Commercial Express is on a trajectory of fantastic growth, with ambitious plans for the future and is looking for an experienced Portfolio Underwriter to join our thriving MGA Business.
The Role:
As a Portfolio Underwriter at Commercial Express, you will be directly accountable for driving the performance and profitability of product and scheme portfolios. This role combines technical underwriting expertise with strategic portfolio management, working across multiple product lines to ensure delivery of profitable growth, alignment with risk appetite, and excellent customer outcomes.
You will use data-driven insights to monitor performance, identify trends, and recommend adjustments to underwriting strategy, rules, and pricing.
Your input will be crucial in strategic projects focused on commercial growth and product development, helping shape the future risk mix and setting clear strategies for our regional and underwriting units. You will help shape our underwriting approach and product proposition to meet evolving market, customer, and regulatory needs.
This is an exciting opportunity to work in a dynamic and entrepreneurial environment, applying your technical expertise and market knowledge to drive profitable growth.
Key Responsibilities include:
Portfolio Management
- Own the performance and profitability of assigned products/portfolios, ensuring delivery against budgeted targets.
- Monitor, analyse, and interpret MI to identify trends, opportunities, and risks; recommend and implement corrective actions where necessary.
- Lead the development, refinement, and implementation of portfolio underwriting strategies, rules, and terms aligned to business objectives and risk appetite.
- Undertake deep dives into performance data, providing actionable insights to improve conversion, retention, and claims outcomes.
- Design, development and production of regular portfolio management reporting to monitor performance of the portfolio.
- Independently producing analysis on a monthly basis to further understand changing trends and analyse quote conversion, policy retention, customer behaviour, and claims experience with the aim of driving change into the business aligned with the underwriting strategy.
- Apply knowledge of the underwriting cycle and the external insurance market to make portfolio decisions.
- Support the full product lifecycle, ensuring documentation, underwriting guides, and rules are up-to-date and reflect portfolio strategy.
Stakeholder Engagement & Strategy
- Build strong relationships and collaborate with stakeholders to set strategy, review competitiveness, and optimise rating approaches.
- Influence and engage senior stakeholders using clear, evidence-based recommendations.
- Contribute to strategic initiatives and projects to evolve product and portfolio performance.
- Represent Commercial Express in relevant market forums, maintaining a strong presence in the MGA sector.
- Support the development of new products or enhancements to existing offerings.
Skills and Experience:
- ACII/DIP qualification or progression towards.
- Proven track record in portfolio risk selection, underwriting performance, and strategic product development within MGA, insurer, or delegated authority environments.
- Strong technical expertise in commercial underwriting (SME, property, liability) with an understanding of related functions such as pricing.
- Ability to interpret and leverage MI data to drive strategic decisions and generate actionable insights.
- Skilled in underwriting rules management, portfolio analysis, and the use of MI tools and data visualisation platforms.
- Excellent communication, presentation, and storytelling skills to influence stakeholders at all levels.
- Strategic thinker with a commercial mindset, focused on delivering sustainable, profitable growth.
- Strong organisational skills with the ability to manage multiple projects and deadlines.
Benefits:
- Workplace Pension Scheme offering you flexibility of up to 16%.
- 27 days’ holiday plus bank holidays.
- 1 Paid Volunteer Day per year.
- Hybrid Working – Flexibility to work from home combined with a number of days per week in our office on The Waterfront in Brierley Hill. We are providing a fantastic work environment to drive our commitment to learning and development, innovation, and collaboration.
- Health Cash Plan and Virtual GP Services.
- Trained Mental Health First Aiders and access to 24/7 Employee Assistance Programme, offering a range of health and wellbeing, financial and counselling services.
- Professional Membership Status – as part of holding CII Chartered Insurance Underwriting Agent Status we offer a variety of funding options to support our people in achieving industry standard qualifications.
- Employee recognition awards and annual employee awards.
- Staff social events throughout the year, including Summer and Christmas parties.
- Long Service awards.
- Free onsite parking.
- Matched funding for charities.
- Death in Service benefit.
Job Types: Full-time, Permanent
Benefits:
- Company events
- Company pension
- Employee discount
- Enhanced paternity leave
- Free parking
- Health & wellbeing programme
- On-site parking
- Paid volunteer time
- Sick pay
- Work from home
Application question(s):
- Please let us know what your salary expectations would be for this role.
- Are you able to commute to our offices based in Brierley Hill in the West Midlands?
Work Location: Hybrid remote in Brierley Hill DY5 1XH
