborate with the Pricing Transformation team to ensure appropriate integration of pricing models into underwriting workflows.
• Capability Building & Collaboration: Lead and develop a team of actuaries and analysts, fostering a collaborative and inclusive culture that encourages knowledge sharing and joint problem‑solving. Collaborate and build strong partnerships with a diverse range of other support units, including actuarial, claims, underwriting operations, ITS, delegated and underwriting support services, to resolve issues and support the achievement of IPA and wholesale business priorities. Define and deliver a programme for underwriter training on portfolio management techniques, working with Training & Development to embed standard process. Build strong partnerships with Actuarial to ensure underwriting actions are quantified and reflected in reserving and pricing assumptions.

Key Skills:

• Ability to operate with a high degree of autonomy, setting strategic priorities and driving execution without close supervision.
• Proven leadership experience, including mentoring team members and successfully delivering cross‑functional projects and initiatives involving senior stakeholders.
• Demonstrates a calm, collaborative approach and builds strong relationships across diverse teams and stakeholders, influencing decisions and driving consensus.
• Acts as a positive ambassador for IPA function across the business, promoting its value and objectives.
• Possesses strong technical actuarial skills with the ability to independently problem‑solve and recommend underwriting strategies and analytics solutions.
• Experienced in developing and calibrating technical pricing models across multiple lines of business.
• Exceptional communication and data visualisation skills, able to clearly articulate complex strategies and insights to senior leadership and underwriters.
• Advanced ability to manipulate and analyse large, complex datasets, with familiarity in data visualisation tools and exposure to advanced analytics or data science.
• Deep understanding of specialty insurance products, classes of business, and operations within the specialty insurance market.

Benefits:

• A great starting salary plus annual bonus & strong benefits package.
• Up to 16% company pension scheme.
• Private medical and dental cover, menopause plan, emergency care benefit (children/Pets/dependants).
• Income protection, life assurance, electric car scheme, travel insurance.
• 25 days paid holiday plus Bank Holidays, with the opportunity to buy/sell extra leave.
• Additional benefits and learning opportunities available.

We will ensure that individuals are provided with any reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful.