UK Technical Director, Specialty Lines Commercial Insurance

About AXA:

AXA is a global leader in insurance and financial services, dedicated to helping customers protect what matters most to them. As the sixth-largest insurance company in the world, we provide a wide range of services, including health, car, home, and business insurance. We support millions of customers worldwide, helping them navigate life's uncertainties with confidence.

Job overview:

Are you a visionary technical leader ready to steer one of the UK's most dynamic specialty insurance portfolios? We're seeking an exceptional Senior Leader to take the helm of our Specialty Lines and Commercial business, where your strategic insight and technical expertise will directly influence how we underwrite, price, and compete in the market.

In this pivotal role, you'll combine strategic direction, with hands-on technical leadership—defining our underwriting philosophy, driving profitable growth, and ensuring we remain at the forefront of commercial insurance. Leading a talented underwriting, portfolio management and business team, you'll champion best-in-class portfolio management and champion the technical excellence that sets AXA apart.

If you're passionate about building sustainable competitive advantage through rigorous technical discipline and strategic foresight, this is your opportunity to make a lasting impact.

Key responsibilities:

• Develop & Execute Underwriting Strategy – Create and communicate a clear underwriting strategy aligned with Specialty Lines strategic plans, ensuring profitable business growth.
• Own Product & Competitive Positioning – Maintain technical ownership of products, regularly refreshing them to keep AXA competitive and strategically aligned.
• Deliver Expert Underwriting Decisions – Provide accurate, timely underwriting guidance to write and retain business within strategy parameters.
• Lead Technical Standards – Establish and maintain underwriting philosophies, rules, and guidelines across all key products and lines of business.
• Support Branch Network – Work proactively with branches to enable delivery of individual branch plans and commercial objectives.
• Monitor & Analyse Performance – Oversee monthly account performance taking action to steer the portfolio to deliver on our plans.
• Build Compliance & Capability – Ensure regulatory compliance, support audit/governance requirements, and develop team expertise through knowledge sharing and training.
• Manage External Relationships & Group Liaison – Lead cross-group interactions and manage key external relationships critical to the role's success.

Work arrangements:

At AXA we work smart, empowering our people to balance their time between home and the office in a way that works best for them, their team and our customers. You'll work at least three days a week (60%) away from home. Away from home means either attendance at one of our office locations, visiting clients or attending industry events.

Your skills & experience:

• Strategic Influencer – Influences senior leaders, inspires direct teams and external stakeholders through credibility and conviction; confidently challenges thinking with a curious mindset.
• Cross-Functional Operator – Proven experience across underwriting, pricing, claims, risk engineering, compliance, and distribution; builds strong relationships and collaborates to deliver organisational outcomes.
• Technical Mastery – Thorough knowledge of underwriting processes, product lines, and ability to manage complex cases, portfolios, and schemes; communicates technical concepts clearly to diverse audiences.
• Commercial & Regulatory Acumen – Strong commercial awareness of customer, broker, and partner needs; solid knowledge of general insurance law, FCA regulations, and key performance indicators.
• Data-Driven Decision Maker – Analyses statistical data to monitor performance and identify actions; balances strategic thinking with timely, evidence-based decisions
• Product & Process Developer – Track record of devising new products, underwriting guidelines, and leading complex projects across broad stakeholder groups; ideally with international underwriting experience.
• Inclusive Leader – Demonstrates resilience in managing differing viewpoints and complex negotiations; prioritises competing demands, manages multiple initiatives, and creates inclusive environments where diverse teams perform at their best.
• Professional Qualification – ACII or FCII (preferred) with demonstrable expertise in general insurance underwriting and technical approach.

As a precondition of employment for this role, you must be eligible and authorised to work in the United Kingdom.

This position has been defined as an Insurance Distribution Directive (IDD) role under the IDD regime which means that in addition to pre-employment screening checks, the successful candidate will be subject to background screening every 4 years with an annual declaration in interim years.

Please be aware that this position is a Certified Function role under the SM&CR regime, which means the successful candidate will be subject to an enhanced level of background screening requirements.

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