Head of Construction - UK & Lloyd's

What you’ll be doing

What will your essential responsibilities include?

• In concert with the Chief Underwriting Officer, you will be responsible for developing an annual business plan that is consistent with AXA XL’s overall underwriting strategies and objectives.
• Continually monitor objectives for financial, marketing and client satisfaction success and provide guidance immediately when trending against plan.
• Set and drive strategic and operational objectives that will result in early “wins” to achieve short-term success but not at the cost of jeopardizing annual or long-term goals.
• Develop data tools and analytic reports; leveraging underwriting’s central capabilities, to allow for ongoing monitoring of product performance, budgets and forecasts.
• Collaborating with the business line leaders to identify and develop centers of excellence among underwriters for specific industries (e.g., technology, energy, life science, etc.).
• Driving new product development process in anticipation of market need (form and endorsement development) in conjunction with product management and others.
• Driving Underwriting Excellence to support and ensure profitable growth by:
• Achieving business plan financial objectives and profitable growth as approved by senior management.
• Developing and implementing strategic underwriting plans for the segment or region, aligned with current and long-term objectives.
• Working with the business line leaders to develop the underwriting appetite, segmentation strategy and portfolio management.
• Being an integral part of the underwriting process with focus on risk selection, structure and pricing.
• Maintaining and modifying underwriting policies, procedures and authority guidelines as required to enable underwriters to profitably achieve financial goals and maximize AXA XL's opportunities.
• Provide leadership to the team.
• Collaborating with the Actuarial team, to improve pricing models and analytics necessary to support profitable risk selection and growth.
• Leading audit/review process of the functional units to ensure technical compliance through adequate underwriting controls.
• Preserve and enhance profitability through the development of sophisticated underwriting and analytic techniques, pricing discipline, competitive analysis and the development of performance metrics and controls
• Support product management and innovation by developing analytical rigor, capabilities and processes that will enable the team to achieve their growth and profitability targets
• Ensure underwriting objectives, limits, product and product enhancements are all consistent with AXA XL’s overall casualty strategy
• Through regular communication discuss meeting underwriting excellence objectives through audits and loss activity consistent within AXA XL
• Assisting in producer relationships and maintaining visibility in the market:
• Working with the underwriting managers, sales and regional leaders to achieve cross selling objectives and develop marketing strategies.
• Developing new business opportunities via extensive broker and insured relationships.
• Supporting customer retention.
• Mentoring and coaching the underwriting team and develop a succession plan.
• Ensuring adequate communication and flow of information as appropriate.
• Partnering with actuarial, accounting, claims, and finance and product management as required to support the underwriting strategies and service excellence.
• Developing reinsurance strategies and managing limit accumulations to avoid earnings volatility while maximizing AXA XL's opportunities on placements.
• Partnering with the Chief Risk Officer and others to implement best practices and internal controls to support enterprise risk management (e.g., internal audit, FIC, Regulatory, etc.).
• Develop and execute a focused effort targeting key distribution partners marketing the merits of AXA XL’s value proposition.
• Lead with the value of a strong partnership demonstrating AXA XL’s ability to now be viewed as a long-term player.
• Exhibit the front-to-back knowledge required to provide confidence in the ability for AXA XL negotiate.

You will report to Chief Underwriting Officer – Retail P&C, UK & Lloyds

What you’ll bring

We’re looking for someone who has these abilities and skills:

• Experience:  Substantial experience focusing on underwriting management and operations.   You will also have experience building relationships with all the larger brokers and large regional agencies. You will also be expected to have a successful track record of driving profitable growth. An undergraduate degree is required and a Master’s Degree and/or professional insurance certification preferred. 

