Job Title
Strategic Partnerships ManagerJob Description
UnderwriteMe is a UK based Insurtech creating disruptive SaaS solutions for the insurance industry. We are on a mission to make life insurance more widely accessible, providing technology to ensure people and their loved ones are protected when the inevitable happens.
We are wholly owned by Pacific Life but operate as an autonomous business within the company. This gives us the best of both worlds - the freedom to act like a technology scale-up, with the stability of a large company meaning longer-term thinking and no last-minute pivots to gain our next funding round. Pacific Life Re became 100% shareholder of UnderwriteMe in 2017 given the strategic synergy with its reinsurance business.
UnderwriteMe has two main products we sell to customers:
• Protection Platform - a B2B2C marketplace used by over 15,000 advisors to power quoting and purchase of protection products in the UK. We currently deliver over 20% of the UK markets protection policies and we are working to increase our reach.
• Decision Platform - a B2B enterprise platform that provides a best-in-market Underwriting Rules Engine used by over 30 insurers to power their underwriting decisions. The product is sold across UK & Ireland, Asia-Pacific and North America. The platform combines our engine with technology to source and process third-party information supporting underwriting decisions for insurers.
UnderwriteMe is part-way through a multi-year transformation to adopt a Product Operating Model, modernising our architecture and moving our products to a SaaS model. We still have much to do, and we’re looking for people to join us on this challenging and exciting journey.
Pacific Life and UnderwriteMe are both organisations focussed on creating a great environment in which to work. We recognise that attracting and retaining top talent is how we continue to improve the company. We pay well and as we are part of a mature organisation, we have a good benefits package. We value and celebrate diversity in our teams and continually work to celebrate the uniqueness of each person. We work in a hybrid model, and we expect our leaders to flex where they work based on the needs of the company and their teams.
About The Role
We are seeking an experienced and driven Strategic Partnership Manager to join our RevOps Protection Platform team. As a Strategic Partnership Manager you will be responsible for acquiring new insurer partnerships for the Protection Platform and maximising long-term value from existing insurer and strategic partnerships on the Protection Platform. This will be achieved by you actively managing partner performance, driving conversion, continuously improving and ensuring partnerships evolve in line with Protection Platform’s product and strategic roadmap, whilst still achieving partner commercial and operational objectives.
This role requires confident, hands-on partner leadership: challenging the status quo where needed, leading contractual engagement to completion, aligning partners to change initiatives, and ensuring UnderwriteMe can move the Protection Platform forward at pace while maintaining strong, trusted relationships.
Responsibilities
Driving Mutual and Ongoing Partner Value
• Own the long-term success of each partnership, ensuring sustained value delivery for both partners and UnderwriteMe
• Identify and deliver opportunities that improve partner performance (e.g. growth, efficiency, product coverage, customer experience) while increasing UnderwriteMe revenue and strategic value
• Evaluate partnership performance and commercial outcomes regularly to ensure continued value, viability, and alignment.
Ongoing Partner Management & Governance
• Build trusted, senior-level relationships with partner stakeholders across where applicable, underwriting, claims, operations, sales, technology, and leadership
• Act as the primary owner of day-to-day and strategic partner relationships
• Establish and lead regular operational, commercial, and strategic governance meetings
• Act as escalation point for Protection Platform partner issues, driving timely and pragmatic resolution
Influence Change & Product Evolution
• Lead partner engagement on product changes, enhancements, and roadmap priorities
• Confidently challenge partners and push for change where processes, technology, or ways of working constrain product development or scalability
• Secure partner buy-in for changes to product, data proposition, integrations, operational processes, or commercial structures
• Balance partner constraints with internal product goals to enable innovation and change at pace
Partnership Development & Growth
• Lead insurer partnerships from sales, commercial & contract negotiations through to retention, ensuring clear success criteria and timelines
• Develop, manage, and grow deep relationships across existing insurers and strategic partners.
