Underwriting Performance Manager

Are you looking for a role where you can combine analytical thinking with commercial impact?

At Markel, you'll work at the heart of the business, partnering with underwriting, actuarial, finance and portfolio teams to identify opportunities, optimise performance, and help make confident, data-driven decisions across Markel International.

What part will you play? If you’re looking for a place where you can make a meaningful difference, you’ve found it. The work we do at Markel gives people the confidence to move forward and seize opportunities, and you’ll find your fit amongst our global community of optimists and problem-solvers. We’re always pushing each other to go further because we believe that when we realize our potential, we can help others reach theirs.

Join us and play your part in something special!

The opportunity:

The Underwriting Performance team sits within the Underwriting Strategy & Performance department, reporting to the Chief Underwriting Officer, International. We help Markel International achieve safe and profitable underwriting by supporting portfolio optimisation, building strategic partnerships, and providing clear, forward-looking insight.

We link underwriting, actuarial, finance and other specialist functions. Our role is to help colleagues understand portfolio performance, identify risks and opportunities, and turn analysis into practical decisions. We combine constructive challenge with a strong understanding of the commercial pressures facing the business.

Our approach is based on partnership. We aim to be accessible, clear and solution focused. We use data to inform decisions, communicate proactively, and maintain underwriting discipline without creating unnecessary bureaucracy.

This is a broad role, with a remit across Markel International. You will work closely with the Head of Underwriting Performance and other members of the team, contributing flexibly across portfolio analysis, business planning, management reporting and strategic initiatives. The precise balance of work will evolve with team and business priorities.

What you’ll be doing:

Shape Markel International’s cycle management strategy

• Perform market cycle analyses, supporting underwriting strategy and responses to emerging issues
• Contribute to Markel International’s cycle management approach, leading on portfolio optimisation approach

Support planning and performance activity

• Support portfolio reviews, forecasts, business planning and assessments of underwriting performance
• Test key assumptions, prepare clear senior-management materials and maintain oversight of agreed actions and emerging issues, including assessments of new underwriting initiatives

Generate useful insight

• Analyse underwriting and portfolio performance, identifying the principal drivers, trends, risks and opportunities
• Combine information from different sources into clear conclusions, implications and practical options, including from independent underwriting reviews (IURs)
• Produce well-evidenced, technically sound work

Partner with the business

• Build constructive relationships across underwriting, portfolio analytics, actuarial, finance, exposure management and other functions
• Understand stakeholders’ objectives and portfolios, working collaboratively while offering commercially aware challenge

Contribute across USP priorities

• Deliver defined work across strategic projects, ad hoc analysis and changing business priorities
• Take ownership from question to output, communicating risks early and improving the work process

Our must-haves:

We seek someone with the analytical foundations and curiosity to develop into a trusted underwriting performance partner.

Experience and knowledge

• Proven experience in insurance, reinsurance, underwriting, actuarial, finance, consulting or analytics
• Experience analysing business or portfolio performance, with an understanding of insurance economics; London Market knowledge is beneficial

Analytical and communication skills

• • Strong analytical and problem-solving skills
  • Clear written and verbal communication
  • Data visualisation or analytical-tool experience is advantageous.

Approach and behaviours

• • Curiosity about underwriting performance and a proactive approach to investigating issues and proposing options.
  • A collaborative style that builds trust.
  • Commercial judgement, balancing analytical rigour with relevant and workable outcomes.
  • Accountability: you take ownership, communicate openly and follow through on commitments.
  • Adaptability: you are comfortable working across varied priorities in a role whose scope will develop over time.
  • Constructive confidence: you are willing to test assumptions and challenge appropriately, while remaining open to alternative views.

Who we are:

Markel Group (NYSE – MKL) a Fortune 500 company with over 60 offices in 20+ countries, is a holding company for insurance, reinsurance, specialist advisory, and investment operations around the world.

We’re all about people | We win together | We strive for better | We enjoy the everyday | We think further

What’s in it for you?

• A great starting salary plus annual bonus & strong benefits package…
• 25 days paid holiday plus Bank Holidays, with the opportunity to buy/sell extra leave
• Fantastic company pension scheme, private medical and dental cover, life assurance, travel insurance cover, income protection, season ticket loan as well as other great benefits on offer
• There are countless opportunities to learn new skills and develop in your career and we can provide the support needed to do just that!

Are you ready to play your part?

Choose ‘Apply Now’ to fill out our short application, so that we can find out more about you.

Markel celebrates the value of a diverse workforce that brings experience and expertise from a wide variety of backgrounds and life circumstances. Whatever your background, if you feel you meet the requirements of this role then we want to hear from you. We are also happy to consider candidates who are looking for flexible working patterns.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, colour, national origin, sex, gender, gender expression, sexual orientation, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status.

We will ensure that individuals with disabilities are provided with all reasonable accommodations to be able to participate in the job application or interview process and to perform essential job functions if successful. Please contact us via email at [email protected] or call us at 0161 507 5827 to request any accommodations that may be needed. This includes any alternative formats of any documents or information on how to apply offline.

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