Chief Underwriting Officer – Newly Created Executive Opportunity
Location: UK-wide (flexible)
Contract: Permanent, Executive Leadership
Industry: MGA / Delegated Authority / Personal & Commercial Lines
Reports into: Chief Executive Officer
Lead the Underwriting Strategy for a High‑Growth MGA
A dynamic, rapidly scaling MGA is seeking an exceptional Chief Underwriting Officer (CUO) to define, lead and evolve its underwriting strategy across a portfolio experiencing strong, sustained growth.
This is a rare opportunity to join an organisation backed by robust capacity arrangements, sophisticated pricing technology and a high‑performance leadership team – thus bringing you the platform, autonomy and authority to build something truly market‑defining.
As CUO, you will own the underwriting vision, ensure disciplined portfolio performance and play a central role in the business’s next phase of expansion across UK markets (and possibly further)
The Opportunity
In this pivotal executive role, you will:
🏆 Set and Own Underwriting Strategy
* Define underwriting philosophies, appetite statements and pricing frameworks.
* Lead, mentor and develop a high‑calibre underwriting function.
* Champion innovation and new product thinking, leveraging advanced data, analytics and technology.
📊 Drive Portfolio Profitability
* Take full accountability for loss ratio performance and portfolio optimisation.
* Monitor exposure, emerging risks and market trends to refine appetite and rate strategy.
* Deliver clear, robust MI to the Board and market partners.
🤝 Strengthen Capacity & Market Relationships
* Act as the senior underwriting contact for capacity providers.
* Negotiate delegated authority agreements (DUAs), renewals and expansions.
* Build strong broker relationships to enable sustainable, profitable GWP growth.
⚖️ Ensure Governance & Regulatory Discipline
* Maintain outstanding underwriting governance aligned with UK regulatory standards.
* Lead carrier, DUA and regulatory audit engagement.
* Embed robust documentation, risk controls and oversight.
💡 Enable Data‑Driven Decision Making
* Use pricing engines, enrichment tools and analytics to refine underwriting and optimise performance.
* Work collaboratively with actuarial, technology, operations and finance teams to integrate insight across the business.
🧭 Contribute to Executive Leadership
* Shape strategy, forecasting, planning and growth pathways.
* Bring a forward‑looking mindset to product development and distribution opportunities.
What You’ll Bring
* Extensive senior underwriting experience within personal or commercial lines, ideally in an MGA or delegated authority environment.
* Evidence of delivering profitable underwriting portfolios and disciplined loss ratio management.
* Strong understanding of UK regulatory expectations, DUA frameworks and Consumer Duty.
* A track record of building and leading high‑performing teams.
* Commercial acumen, strategic thinking and outstanding relationship‑building skills.
* A mindset that blends underwriting craft with data, technology and modern platform‑driven models.
Why This Role?
This is an opportunity to step into an organisation with:
* Serious growth momentum across core and adjacent product classes.
* Deep broker distribution reach and strong market access.
* Proven capacity relationships and clean, well‑managed audit history.
* A modern pricing and analytics environment enabling better, faster decisions.
* A leadership team committed to empowering underwriting excellence.
You’ll shape the underwriting engine of a business built for scale - bringing together governance, capability, creativity and growth.
Ready to Lead?
If you’re a senior underwriting leader ready for a high‑impact role with genuine strategic ownership, we’d love to speak with you.