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- Tasks: Manage and grow a portfolio while building strong broker relationships.
- Company: Join Pen, a dynamic underwriting business backed by Gallagher.
- Benefits: Enjoy 25+ days holiday, health plans, and employee stock options.
- Other info: Inclusive culture with excellent career growth opportunities.
- Why this job: Shape the future of underwriting and make impactful decisions.
- Qualifications: Strong underwriting experience and CII/Dip CII qualification preferred.
The predicted salary is between 50000 - 65000 £ per year.
At Pen, we don’t just underwrite risk, we unlock possibility. We’re a dynamic underwriting and distribution business backed by the strength of Gallagher and powered by a belief that every challenge has a solution. With entrepreneurial energy, niche expertise, and a bold growth mindset, we’re transforming what it means to be an MGA in today’s insurance landscape.
Ready to step into a senior underwriting role where your decisions matter, your broker relationships thrive, and you can help shape growth in a fast-paced regional market? Pen Underwriting is looking for a Senior Underwriter to join our Risk Managed Commercial team in Bristol, trading with brokers across the Midlands, building long-term partnerships and becoming a trusted trading contact.
You’ll underwrite and grow a portfolio across Property Owners, Contractors Combined and Commercial Combined—combining technical underwriting with strong broker engagement to deliver profitable, sustainable growth. The role will focus on underwriting, servicing and developing new and renewal business, operating within your authority and applying sound judgement to referrals and complex cases.
You’ll play a key role in shaping trading performance, supporting the development of colleagues, and being a trusted point of contact for brokers, insurers and internal stakeholders.
At Pen, you’ll join a dynamic, innovative underwriting business with the scale to invest in people and the agility to move quickly. With >£1bn GWP, we combine strong market presence with a collaborative, empowered culture—so you can make decisions, build relationships and see the impact of your work every day.
We offer study support, mentoring and coaching from highly experienced underwriters, plus exposure across multiple products and a clear pathway to broaden your authority.
How you'll make an impact
- Manage and grow a portfolio of renewal accounts, working closely with clients to address rating and adjustment enquiries.
- Develop new business opportunities, ensuring excellent outcomes for clients, brokers, and insurers.
- Underwrite Property Owners, Contractors Combined and Commercial Combined risks, evaluating exposures, handling technical cover requests and liaising with brokers, insurers and internal teams.
- Review and approve referrals from Underwriters and Assistant Underwriters.
- Operating within your underwriting authority.
- Mentoring and training junior team members, sharing your expertise to help them grow.
- Build and maintain deep product knowledge across Property Owners, Contractors Combined and Commercial Combined, ensuring consistent, high-quality underwriting decisions.
- Analysing and interpreting data to compile statistics.
About You
- Strong underwriting experience across new business and renewals, including servicing accounts and responding to technical cover and claims-related queries to deliver a connected broker and customer service.
- CII/Dip CII qualification or equivalent, with A-Level education or similar.
- Confident assessing risk exposure and appetite, determining acceptance criteria and appropriate terms across complex and unfamiliar scenarios.
- Proactive communicator with strong negotiation skills and a keen eye for detail.
- Strong trading and negotiation skills, balancing customer outcomes with profitable results for brokers, Pen and insurer partners.
- Experience planning and prioritising renewals while proactively identifying and converting new business opportunities.
- Analytical and problem-solving skills.
- A positive, team-oriented attitude with a commitment to delivering excellent service.
On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits:
- Minimum of 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays, and the option to ‘buy’ extra days.
- Defined contribution pension scheme, which Gallagher will also contribute to.
- Life insurance, which will pay 4x your basic annual salary, which you can top-up to 10x.
- Income protection, we’ll cover up to 50% of your annual income, with options to top up.
- Health cash plan or Private medical insurance.
- Three fully paid volunteering days per year.
- Employee Stock Purchase plan, offering company shares at a discount.
- Share incentive plan, HMRC approved, tax effective, stock purchase plan.
- Critical illness cover.
- Discounted gym membership, with over 3,000 gyms nationally.
- Season ticket loan.
- Access to a discounted voucher portal to save money on your weekly shop or next big purchase.
- Emergency back-up family care.
Inclusion and diversity (I&D) is a core part of our business, and it’s embedded into the fabric of our organisation. For more than 95 years, Gallagher has led with a commitment to sustainability and to support the communities where we live and work. Gallagher embraces our employees’ diverse identities, experiences and talents, allowing us to better serve our clients and communities.
Senior Underwriter in Bristol employer: Pen Underwriting
Contact Detail:
Pen Underwriting Recruiting Team
StudySmarter Expert Advice 🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Underwriter in Bristol
✨Tip Number 1
Network like a pro! Reach out to your connections in the insurance industry, especially those who work with underwriting. A friendly chat can lead to insider info about job openings or even a referral.
✨Tip Number 2
Prepare for interviews by researching Pen and its unique approach to underwriting. Understand their values and how you can contribute to their growth mindset. Tailor your answers to show how your experience aligns with their goals.
✨Tip Number 3
Showcase your expertise! Bring examples of your past successes in underwriting and how you've built strong broker relationships. This will demonstrate your ability to deliver results and fit into their dynamic culture.
✨Tip Number 4
Don’t forget to apply through our website! It’s the best way to ensure your application gets noticed. Plus, it shows you're genuinely interested in joining the team at Pen.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Underwriter in Bristol
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Underwriting Expertise: When you're writing your application, make sure to highlight your strong underwriting experience. Talk about specific cases where you've successfully managed new business and renewals, as this will show us you know your stuff!
Tailor Your Application: Don’t just send a generic application! Tailor it to the Senior Underwriter role by mentioning how your skills align with our needs, like your ability to assess risk exposure and your strong trading skills. We love seeing candidates who take the time to connect their experience with what we’re looking for.
Be Clear and Concise: Keep your application clear and to the point. Use bullet points where possible to make it easy for us to read. We appreciate a well-structured application that gets straight to the heart of your qualifications and achievements.
Apply Through Our Website: We encourage you to apply through our website for the best chance of getting noticed. It’s super easy, and you’ll be able to see all the details about the role and our company culture while you’re at it!
How to prepare for a job interview at Pen Underwriting
✨Know Your Underwriting Stuff
Make sure you brush up on your underwriting knowledge, especially around Property Owners, Contractors Combined, and Commercial Combined risks. Be ready to discuss your experience with these areas and how you've successfully managed portfolios in the past.
✨Show Off Your Broker Relationships
Pen values strong broker engagement, so come prepared to talk about your existing relationships and how you've built trust with brokers. Share specific examples of how you've navigated complex cases or negotiations to achieve positive outcomes.
✨Demonstrate Your Analytical Skills
Be ready to showcase your analytical and problem-solving skills. You might be asked to interpret data or discuss how you've used statistics to inform your underwriting decisions. Bring examples that highlight your ability to assess risk exposure effectively.
✨Emphasise Team Collaboration
Pen thrives on collaboration, so highlight your experience mentoring junior team members and working across teams. Discuss how you've contributed to a positive team environment and supported colleagues in their professional growth.