• Drive revenue growth through expansion, optimisation, and long-term partner development
• Identify upsell, cross-sell, and new product opportunities within existing partnerships
Performance, Reporting & Optimisation
• Track, analyse, and report on partnership performance and progress against strategic objectives
• Use data and insight to inform prioritisation, decision-making, and investment
• Escalate and resolve performance or value-related issues proactively
Market & Product Collaboration
• Act as the voice of insurer partners internally
• Ensure product and technology teams are first hand hearing feedback from partners
• Stay informed on insurtech, insurance, and regulatory trends impacting partner value
• Represent the company in panel discussions and industry events
What type of person fits the role:
The role suits someone who likes structure and process, but also builds strong, trusted relationships. You will need to be resilient and determined in achieving your objective. You’ll need to be comfortable working in cross-functional teams, and speaking with senior stakeholders, as well as working in a Product-led and data-driven environment. You must have:
Essential
• Significant experience managing insurer or enterprise partnerships within insurtech, insurance, fintech, or SaaS
• Proven ability to manage ongoing partner performance and drive complex change
• Strong understanding of insurer operating models, underwriting, product development and economics
• Commercially confident with experience influencing senior stakeholders
• Excellent problem-solving, negotiation, and communication skills
• Demonstrates resilience and tenacity with a strong commitment to achieving growth
• Demonstrates ability to think strategically in commercial contexts and apply strong analytical skills.
Desirable
• Experience selling technology-led or platform-based solutions
• Established and trusted relationships with senior stakeholders across UK insurers and/or retail partners
• Experience working in a Product-led organisation
• Background in a high-growth scale-up
Key Characteristics
Key Characteristics that we look for when interviewing and that help people thrive at UnderwriteMe:
• Relationship Builder: You’re confident speaking with your peers and growing relationships across all levels of seniority,
• Curiosity: Exhibits a strong desire to learn and understand new concepts. Approaches problems with creativity and persistence, consistently seeking effective solutions.
• Technically Great: Possesses a deep understanding of relevant technical skills and knowledge applicable to their role. Applies technical expertise effectively to solve complex issues.
• Impact Oriented: Driven by meaningful results, prioritising actions that deliver significant outcomes and contribute to team success. Motivated by value creation and business impact, not titles or status.
• Adaptability: Open to feedback and willing to learn from others. Shows a growth mindset and the ability to adapt and improve.
• Organised and methodical: Consistently follows process and systems, ensuring updates and actions are always accurately recorded
• Team Player: Working with Business Development, Product and Support, always staying aligned to the wider product plans
• Outcome-oriented: Focussing on measurable results like user onboarding, user adoption and retention – not just activity
About UnderwriteMe
UnderwriteMe is an Insurtech software business and subsidiary of Pacific Life Re (PL Re), a global life and pensions reinsurance firm. We have a vision to help everyone purchase protection insurance by using data and disruptive technology to transform our partners and markets in order to make their underwriting processes as quick and efficient as possible.
Our core products are:
•
• Protection Platform - a B2B2C marketplace used by over 15,000 advisors to power quoting and purchase of protection products in the UK. We currently deliver 16% of the UK markets protection policies and we are already working to increase our reach.
Working for UnderwriteMe
Joining UnderwriteMe means being part of a technology company that is committed to bringing a fresh and dynamic approach to insurance. You’d be working with a team of highly technical experts made up of people with backgrounds in software, fintech, and insurance.
Every person in our global team is valued for the unique qualities they bring to our business and we seek to build their expertise and support their individual ambitions at every step. Of course, we take our work seriously and we know our team can operate under great pressure. We work hard and thrive on achievement, but we also know how to have fun and relax too. We regularly host a range of team building days to strengthen our team's connection with each other and reflect on their successes.
Providing employees with a healthy work-life balance is very important to our culture. We have a wide range of employee benefits and we host regular social activities and wellbeing initiatives. We are also committed to supporting our employee's involvement in their communities, by actively fundraising, hosting charity events, and overseeing volunteering opportunities.
Benefits (Only for Permanent and Fixed Term Employees)
Leave
25 days of annual leave with option to buy/sell more days
Adoption and fertility leave
Generous enhanced parental leave
Healthcare
Comprehensive private insurance coverage for employee and dependents
Group Life Insurance coverage of 9x basic annual salary and Group Income Protection up to 75% of basic annual salary
Optical benefits
Savings & Retirement
15% combined employee/employer contributions
Wellness
Subsidized gym membership
Access to Employee Assistance Program
Cycle to Work and Electric Car Salary Sacrifice Scheme
Time off for volunteering
Charitable matching of employee donations
You Can Be Who You Are
We are committed to a culture of diversity and inclusion that embraces the authenticity of all employees, partners and communities. We support all employees to thrive and achieve their fullest potential.
As part of our commitment to accessibility for all, UnderwriteMe will, upon the request of the applicant, provide accommodation during the recruitment process to ensure equal access to applicants with disabilities. Please contact us about your needs, and we will consult with you to ensure suitable accommodation is provided.
UnderwriteMe Values