• Inspired Leadership:  AXA XL requires a self-starter who will thrive in a team-oriented environment. You will be a non-political player who can, by virtue of your background and experiences, be immediately credible with both internal and external constituents who include brokers and customers.  You will be naturally collaborative and your words, tone and actions will set the bar for others to follow.  You will have the ability to influence without authority, motivate others and be highly participative.  You will have the reputation for engaging through listening and then driving for efficiency of decision making versus creating bureaucracy. 
• Business Building:  You must have a strong balance of both strategic and operating skills.  You will have been in an environment where you have participated in thoughtful and profitable growth.  You will have a track record of executing to plan and working to achieve objectives.  You will understand the importance of a strong value proposition and know how to appropriately leverage distribution relationships.  Highly attentive to operational and financial details, you will be well organized, a disciplined planner with solid communication skills.  You will be financially astute and sophisticated in identifying key financial trends and reworking metrics to get to answers that at first were not obvious.  Finally, through your reputation in the industry, you will have the ability to attract the best talent in the industry.
• Technical Acumen:  Sharp rigorous thinker who creates a logical connection for others between the dynamics of market realities, AXA XL’s  mission, vision and strategy.  You will be a student of the insurance industry and know how the business makes money.  At your core you will be an underwriter thus exhibiting granular knowledge of all aspects of managing a market.  You will be market savvy and know what the competition is doing from a product and pricing perspective and quickly grasp challenges and opportunities.  Finally, you will have the proven ability to easily articulate the technical and complicated in a manner others readily understand.

What we offer

Inclusion

AXA XL is committed to equal employment opportunity and will consider applicants regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age, ethnicity and origins, marital status, religion, disability, or any other protected characteristic.   At AXA XL, we know that an inclusive culture and enables business growth and is critical to our success. That’s why we have made a strategic commitment to attract, develop, advance and retain the most inclusive workforce possible, and create a culture where everyone can bring their full selves to work and reach their highest potential. It’s about helping one another — and our business — to move forward and succeed.

• Five Business Resource Groups focused on gender, LGBTQ+, ethnicity and origins, disability and inclusion with 20 Chapters around the globe.
• Robust support for Flexible Working Arrangements
• Enhanced family-friendly leave benefits
• Named to the Diversity Best Practices Index
• Signatory to the UK Women in Finance Charter

Learn more at axaxl.com/about-us/inclusion-and-diversity.  AXA XL is an Equal Opportunity Employer.

Total Rewards

AXA XL’s Reward program is designed to take care of what matters most to you, covering the full picture of your health, wellbeing, lifestyle and financial security. It provides competitive compensation and personalized, inclusive benefits that evolve as you do.

We’re committed to rewarding your contribution for the long term, so you can be your best self today and look forward to the future with confidence.

Sustainability

At AXA XL, Sustainability is integral to our business strategy. In an ever-changing world, AXA XL protects what matters most for our clients and communities. We know that sustainability is at the root of a more resilient future. Our 2023-26 Sustainability strategy, called “Roots of resilience”, focuses on protecting natural ecosystems, addressing climate change, and embedding sustainable practices across our operations.

Our Pillars:

• Valuing nature: How we impact nature affects how nature impacts us. Resilient ecosystems - the foundation of a sustainable planet and society – are essential to our future. We’re committed to protecting and restoring nature – from mangrove forests to the bees in our backyard – by increasing biodiversity awareness and inspiring clients and colleagues to put nature at the heart of their plans.
• Addressing climate change: The effects of a changing climate are far-reaching and significant. Unpredictable weather, increasing temperatures, and rising sea levels cause both social inequalities and environmental disruption. We're building a net zero strategy, developing insurance products and services, and mobilizing to advance thought leadership and investment in societal-led solutions.
• Integrating ESG: All companies have a role to play in building a more resilient future. Incorporating ESG considerations into our internal processes and practices builds resilience from the roots of our business. We’re training our colleagues, engaging our external partners, and evolving our sustainability governance and reporting.
• AXA Hearts in Action:  We have established volunteering and charitable giving programs to help colleagues support causes that matter most to them, known as AXA XL’s “Hearts in Action” programs. These include our Matching Gifts program, Volunteering Leave, and our annual volunteering day – the Global Day of Giving.

For more information, please see axaxl.com/sustainability. 

Who we are

AXA XL, the P&C and specialty risk division of AXA, is known for solving complex risks. For mid-sized companies, multinationals and even some inspirational individuals we don’t just provide re/insurance, we reinvent it.

How? By combining a comprehensive and efficient capital platform, data-driven insights, leading technology, and the best talent in an agile and inclusive workspace, empowered to deliver top client service across all our lines of business − property, casualty, professional, financial lines and specialty.

With an innovative and flexible approach to risk solutions, we partner with those who move the world forward.

Learn more at axaxl.com