At a Glance
- 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 with your innovative ideas and expertise.
- Qualifications: Strong underwriting experience and CII/Dip CII qualification required.
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, including:
- 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 Cranham employer: Pen Underwriting
At Pen, we pride ourselves on being an exceptional employer, offering a vibrant work culture that fosters innovation and collaboration. Located in Bristol, our team enjoys a supportive environment with ample opportunities for professional growth, including mentoring from experienced underwriters and a clear pathway to expand your authority. With competitive benefits such as generous holiday allowances, health plans, and employee stock purchase options, we are committed to investing in our people and creating a workplace where every individual can thrive.
StudySmarter Expert Advice🤫
We think this is how you could land Senior Underwriter in Cranham
✨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 culture. Understand their approach to underwriting and be ready to discuss how your experience aligns with their values. Show them you’re not just another candidate!
✨Tip Number 3
Practice your negotiation skills! As a Senior Underwriter, you’ll need to balance client needs with profitability. Role-play scenarios with a friend to build confidence in discussing terms and conditions.
✨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 serious about joining the team at Pen and ready to make an impact.
We think you need these skills to ace Senior Underwriter in Cranham
Some tips for your application 🫡
Show Your Underwriting Skills:Make sure to highlight your strong underwriting experience in your application. We want to see how you've tackled new business and renewals, so share specific examples that showcase your expertise and problem-solving skills.
Tailor Your Application:Don’t just send a generic application! Tailor your CV and cover letter to reflect the key responsibilities and qualifications mentioned in the job description. This shows us you’re genuinely interested in the role and understand what we’re looking for.
Be Proactive and Engaging:We love proactive communicators! In your application, demonstrate your negotiation skills and how you’ve built relationships with brokers or clients. This will help us see your potential to thrive in our dynamic environment.
Apply Through Our Website:We encourage you to apply directly through our website. It’s the best way for us to receive your application and ensures you don’t miss out on any important updates during the process. Plus, it’s super easy!
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 collaborated to deliver excellent outcomes for clients.
✨Demonstrate Your Analytical Skills
Be ready to showcase your analytical and problem-solving skills. You might be asked to interpret data or evaluate risk exposure, so think of examples where you've successfully navigated complex scenarios and made sound underwriting decisions.
✨Emphasise Teamwork and Mentoring
Since you'll be mentoring junior team members, highlight your experience in training and developing others. Discuss how you foster a positive team environment and share any specific instances where your guidance has led to improved performance.
