Introduction
At Pen, we don’t just underwrite risk, we unlock possibility. We’re a dynamic underwriting and distribution business backed by the strength of Gallagher and powered by a belief that every challenge has a solution. With entrepreneurial energy, niche expertise, and a bold growth mindset, we’re transforming what it means to be an MGA in today’s insurance landscape. Whether you’re shaping new products, solving complex problems, or collaborating across teams, your ideas and initiative will help deliver smarter solutions for our clients—and move the industry forward. Here, agility meets stability. Creativity meets execution. And your career meets real opportunity. At Pen, we champion innovation, value accountability, and thrive on building something better together. If you’re looking to join a team that’s rewriting the future of underwriting, we’d love to hear from you.
Overview
*Please note this role can be based out of any of our Pen Underwriting locations*
The Technical Underwriting Manager is responsible for providing technical leadership within the Risk Managed division. The role is accountable for delivering financial performance (GWP, revenue and profitability) alongside insurer performance targets (loss ratio), through effective management of underwriting standards and technical performance.
A key focus of the role is to design and embed a robust underwriting framework that enables the delivery of products under delegated authority from carrier partners. The role holder will own the product suite, ensuring ongoing value, competitiveness, and relevance for brokers, coverholders and end customers.
How you'll make an impact
- Lead and influence the technical performance of the business unit, driving delivery of P&L objectives through proactive performance management, including target setting, monitoring and corrective action planning
- Identify emerging risks, trends, opportunities and challenges, responding with clear, actionable plans to protect and enhance performance
- Develop and maintain underwriting frameworks, guidelines and rating structures to support consistent, high-quality underwriting decisions within delegated authority
- Contribute to product development, innovation and continuous improvement of underwriting systems and processes
- Establish and maintain high standards of technical underwriting, professional conduct and ethical behaviour across the team
- Work closely with Risk & Governance to allocate underwriting authorities and implement structured audit processes to ensure compliance and consistency
- Support internal and external audit processes, including oversight of delegated authority arrangements
- Act as a key referral point for complex or high-value risks exceeding individual underwriting authorities
- Build and maintain strong relationships with key stakeholders including brokers, insurers and coverholders
- Lead, coach and develop underwriting teams, ensuring capability and succession for future growth and market opportunities
- Ensure adherence to service standards and effective handling of complaints in line with company procedures
- Act as a role model for company values, professionalism and ethical conduct, ensuring compliance with the AJG Professional Standards Manual
- Ensure full compliance with all applicable legal, regulatory and governance requirements, taking ownership for identifying gaps and implementing remedial actions where required
About You
Technical Knowledge
- Strong understanding of insurance principles and the application of these in complex underwriting scenarios
- Advanced knowledge of underwriting disciplines, pricing and rating methodologies
- Awareness of when specialist input (e.g. surveys, engineering reports) is required for complex risks
- Good understanding of claims handling, reserving and its impact on loss ratio performance
- Strong knowledge of UK regulatory frameworks and legal considerations within insurance
Experience
- Proven underwriting leadership experience within a defined line of business
- Strong track record of delivering against financial targets and managing business performance
- Experience operating within delegated authority environments
- Demonstrated ability to embed robust processes and technical standards in line with compliance requirements
- Experience working in a matrix environment, collaborating across functions to deliver shared objectives
- Strong market awareness with the ability to identify and capitalise on growth opportunities
Skills & Capabilities
- Strong analytical capability, with the ability to interpret KPIs and drive performance improvements
- Excellent communication skills, with the ability to influence and engage across all levels, both internally and externally
- Strong organisational and leadership skills, with the ability to manage teams against deadlines and targets
- Effective negotiation and decision-making skills in complex scenarios
- Commercial acumen and financial awareness, including business planning and trading in a competitive market
- Proficient in Microsoft Office applications (Outlook, Word, Excel, PowerPoint)
- Awareness and practical understanding of how data and AI can enhance underwriting and product development
- Strong product knowledge across standard and complex risks, with the ability to evolve offerings in response to market changes
Compensation and benefits
On top of a competitive salary, great teams and exciting career opportunities, we also offer a wide range of benefits.
Below are the minimum core benefits you’ll get, depending on your job level these benefits may improve:
- Minimum of 25 days holiday, plus bank holidays, and the option to ‘buy’ extra days
- Defined contribution pension scheme, which Gallagher will also contribute to
- Life insurance, which will pay 4x your basic annual salary, which you can top-up to 10x
- Income protection, we’ll cover up to 50% of your annual income, with options to top up
- Health cash plan or Private medical insurance
Other benefits include:
- Three fully paid volunteering days per year
- Employee Stock Purchase plan, offering company shares at a discount
- Share incentive plan, HMRC approved, tax effective, stock purchase plan
- Critical illness cover
- Discounted gym membership, with over 3,000 gyms nationally
- Season ticket loan
- Access to a discounted voucher portal to save money on your weekly shop or next big purchase
- Emergency back-up family care
- And many more…
We value inclusion and diversity
Inclusion and diversity (I&D) is a core part of our business, and it’s embedded into the fabric of our organisation. For more than 95 years, Gallagher has led with a commitment to sustainability and to support the communities where we live and work.
Gallagher embraces our employees’ diverse identities, experiences and talents, allowing us to better serve our clients and communities. We see inclusion as a conscious commitment and diversity as a vital strength. By embracing diversity in all its forms, we live out The Gallagher Way to its fullest.
Gallagher is Disability Confident Committed. We have pledged to make sure our recruitment process is inclusive and accessible, in addition to supporting our existing employees with any long-term health conditions or disabilities.
We understand that applicants may have disabilities, if you do, you may find some parts of the recruitment process more challenging than others. Don’t worry, we’re here to help, however, we can only do this if you let us know.
Should you require reasonable adjustments to your application, please get in touch with TAGlobalSupport@ajg.com . If you’d prefer to speak on the phone, please request a call back, leaving details, so we get in touch.
Our employing entity, Arthur J. Gallagher Services (UK) Limited, is proud to be accredited as a Living Wage employer with the Living Wage Foundation. We are committed to diversity and opportunity for all and are opposed to any form of less favourable treatment on the grounds of gender or gender identity, marital status, civil partnership status, parental status, race, ethnicity, colour, nationality, disability, sexual orientation, religion/ belief, age and those with caring responsibilities.
Gallagher believes that all persons are entitled to equal employment opportunity and prohibits any form of discrimination by its managers, employees, vendors or customers based on race, color, religion, creed, gender (including pregnancy status), sexual orientation, gender identity (which includes transgender and other gender non-conforming individuals), gender expression, hair expression, marital status, parental status, age, national origin, ancestry, disability, medical condition, genetic information, veteran or military status, citizenship status, or any other characteristic protected (herein referred to as “protected characteristics”) by applicable federal, state, or local laws.
Equal employment opportunity will be extended in all aspects of the employer-employee relationship, including, but not limited to, recruitment, hiring, training, promotion, transfer, demotion, compensation, benefits, layoff, and termination. In addition, Gallagher will make reasonable accommodations to known physical or mental limitations of an otherwise qualified person with a disability, unless the accommodation would impose an undue hardship on the operation of our business.
